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The parent reportedly said they would remove their child the next day if the event was not cancelled (Image: Getty Images)
A secondary school cancelled a visit by a Jewish MP following a single complaint from a parent, it has been revealed. Damien Egan, Labour MP for Bristol North East (formerly Kingswood) since 2024, was scheduled to visit the Bristol Brunel Academy on September 5, 2025, but the school cancelled the event with just hours to go.
The Cabot Learning Federation - the academy trust that runs the school - said it postponed the visit over safeguarding concerns after learning that pro-Palestine activists planned to protest outside the event. However, an independent report has since revealed that the decision was made after one parent with family in the Middle East objected to the visit and said they would protest against it.
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The trust also received an email from a member of staff the night before the event, voicing negative views about Mr Egan’s visit.
Dame Joan McVittie, a retired headteacher, conducted an independent report into the incident, commissioned by the Cabot Learning Federation (Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The staff member's email is understood to have been sent six hours after the decision to cancel the event was made. The parent, meanwhile, requested an urgent phone call with the head teacher the evening before the MP’s visit to express concerns, and threatened to remove their child the next day if it was not cancelled, sources said, according to The Telegraph.
The findings were included in an independent report into the incident by Dame Joan McVittie, a retired headteacher, which was commissioned by the Cabot Learning Federation. The trust distributed a heavily redacted version of the report on Wednesday, blacking out these details. It also issued a press release stating that Dame Joan found “no evidence of anti-Semitism” at the school.
However, while Dame Joan’s report did conclude that the decision to cancel was not fuelled by anti-Semitism, her criticisms of the school appeared to have been redacted. Mr Egan has now demanded the publication of the full, unredacted report and is expected to write to Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, to ask her to compel the disclosure.
The MP said: “I thank Dame Joan McVittie for her work on this report. I have seen the redacted version of the report that the Cabot Learning Federation Multi Academy Trust have released and would strongly encourage them to publish the complete version of the report. I will be writing to the Secretary of State to the same effect.”
Damien Egan he became MP at the Kingswood by-election in February 2024 (Image: Getty Images)
The Cabot Learning Federation told The Telegraph all redactions in the report were “in relation to comments that could identify individuals”. A spokesperson said: “They follow legal advice and were agreed in conjunction with the Department for Education [DfE] and Damien Egan – both of which had had sight of the unredacted version.”
While it is understood that the DfE only agreed that information that could identify people should be omitted, the 20-page report is said to contain 12 redacted sections, including the entire segment explaining the specific complaints that prompted school leaders to cancel the MP’s visit. Other redacted sections detailed Dame Joan’s concerns about a member of staff at the academy trust expressing “partisan views on social media” and another paragraph about two members of staff expressing views which could be considered discriminatory, The Telegraph added. Neither of these sections contained any names or identifying information.
This comes after it was revealed by The Times that Saima Akhtar, the Bristol school’s diversity and inclusion coordinator, was sacked earlier this year over her comments praising Hamas. According to the report in January, Ms Akhtar called Hamas terrorists who carried out the October 7 massacre in Israel “heroes fighting for justice”.
Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, ordered an urgent Ofsted inspection of the academy (Image: Getty)
Responding to these claims, a spokesperson said: “We will not comment on cases involving individual members of staff. Nevertheless, we are clear about our expectations on staff conduct.
“The promotion of inclusion and rejection of discrimination are enshrined in the CLF’s core values, and all of our staff are expected to embody these values in their behaviour – both inside and outside of school.”
The Cabot Learning Federation commissioned the report following widespread criticism over its decision to cancel Mr Egan’s scheduled event. The Education Secretary said at the time that it was “completely unacceptable” and ordered an urgent Ofsted inspection of the academy as well as a broader review into antisemitism in schools.
The focused monitoring inspection, which took place between January 15 and 16 this year in response to concerns raised to Ofsted, found that school staff “demonstrate a profound commitment to providing an inclusive learning environment that promotes tolerance and respect for the diversity of modern Britain”. According to the report, the school's safeguarding standards were met and it added that responses to the inspection survey, completed by 143 parents, were "overwhelmingly positive about their children’s experiences".
In January, Starmer said the case was 'very serious, very concerning' (Image: Getty)
Pro-Palestine activists had celebrated the decision to cancel the event and pointed to Mr Egan’s position as vice-chairman of Labour Friends of Israel - a lobby group within the party that promotes ties between the UK and Israel. In a Facebook post on the day of the scheduled visit by Mr Egan, activists welcomed the decision to cancel the event as “a clear message – politicians who openly support Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza are not welcome in our schools”.
In January, Sir Keir Starmer described the decision to delay Mr Egan's visit as "very serious, very concerning" during PMQs. He added that all MPs "should be able to visit anywhere in their constituency, schools or other places, without fear of antisemitism".
Dame Joan’s report said “there was no contact from this group with the school nor were they in a position to influence the trust decision-makers or share their views with them” on the eve of Mr Egan’s visit.
Mr Egan visited the school in February after the event was rescheduled in secret and teachers were not informed beforehand. The Labour MP said he “had a lovely visit, meeting the head… and the school council, the children, the questions, it was fabulous”.
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