Plashet School staff left in fear over Equalities Club complaints

Police were called after Plashet School, in East Ham, was bombarded with complaints accusing staff of trying to “sexualise” children by “covertly promoting LGBTQ views”.

One email said: “The school needs to know that actions have consequences… Be warned, we will not tolerate this for our children’s future.”

The accused staff ran Plashet’s optional lunchtime Equalities Club.

Emails uncovered by a Newham Recorder legal action show complainants, egged on by an anti-LGBTQ pressure group, wrongly accused the club of focusing “solely” on sexuality.

In fact, it launched after police officers murdered African-American George Floyd in 2020 and spent much of its time considering racial inequalities.

Planned events included a guest talk by a Windrush survivor and a trip to a wheelchair sports event.

Emails revealed that police met Plashet School's headteacher virtually and had an in-person meeting with one of the affected staff (Image: Newsquest FOI)

But the school buckled and axed the club, prompting the staff who ran it to walk out in dismay.

The National Secular Society (NSS) branded the incident “appalling” and called for government action.

“Emerging situation”

On October 16, a Plashet staff member sent an email warning of “an emerging situation”.

They said pressure group SREIslamic had held a “virtual meeting” about concerns over the club, “attended by around 60 people”.

“My feeling is that this has come from within the school,” they wrote. “The detail, particularly about staff involvement, is so specific.”

The staff member believed a staff member had leaked information to SREIslamic’s leader, Yusuf Patel.

Yusuf Patel, founder of SREIslamic, advised parents to complaint to Plashet School. His organisation was even copied in on one complaint (Image: YouTube / Masjid Tawhib Leyton)

Catch-up on our exclusive investigation:

• Council supporting East Ham school after staff walk-out prompts probe
• School at centre of walk-outs probe has Ofsted rating downgraded
• School loses secrecy battle over staff walk-outs

Mr Patel, a former member of radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, founded SREIslamic to “fight for Muslim parental rights”.

He has publicly stated that gay children must be taught to repent and can be seen on YouTube saying: “We believe homosexuality is not an acceptable lifestyle choice.”

He told the Recorder he had left Hizb ut-Tahrir 13 years ago and became involved in the Plashet incident after “an approach by concerned parents”.

“I advised the parents to use the school’s complaints procedure,” he said.

He said the Recorder was “seeking to misrepresent legitimate parental concerns” and was being “Islamophobic”.

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Emails

The school received dozens of emails expressing “anger” and “outrage”, including several from people with no children at the school.

Some complainants declared themselves “The Plashet Working Group” and distributed a complaint instruction manual.

“You must insist that the school treat your complaint as a formal complaint,” it said.

Complainants were told to demand the club be abolished.

Furious emails accused staff of “forcing”, “pressuring” and “coercing” children to attend the club, “luring” and “bribing” them “with the promises of snacks”.

“It is not you or anyone else’s choice at that school to try and groom my children into being gay,” one read. “Absolutely disgusting what you guys are doing.”

Plashet School staff were accused of grooming children to be gay in what the Information Commissioner called a coordinated campaign against its Equalities Club (Image: Newsquest FOI)

Complainants branded homosexuality “against nature” and “sinful and wrong”.

One email said: “I believe that as the headteacher of a predominantly Islam populated school you should cater towards the majority who, like me, believe that our children should not be exposed to this community.”

Another, to headteacher Rachel McGowan, called the school “abhorrent” and “foolish”.

“You are at total liberty to start moo-ing if you wish,” it said. “But do not tarnish the innocence of Muslim children by forcing this agenda upon them.”

Fall-out

An email to the school from the National Education Union (NEU) said staff suffered “stress” and “anxiety”. One had “a real fear of attack”.

Mrs McGowan “met virtually with the police” and was “reassured that we have a response in place should we need it”.

Police also met one affected staff member at the school.

Plashet declined to comment on why it had shut down the club instead of backing staff.

It cited an ongoing “independent” investigation it has commissioned.

An email from the National Education Union (NEU) to the school said staff were left stressed, anxious and in fear (Image: Newsquest FOI)

“It is appalling that staff trying to promote equality in schools have become so afraid for their safety that they’ve needed the help of the police,” said NSS head of campaigns Megan Manson.

“This is part of a growing trend of teachers and children facing harassment, threats and intimidation from religious activists trying to impose their fundamentalist worldview on schools.

“The government must act urgently to stop such incidents becoming the norm.

“LGBT inclusion must not be sacrificed to appease religious sensitivities.”

Yusuf Patel's statement in full

"My involvement in this matter was due to an approach by concerned parents. Their concern stemmed from being told by their daughters that the Equalities Club had been turned into an 'LGBTQ+' club by some teachers who were imposing their personal choices onto their daughters. Not only was the club hidden from parents but that these girls alleged they were being coerced into attending the club. 
 
"I advised the parents to use the school’s complaints procedure. Muslim parents have the right to raise concerns, like any other citizen. They have the right to organise and to complain about matters that affect their children’s emotional wellbeing. Seeking to misrepresent legitimate parental concerns is frankly nothing more than the usual run of the mill Islamophobic slurs, we have grown accustomed to by the media. 
 
"Finally, it is on public record that I left Hizb ut-Tahrir 13 years’ ago, so that former affiliation has no bearing on this matter other than to engender moral panic in your readership to cover up for a weak, non-story.   

"Any attempt to malign me, my organisation or the parents involved will be met with legal action."