School 'not antisemitic' over MP visit, says report

A secondary school that was criticised for cancelling a visit from a Jewish MP was not antisemitic, an independent inquiry has found.

The Cabot Learning Federation (CLF) postponed a visit from Damien Egan to the Bristol Brunel Academy in September due to planned protests by pro-Palestine activists. It denied reports that it was due to concerns about the MP's membership of the Labour Friends of Israel parliamentary group.

A review commissioned by the CLF into the incident concluded that there is "no evidence of antisemitism" within either the school or the CLF.

But Egan, Labour MP for Bristol North East, said the report was redacted and urged the CLF to release its full contents.

The report did recommend that the CLF consider additional training on antisemitism, and seek ways to repair the relationship with Egan.

Bristol Brunel Academy said at the time it postponed the visit due to student safeguarding issues over the demonstration planned on the same day.

Eagan, the MP for Bristol North East, had already visited four other schools within the trust.

The decision to postpone the visit was criticised by the education secretary and the prime minister, who said the move was "very serious, very concerning".

After Egan's visit was halted, the Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign hailed it as a "victory for parents, teachers and the community".

Ofsted inspected the school in January in response to the cancelled visit and found no evidence substantiating concerns of bias at the school.

The visit was eventually rescheduled and took place in February.

Retired headteacher, Dame Joan McVittie, carried out the review and concluded the decision to postpone Egan's visit had been taken solely to protect students, staff and the MP amid the uncertainty of a planned protest.

Dame Joan said: "The evidence I have gathered leads me to conclude that the decision to postpone was based not on the MP's religious beliefs or links to Israel but on a desire to protect him from potential abuse and harm as a consequence of this."

The inquiry offered several recommendations around future political visits to schools within the CLF and across the country, including a closer relationship between schools, police, local authorities and the Department for Education (DfE) when making decisions around sensitive visits.

It also recommended that the DfE offer improved guidance and security for schools planning visits.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "We welcome Dame Joan McVittie's thorough and robust investigation, and while no signs of antisemitic culture were found at this school or trust, the wider picture demands urgent action.

"Since 7 October 2023, antisemitic incidents in educational settings have more than doubled. It's a national disgrace, and we will not look away from it.

"That is why we have commissioned an independent national review to strengthen how schools and colleges prevent, identify and respond to antisemitism and all forms of hate."

Eagan thanked Dam McVitte for her work on the report, but urged the trust to release the full file.

"I have seen the redacted version of the report that the Cabot Learning Federation Multi Academy Trust have released and would strongly encourage them to publish the complete version of the report," he said.

"I will be writing to the Secretary of State to the same effect."

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