Wood Green Academy in Wednesbury, West Midlands, has been criticised for not providing a safe space for discussing controversial issues, following an incident in which a gay Muslim speaker was challenged by students and later received death threats on social media. Khakan Qureshi, founder of the Birmingham Asian LGBT group, was invited to speak on “diversity in the face of adversity” to the school’s sixth form, but the session descended into chaos with videos being posted on social media. The school’s teachers intervened and one referred to the students’ comments as “homophobia” while another used a reference to 9/11 to explain how the UK was a “tolerant society”. An external report concluded that there was “insufficient awareness and experience” to deliver the teaching of controversial issues safely, and that the session had been “extremely damaging to relationships within and beyond the school”.
The report also found that the school must urgently repair relationships that have been damaged, review student voice processes and ensure staff are trained on working in diverse contexts. The incident led to parents forming the Wood Green Academy Action Group, which is said to represent over 300 parents. The group has collected complaints from pupils and parents, including a pupil being harassed for wearing a long skirt and headscarf, the school refusing to create a designated prayer room, mothers being denied entry to the school while wearing a veil and teachers failing to intervene in bullying. The group is calling for a review into the introduction of compulsory relationship, sex and health education in 2020. A spokesperson for the school said pupils were taught “the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. We promote equality of opportunity and diversity effectively”.