Warwickshire County Council leader George Finch prompted fury by alleging that a village primary school is “teaching children the world is going to end”.
Ettington Primary School teaches children climate science
Councillor Finch (Reform UK, Bedworth Central) strayed into the accusation against staff at Ettington Primary School, Ettington, around five miles to the south-east of Stratford-upon-Avon, during a heated political debate on climate change at last week’s meeting of full council.
Councillor David Curtis (Lib Dem, Stour & the Vale) mentioned in his earlier speech that he had visited the school and viewed artwork produced by children on climate change.
He said that what he saw was “not slogans, not politics, not hysteria, but children who had listened, learned and understood”, inviting Cllr Finch to visit himself and give an “honest” appraisal of the impacts of climate change to children who are “bright, thoughtful and deeply concerned about their future”.
The leader was challenged to “look them in the eye and explain to them why a book that helps them understand the threat to their future should be treated as something fit for burning” – a reference to a Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council meeting in which Cllr Finch, also leader of that authority, said the children’s book on climate change handed to him by a political rival would be “first on the bonfire”.
Are teachers teaching them the world is going to end?
Addressing the invite during his wider speech on the debate, Cllr Finch asked: “Are you telling them this, Councillor Curtis? The world is going to end?”
Cllr Curtis replied: “They’re telling me.”
“So where do they get it from,” Cllr Finch continued, a comment that was followed by a shout from the benches behind him, where some of his Reform colleagues were sat.
“The left-wing teachers,” someone bellowed, a phrase that Cllr Finch repeated before asking: “Who is telling them this?
“You’ve got elected politicians going into schools telling them the world is going to end, that’s fearmongering, that’s dangerous.”
Invited to see artwork made by the children
A furious Cllr Curtis hit back:
“I did not go into the school lecturing the children, I was invited by the headteacher to see the children’s artwork that they had created, quite independently, on climate change.
It was extremely impressive.”
Cllr Finch continued: “So he is going into schools supporting the children who are being taught by whoever on creating climate change…”
Cllr Curtis cut in again, reiterating why he visited and adding: “I absolutely resent that implication.”
“Let’s get to the crux of it,” said a defiant Cllr Finch. “You have a school that is teaching children the world is going to end and the Lib Dem councillor has gone to that school…”
Scientific information versus leftist scaremongering?
Cllr Curtis interjected for a third time:
“The leader is wilfully misrepresenting what is going on in that school.
It is not teaching children the world is going to end. It is giving them scientific information, based on hard science, to enable them to make the judgments that they can on the evidence presented.”
Cllr Finch then turned towards opposition parties, arguing it was “very dangerous that rhetoric is being spouted to vulnerable children who are there in schools just to educate themselves on how to read and write, not to be devoured by leftist agenda”.
“I think that is wrong and disgusting,” he said.
By Local Democracy Reporter Andy Mitchell.
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