‘Well this is grotesque Linden Kemkaran. Reform UK indoctrination in schools.’
Reform has been accused of indoctrination in schools, after a school in Rochester launched an essay competition offering a Nigel Farage football shirt as a prize.
For a party that claims left-wing ideologies and “wokeism” are taking over schools, this is highly ironic.
The Kent school, Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School, is facing questions about political impartiality after it launched the essay prize for GCSE students in Citizenship.
According to Local Authority news website, pupils have been asked to write 1,000 words on Reform, tackling the question: “Evaluate the view that Reform UK has obliterated the two-party system.”
The winner will receive a Reform UK football shirt with ‘Farage 10’ on the back, personally presented by Kent County Council’s Reform leader Linden Kemkaran.
Farage, who previously said that politics should be kept out of football, has been ridiculed for launching the shirt.
It came to light last month that Farage had broken the rules by using a design resembling the trademarked Made in Britain logo on the shirt, without permission.
She added: “Headteacher Mr Hodges sounds like a very sensible chap to me.”
Headteacher Eliot Hodges insisted the school invites “all parties every year”.
But students told Local Authority they could not recall similar contests linked to past visits, nor political memorabilia being offered as prizes.
Mr Hodges maintained that the school had previously awarded life-size cardboard cut-outs of Jeremy Corbyn and Rishi Sunak, copies of Vince Cable’s book and batches of Vote Labour leaflets.
However, students provided evidence that the cardboard cut-out of Sunak was auctioned off rather than awarded as a prize, and had been bought by the school not donated.
When Local Authority asked for examples of other essay contests and prizes donated by other political parties, a message advertising a new contest was suddenly sent to students.
This one was linked to the upcoming visit of Labour MP Naushabah Khan. The essay question is to ‘Evaluate the view that Labour’s first year in government has been a success’, with the prize a mug bearing the slogan ‘Keir Starmer is my hero’.
In a speech at Reform conference on 5 September, Reform MP Lee Anderson complained: “Whether you like it or not, there are some teachers in our schools [who] are brainwashing our kids into their way of thinking.
“And when we get into power, we will root these teachers out and hold them to account.”
Teenage Reform council leader George Finch also claimed the education system is dogged by a “wave of wokeism”.
Yet when it comes to promoting Reform in schools, the party appears more than happy to support brainwashing.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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