Bow School and Tower Hamlets Council have introduced changes to the way politically sensitive pupil artwork is handled following concerns raised by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) about an exhibition of strongly anti-Israel artwork by Year 8 pupils.
UKLFI wrote to Bow School and Tower Hamlets Council after artwork produced as part of the school’s Year 8 “Protest” art project was publicly displayed at Half Moon Theatre in east London.
The exhibition included works using Palestinian flags and colours, “Free Palestine” slogans, images of the Dome of the Rock, destroyed buildings and distressed children, as well as the words “MURDER”, “TAKEOVER” and “RELIGION”. One work stated “stop the Israeli genocide of Gaza”, while another included a Star of David which had been partially struck through.
The exhibition came to UKLFI’s attention after an 11-year-old Jewish child attending a drama course at Half Moon Theatre became distressed by the display.
UKLFI raised concerns that the project and its subsequent public exhibition might have failed to comply with duties under sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996, which require schools and local authorities to prevent the promotion of partisan political views in teaching and, where political issues are presented, to take reasonably practicable steps to ensure a balanced presentation of opposing views.
UKLFI also raised concerns about the potential impact of the material on Jewish pupils and the school’s obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty.
Tower Hamlets Council has now confirmed that it will recirculate the Department for Education’s guidance on political impartiality to schools across the borough.
The Council was sorry that members of the public may have experienced “genuine concern or upset” as a result of the exhibition.
Bow School said it will review its arrangements for future external exhibitions, including how pupil work is selected, contextualised and associated with the school’s name when displayed by outside organisations.
It also confirmed that it will continue supporting staff on their responsibilities concerning political impartiality, equality and the teaching of sensitive issues, and will review its procedures for externally curated exhibitions and public displays.
The school said this year’s staff diversity, equity and inclusion training, which had been selected before UKLFI raised its concerns, includes a specific focus on antisemitism and the experiences of Jewish people.
Bow School maintained, however, that its own review had found no evidence that pupils had been directed towards a particular political position or that staff had promoted partisan political views. It said pupils had chosen their own themes and sourced their own imagery, and that the wider project also covered subjects including climate change, racism, women’s rights, Black Lives Matter, Sudan and Ukraine.
It concluded that it had not identified a breach of the Education Act 1996, Equality Act 2010, Teachers’ Standards or other statutory or professional duties.
A spokesperson for UKLFI, said:
“We are pleased that both Bow School and Tower Hamlets Council have responded to our concerns with practical changes.
“Whatever the intention behind the project, the result was that highly inflammatory and one-sided material about Israel was displayed publicly under the name of a school.
“The Council’s decision to recirculate the Government’s political impartiality guidance across its schools, together with the proposed strengthening of approval arrangements for sensitive pupil exhibitions, are important steps.
“We commend Half Moon Theatre, which promptly removed the problematic works from display when concerns were drawn to its attention.”