The Government's Prevent strategy, introduced to tackle radicalisation in schools, has been blamed for creating a "hypersensitivity" among teachers when teaching evolution and challenging elements of the Muslim faith.
Headteacher, Tom Sherrington, said there was a risk that schools could shy away from teaching evolution for fear of "provoking a reaction" in pupils with creationist views.
He warned that the programme has "added to the sense that you treat Muslim students as different" and that the tone of the strategy "makes any engagement directly questioning the faith position of Muslim students more challenging".
Speaking to the Telegraph, following the publication of a controversial article detailing an assembly the head teacher gave on evolution, the head of Highbury Grove School, London, said that schools should create inclusive communities, but that "science should be promoted as science".
"The antagonism that creationist students feel when their faith is challenged by science is quite extreme; it’s a big deal to tell them that they are wrong. It provokes a response that in the current climate could be misconstrued. [The Telegraph] Read more
