School marked down by Ofsted for being 'too white'
Parents angered after Lincolnshire primary school marked down by inspectors for not having enough black or Asian children
By Graeme Paton, Education Editor
2:44PM GMT 19 Nov 2014
Ofsted was accused of “political correctness” after downgrading a top rural primary school for effectively being too English.
The education watchdog faced a backlash from MPs and parents following the decision to penalise Middle Rasen primary in Lincolnshire for not having enough back or Asian pupils.
In a report, inspectors said the school was “not yet outstanding” because pupils’ cultural development was limited by a “lack of first-hand experience of the diverse make up of modern British society”.
The move followed a shake-up of Ofsted inspections introduced in the wake of the “Trojan Horse” plot in Birmingham to impose hard-line Muslim values in state schools.
Schools are now told to place fundamental British values at the heart of the timetable including mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.
But the reforms have already been criticised for having a knock-on effect on faith schools and those dominated by pupils of a particular ethnic group.
Last month, it was claimed that a small Christian school in the Home Counties had been penalised after failing to other invite faith leaders, such as imams, in to lead assemblies.
Commenting on the latest case, Sir Edward Leigh, the Conservative MP for Gainsborough, said he had written to Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, “objecting strenuously to the new so-called 'equality' regulations she is implementing in schools”.
He added: “This is political correctness gone mad. Middle Rasen primary school is an outstanding school by any standards.
More bollox here:
'http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/11240700/School-marked-down-by-Ofsted-for-being-too-white.html' target='window'>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/11240700/School-marked-down-by-Ofsted-for-being-too-white.html