School accused of ‘indoctrinating’ children by putting up Pride flags

A large Pride flag hangs on the school's fence

An infants school has been accused of “indoctrinating” four-year-old children after putting up Pride flags.

Westmeads Community Infant School in Whitstable,Kent,has put up a large rainbow flag and 10 smaller ones on its outer fence to mark Pride month.

The annual event,held in June,celebrates members of the lesbian,gay,bisexual and transgender communities.

The move was met with an online backlash on Monday after James Esses,a social campaigner,shared pictures of the rainbow coloured flags on X,fomerly Twitter.

Addressing the school,he wrote in the caption: “Could you kindly explain why you appear hellbent on indoctrinating four-year-old children by plastering this ideological symbolism all over your school?”

Conservative peer Dame Jacqueline Foster was among many who criticised the school,describing the display as “wholly inappropriate”.

Small rainbow flags have been tied to a fence at the school

“All materials referring to ‘sex education’ have to be age appropriate and this is not,” she said. “Infants do not come into any category at all .. it should be removed immediately.”

However,Kirsty White,the head teacher,defended the flags,saying the state school,which teaches pupils between the ages of four and seven,is “an inclusive school in every sense”.

“Equity is one of our core school values underpinning everything we do and fundamental to our ethos,” she said. “We feel strongly that representation for every member of our community matters.

“We will always celebrate our diverse community through a progressive curriculum representative of British values.”

Chris Cornell,a local Labour councillor,defended the school’s decision,stating: “Our town is a very LGBTQ+ inclusive place and this homophobia is awful.”

Parents defend flags

Olivia Thomas said: “The community created around the school is wholly-centred on inclusivity.

“The school values are a really important part in ensuring our children and next generation grow up understanding and celebrating diversity,feeling safe to be themselves and always welcoming different views.”

Hayley Johns,another parent,said: “Choosing this school for my child with its values and leadership,and its strong sense of community ethics was absolutely forefront in my decision,and I will defend it.”

The school has since made its X account private to prevent further criticism.

Ms White took over as head of the school in September 2021,and Westmeads was given its first Ofsted rating in 14 years the following summer. It was downgraded from “outstanding” to “requires improvement”.