Labour's plot to make Britain's national curriculum more "diverse" has been skewered as an "attempt to indoctrinate young British boys and girls with woke poison" by furious opponents today.
On Sunday, The Telegraph reported that Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has kicked off a review to "refresh" what Britain's youth are taught - and has vowed to "breathe new life into our outdated curriculum".
The newspaper reported that her Department for Education aims to create a curriculum which reflects the "diversities of our society" and produces young people who "appreciate the diversity" of Britain.
Changes are said to have been mooted which include a push to "decolonise" subjects which have been branded too "mono-cultural".
Teachers' union NASUWT has called to 'embed anti-racist and decolonised approaches' in the curriculum (file photo)
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The report's findings are slated to be published in early 2025 - and they'll likely be shaped by the input of teachers' union NASUWT, which has called to "embed anti-racist and decolonised approaches" in the curriculum and argued for "inclusive curricula that reflect diverse authors, cultures and perspectives".
Meanwhile, the National Association of Head Teachers has advocated for more diverse reading material to help "subvert racial biases" in majority-white classrooms.
Latest Government data states that 73 per cent of the UK's under-18 population is white.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has warned that the curriculum diversity drive will "divide us by ethnic grouping" and "turbo-charge the Balkanisation of society".
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Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has warned that the curriculum diversity drive will 'divide us by ethnic grouping'
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"After three decades of mass migration," he wrote on social media, "Labour's diversity drive... risks destroying what remains of national cohesion.
"Now more than ever, British schools should teach British history and literature."
While Reform UK's Rupert Lowe labelled the proposed overhaul a "deliberate attempt to indoctrinate young British boys and girls with the woke poison that has infected society.
"It's already seeping into the school system, but this will vastly accelerate that process," he said.
Rupert Lowe called on schools to 'teach children HOW to think, not WHAT to think'
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Lowe continued: "Children do NOT need to be taught about the importance of diversity. Young white boys and girls are already being excluded and discriminated for the colour of their skin. Should they be made to feel even more guilty?
"We've already seen the venomous gender ideology spread unchecked within schools, with catastrophic results. Evidently, we have learnt nothing.
"Labour should understand that these plans will not go through without a bitter fight. They want to produce young people who 'appreciate the diversity' of Britain. What a chilling sentence that is - we are moving towards a very scary place indeed.
"Teach children HOW to think, not WHAT to think," he said.
A spokesman for the Education Secretary has hit back at Lowe and Jenrick's claims
PABut a spokesman for the Education Secretary has hit back, telling GB News that Conservatives were "stoking culture wars yet again".
They said: "The review of the curriculum currently being conducted by Prof Becky Francis will ensure we retain a knowledge-rich curriculum that also gives children the vital tools they need to succeed and flourish at work and in life.
"Our new curriculum will breathe new life into learning for all children by ensuring that what they are taught is engaging and allows them to achieve and thrive at school.
"This Government will drive high and rising standards across all of our state schools and deliver opportunity throughout our country.
"The Conservatives have shown by stoking culture wars yet again that they have nothing to offer families in this country."
