Ministers have u-turned on creating new blasphemy guidance, saying it WILL be drawn up but will be done by the Home Office.
A week ago, home secretary Suella Braverman said she would “work with” the Department for Education “to issue new guidance” after a school incident involving a Quran being damaged.
But the DfE then told Schools Week they “do not plan to issue additional guidance on managing blasphemy related incidents” saying current related guidance works.
When asked for clarity and whether it was drawing up guidance, the Home Office said the DfE was leading on the matter and they backed the education department’s comment.
However, days later, the Home Office now says “as the home secretary set out”, they are “looking to draft new guidance around blasphemy incidents and will work with other departments including” the DfE.
A DfE spokesperson also now said they “will support the Home Office on education related elements of their guidance”.
Four children at Kettlethorpe High School in Wakefield were suspended when a copy of the Quran was damaged.
Police recorded a hate incident, but said no crimes were committed.
The boy who reportedly brought the Islamic text in has “high functioning” autism and received “death threats” over the incident, according to the BBC.
Nick Gibb, schools minister, intervened last week saying the threats were “totally unacceptable”.
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