Protesters rally against Government's ‘insane' Schools Bill
Hundreds of teachers, parents and children marched from Whitehall to Parliament Square holding signs and chanting 'Two, four, six, eight, educate not legislate' and 'Hey, hey, ho, ho, this stupid Bill has got to go'.
The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which is currently being considered in the House of Lords, proposes measures including a limit on the number of branded uniform items and stronger restrictions on home education.
Katharine Birbalsingh, headteacher at Michaela Community School and often described as Britain's 'strictest head', attended the protest holding a sign saying 'Don't break what's working'.
She called the legislation 'completely insane' and warned that it threatened to 'undo' improvements made in the education system during the past 15 years.
She told the PA news agency: 'We just want to show the Government that we are unhappy about the Schools Bill and that school leaders do believe that they are removing our freedoms.
'The freedoms that parents have, the freedom that school leaders have, we want to retain them. And the Government should be speaking to all of us. They're not talking to us.
'What they're going to do will not enable us to do what's best for our cohort and children. And that we know what's better for our specific children.
'I do feel that the Government is a little bit out of touch.
'It's completely insane.
'They're driving through an ideological Bill which in the end will harm children.'
On her message to to the Government, she added: 'Listen to school leaders and educators and allow us to keep the freedoms that have worked so well for children in this country.'
As protesters, joined by hundreds of children, marched through central London, they held signs that read 'We say no to state-controlled childhood' and 'Social media harms kids'.
Joe Butterfield, 31, a teacher in London, said he believed the Bill would be 'damaging' to the pupils he teaches.
He said: 'We are here protesting against the Schools Bill by the current Government because we think it will be damaging to children's education and lead to poorer behaviour in schools.'
Sarah, 48, an assistant headteacher from Essex, attended the protest holding a 'Stop the Schools Bill' sign.
She said: 'The Government needs to not put the Bill through because it's going to drive down standards and stifle innovation.
'You're not going to attract the best talent. If you're just a robot in the front of the classroom delivering a national curriculum to the letter, you're not going to attract people that want to make a difference.'
As the march reached Parliament Square, speeches were delivered by representatives from home education groups, religious organisations and children's charities.
Opening her speech to the crowd, Ms Birbalsingh mentioned the Education Secretary and said 'we have one enemy in common, and that is Bridget Phillipson', a comment that drew loud cheers from crowds.
'Keir Starmer and Bridget Phillipson are totally out of touch with what is happening to children on the ground,' she said.
'The children matter, schools matter, parents matter, and our freedom matters.'
A Labour source said: 'Nothing is going to stop this Labour government from delivering educational excellence for every child, and certainly not today's sparsely attended protest.
'Parents back the common sense measures this government is introducing, including free breakfast clubs, restricting the cost of uniform and putting a qualified teacher at the front of every classroom.'
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