East London primary school hit by 'bomb threat' may be forced to close over Islamophobia row

Barclay Primary School in Leyton received arson and bomb threats, a letter to parents reportedly said
John Dunne @jhdunne19 January 2024

A primary school in east London may be forced to close after receiving "bomb threats" over claims that a ban on wearing pro-Palestine badges is Islamophobic.

Barclay Primary School in Leyton is considering a move to "revert to online learning" because of fears over security, according to reports.

The school was the site of protests in December after a viral TikTok video claimed an eight-year-old pupil was being bullied by teachers for being Palestinian.

The protests forced the school to shut two days before the official end of term.

The Lion Academy Trust, which runs the school, has written to parents warning that steps were being taken to secure the school after "despicable threats".

The letter warned "a serious threat was received in writing" and an anonymous caller made "racial slurs", and there were arson and bomb threats to the school and individual staff, The Telegraph reported.

Beefed up security measures include hiring private security and installing CCTV.

Protesters outside Barclay Primary School in December

The school said that even after those improvements it might have no other option but but to resort to online learning, if the safety of its pupils and staff couldn't be guaranteed. 

Executive headteacher Justin James also wrote to parents to say there was no evidence of bullying or misconduct found through an investigation.

Shortly before Christmas, masked men climbed onto the fence at the school at night and hung Palestinian flags. 

Protesters then gathered at the site chanting phrase such as "education is under attack".

The TikTok video, which alleged the child had been "bullied, harassed and mentally traumatised by his teachers" for wearing a Palestine badge on his coat, claimed that he was "denied playtime and lunch privileges" for refusing to remove it. 

The school denied this.

The Trust said in December: "We believe we are acting firmly on the basis of the range of evidence at hand and to suggest otherwise is a distortion of the facts...We will never tolerate bullying or intimidation from any source - and have the full support of the Department for Education, Ofsted and the police in this matter."

The row first erupted when some pupils used a Children in Need day to show their support for Palestine with flags, badges and stickers.

A letter was then sent to eight families at the school of 1,325 pupils warning that "inappropriate comments made at school including extremist or divisive comments" would result in formal meetings with senior figures at the school.

The note also said it could potentially lead to referrals to the Government's counter terrorism programme, Prevent, or Waltham Forest's Hate Crime Team.

TikToker Zaki then posted a video telling followers: "Barclay Primary School is basically saying that if you support Palestine, you're going to become a terrorist - or you already are one."

It comes after a legal challenge was launched following headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh introducing a prayer ban at Michaela Community School, in Brent, in March last year.

In the legal action against the free school's governing body, the Michaela Community Schools Trust, the anonymous student claims the decision "banning prayer rituals" breaches her right to freedom of religion.

The school was forced to close for two days before Christmas after a bomb hoax.

The Standard has approached Barclay Primary School for comment.

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