A London secondary school rocked by allegations of racism, Islamophobia and transphobia was vandalised with hateful graffiti as pupils returned to class after the Easter holidays, while students who demonstrated against the academy last month have been reportedly threatened with expulsion.
Pupils and teachers at Pimlico Academy in Westminster walked out of class and during a protest on March 31 over changes to the school curriculum, the flying of the national flag outside the building and a uniform policy which allegedly discriminated against black and Muslim students.
In a bid to calm tensions, new headteacher Daniel Smith caved to the protesters by removing the flag and agreeing to revise his ‘back to basics’ uniform policy. However, senior management are said to have since taken a hardline approach by threatening to expel students who mutinied.
In an email sent last Friday, ahead of students’ return to school after the Easter holidays, Mr Smith told some parents they would need to attend a disciplinary meeting with their child on April 19.
According to the Guardian, it said: ‘Following [child’s name] disruptive behaviour on the last day of term, she is required to attend a disciplinary meeting … The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the nature of [child’s name] disruptive behaviour on the last day of term and to give [child’s name] the opportunity to reflect on their actions.
‘You should be aware that if [child’s name] is found to have committed a serious breach of the academy’s behaviour policy and if it is deemed that [child’s name] remaining in school would seriously harm the education or welfare of others, consideration will be given to permanently excluding [child’s name] from the academy.’
Last week, Tory peer Lord Nash, a former government minister who founded Future Academies, and headteacher Mr Smith wrote to parents threatening ‘disciplinary action’ if there are further protests.
Yesterday morning, graffiti appeared on the walls of the embattled school which called for the dismissal of Mr Smith. The messages, which read ‘They want to expel the students for speaking out’ and ‘Expel the racist headteacher’, have since been covered over by Pimlico Academy.
Male staff members in suits were ‘frantically walking around when they saw the graffiti’ and were ‘stationed outside to stop the kids from revealing what lay under the paper’, the Independent reported. However, it is not yet known who graffitied the school or how long the graffiti was visible before it was removed.
Hateful graffiti appeared on the walls of Pimlico Academy yesterday calling for the expulsion of Mr Smith
The messages, which read ‘They want to expel the students for speaking out’ and ‘Expel the racist headteacher’, have since been covered over by Pimlico Academy
Headteacher Daniel Smith (left) welcomes pupils back to Pimlico Academy in Westminster on April 19, 2021
Now: The Union flag was no longer flying at Pimlico Academy in London on April 1, the day after a revolt by pupils
The Union flag that usually flies outside the school all year round was still up before the protests
Daniel Smith, whose students staged a walk-out at the London school in a rebellion against his ‘back to basics’ policies, was head of Ebbsfleet Academy in Swanscombe, Kent, from 2013 to 2017
The National Education Union, which supported the March 31 demonstration, said 32 members of staff have handed in their notices since September, and remaining staff will ballot this whether to go on strike.
MailOnline has approached Pimlico Academy and Future Academies for comment.
On April 13, Lord Nash told parents: ‘Any repeat of the actions on the final day of term would jeopardise students’ education.
‘We all need to work together to ensure that this does not happen again and learn the lessons from it.
‘We must particularly ensure that our students, your children, understand the consequences of any future disobedience, which will undoubtedly result in disciplinary action.’
A second letter on April 15 sent by Mr Smith thundered: ‘Any repeat of the actions on the final day of term would jeopardise students’ education.
‘I need to be very clear that if any students take part in a repeat of such actions, they will undoubtedly face disciplinary consequences.’
Pupils, staff and parents alike rallied outside the school on March 31 in protest against changes introduced by Mr Smith after his arrival last September, including banning hairstyles that ‘block people’s view’ and hijabs that are ‘too colourful’.
Critics claimed this was discriminatory against Muslims and people with Afro hairstyles at the school, where three quarters of children are from ethnic minorities.
The outcry at the school was extended to include other policies which were allegedly discriminatory – including changes to the history curriculum to make it more chronological, which protesters said emphasised white kings and queens over BAME figures.
The Union flag was removed and burnt by pupils in September before being put back up. However, it was taken down after the March demo and will not be flown again until a review has been concluded – a move condemned by local MPs.
Blackpool South MP Scott Benton, a former teacher, said Pimlico pupils needed to ‘be taught that disrespecting the flag disrespects us all’. He told the Times: ‘The British flag represents all Britons, regardless of age, background or heritage.’
MP Tom Randall, a former editor of the Flag Institute’s quarterly journal, added: ‘[The Union Flag] should be a uniting symbol and in that sense those in the school who are calling for it to be hauled down have completely misunderstood what it should stand for and perhaps should be back in the classroom to learn something.’
MP for Harrow East Bob Blackman told MailOnline the situation at Pimlico Academy was ‘bizarre and ridiculous’, adding: ‘It is totally unacceptable to have a position whereby the flag of our country is not allowed to fly above public buildings.’
Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield, said: ‘At a time when we are trying our very best to bring the country together after the problems with Brexit and coming out of the pandemic, it is very sad to see that this school feels it appropriate not to support the Union Flag.
‘It is a symbol of the UK. It brings all four nations together. We should never forget that. To tear flags down, to say you don’t want the flag flying on your building, is very divisive and it is not what we’re looking for at this moment in time.’
And Craig Mackinlay, representing South Thanet, added: ‘The Union Flag should be flown with great pride, with what the country has brought to the world in freedom and democracy. In the US the flag is flown all over the place. I find it very sad that we want to denigrate that in this country.’
Mr Smith’s new regime was overseen by the school’s parent academy chain, which is chaired by the Conservative peer Lord Nash, 72.
MailOnline previously revealed that headmaster Mr Smith is a ‘disciplinarian’ who once had portraits of the Queen and Margaret Thatcher as well as a Union Flag above his desk, according to a former colleague.
Mr Smith was vice head of Ebbsfleet Academy in Swanscombe, Kent, from 2013 to 2017. One ex-colleague, who asked not to be named, told MailOnline: ‘He is very strict, a head who stands for no-nonsense, but he gets very good results. He had a little man syndrome in his approach.’
During his time at Ebbsfleet, Mr Smith insisted that all shoes should be black, and no labels, coloured stitching or laces would be allowed. ‘Anyone who’d inadvertently bought shoes such as Kickers before the new term had to cut off the labels and colour in the stitching with a felt-tip pen,’ said the source.
‘There was absolutely no leeway and anyone who transgressed was internally excluded and sent home for the day.’
Students packed out the school playground for the protest on March 31. Many filmed it on their phones
The British flag had been removed and burnt by pupils in September before it was put back up. Anti-flag graffiti previously appeared on the school walls saying, ‘White schools for brown kids are u mad’ and ‘Pimlico Academy…run by racists… for profit’. Another slogan used by the protesters ‘Ain’t no black in the Union Jack’ was notoriously used by National Front racists to suggest that people from ethnic minorities were not truly British
The sign outside the school, which was defaced with stickers during the protest, was cleaned up the next day
Parents and police wait outside the gates of Pimlico Academy on March 31 as school children demonstrate in the playground
During his time at Ebbsfleet, Mr Smith (left) insisted that all shoes should be black, and no labels, coloured stitching or laces would be allowed. Pictured right: A poster for the March 31 protest
A sit-down protest was held at the school against changes introduced by Mr Smith since he arrived in September
The former colleague said Mr Smith ordered that lines of adhesive tape be stuck along the centre of the school corridors to make them ‘one-way’ and pupils were banned from speaking to one another during class changes.
‘It was very militant, but didn’t really take into account the kind of children who were at the school,’ said the colleague. ‘There weren’t really issues around race at Ebbsfleet, as it’s a predominately white working class area, but Mr Smith didn’t show much interest in the family backgrounds of his pupils, he was only interested in discipline and exam results.’
The source did acknowledge that results improved ‘markedly’ during Mr Smith’s tenure, and the same uniform rules are in force there today, according to Ebbsfleet’s website.
Tory peer Lord Nash angrily hit back at claims the school is racist. He told MailOnline: ‘You cannot accuse Pimlico of being racist. It is the most non-racist school. It is so lovely there when you see mixed friendships groups.’
Asked about changes to the uniform policy that some pupils had claimed was racist, he said: ‘I don’t want to comment on these types of details. A lot of this has been blown up out of proportion.’
He said he had worked to support people from ethnic minorities including the setting up of a school in the inner London area of Brixton. ‘It has taken ten years, but we are very pleased to have opened a school in Brixton.’
Another slogan used by the protesters ‘Ain’t no black in the Union Jack’ has historically been used by National Front racists to suggest that people from ethnic minorities are not truly British.
The rebellion is a significant challenge to traditional Conservative education reforms emphasising discipline and academic rigour similar to those promoted by Michael Gove when he was Education Secretary.
Several protesters have specifically credited the Black Lives Matter movement for inspiring the protest, and some of the hundreds of pupils and parents who gathered outside the school carried BLM banners amid chants of ‘we want change’.
Officers stand outside the gates of the school on the morning of March 31 during the demonstration
Students chanted ‘we want change’ as they protested against their head teacher’s policy banning Afro hair and ‘colourful’ hijabs
Mr Smith marked his arrival with a punchy open letter to parents, in which he repeated the phrase ‘it is your responsibility’ three times in one paragraph while discussing the need for parents to ensure their children complete homework, dress properly and support the academy leadership