A school which postponed a local MP’s visit due to planned pro-Palestine protests made the decision based on “safeguarding concerns” and there is no evidence of antisemitism, a review has found. Labour MP Damien Egan, who is Jewish, planned to visit Bristol Brunel Academy, part of the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF), in his Bristol North East constituency in September. But the visit was postponed following opposition by local campaigners and school staff who are members of the National Education Union. The school said the visit was postponed due to safety concerns about a protest planned at the school site on the same day. Events prompted an unusual Ofsted ungraded inspection to investigate concerns of political bias. However, the inspection found “no evidence” to substantiate these concerns. CLF appointed Joan McVittie, former headteacher and past-president of ASCL school leaders’ union, to carry out an independent review. Her review, released today, concluded “the decision to postpone was based not on the MP鈥檚 religious beliefs or links to Israel but on a desire to protect him from potential abuse and harm as a consequence of this”. It also found that based on evidence gathered, neither the trust nor school are antisemitic. Visit postponed three times McVittie’s report outlines the timeline of events. It includes evidence from interviews with decision makers, trustees and school governors at CLF, police and the MP and his staff. Interviews were also undertaken with the chairman of the board of deputies of British Jews, an unnamed retired Labour MP and ex-education minister, a member of the House of Lords, and a headteacher of a Jewish School. Egan, who was elected in July 2024, had already visited six schools within CLF before and after his election. His visit to Bristol Brunel Academy was first planned for June, but this was postponed as he needed to be present in Parliament. It was then rescheduled for 5 September. On 4 September, three senior leaders decided to postpone the visit after learning of the planned protest. They thought congestion caused by the protest, which would take place outside school gates going onto a busy road, would be unsafe for the MP, staff and pupils. McVittie said the evidence gathered “leads me to conclude that the decision was based on safeguarding and health and safety issues for students and the MP”. Decision makers were unable to contact their trust CEO for his advice, and contacted the MP’s office to postpone the visit just before 5pm on 4 September, she found. Egan then discussed the postponement reasons with the trust CEO and the visit was rescheduled for 5 December. During these conversations, Egan told the trust聽 they could provide police support through the ‘Operation Bridger’ scheme, which puts additional safeguards in place during MP visits. The trust’s education director was advised by police that the school should not share the date or times of the visit beforehand with staff, parents or pupils. However, a decision was made by the police, MP and education director that the visit be postponed again to ensure enough police support was in place. Egan then visited the school on 5 February, where 12 individuals were involved in planning with a “detailed risk assessment”. No risk assessment done McVittie found both the MP’s office and school had not considered the potential risks of the visit, given Egan had already visited six other schools with no issues. She said decision makers “were not aware of the local community tensions associated with their MP until they were informed of the protest”. Checks on social media could have alerted both parties to the tensions more quickly, she added. She also found no evidence of external or internal groups – including unions or lobbyists – which influenced the decision. An individual from a local union branch, whose information is redacted, “was not in a position to influence decision makers”, along with any other staff member, McVittie said. There was also no evidence of influence from lobby groups. The Bristol Palestine Solitary Campaign wrote on Facebook that the visit had been cancelled, and said politicians who “openly support Israel’s genocidial assault on Gaza are not welcome in our schools”. However, the review found there was no contact from this group with the school. Trust considering additional training on antisemitism The review has recommended CLF avoids high profile visitors at the start of the term, when leadership will likely be focusing on new pupils and staff members. This means “some preparations might be overlooked”, it said. McVittie said the trust’s “visitor procedure” should involve checking online, including on social media, for any references to a visitor. Although no evidence was found of the trust or school being antisemitic, the review said CLF are “to consider additional training on antisemitism and seek advice on appropriate resources and training” from the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Leora Cruddas, chief executive of the Confederation of Schools Trust said: “The leadership that the school and trust have shown in these circumstances is exemplary. Leaders have acted at all time with integrity, equanimity, and transparency. They have modelled the ethic of public service and the principles of public life.” The review also said the Department for Education could provide guidance for schools on how to manage situations that arise from objections to MP affiliations. It also said the DfE should inform schools about support available through Operation Bridger. A DfE spokesperson said they welcome McVittie’s “thorough and robust investigation, and while no signs of antisemitic culture were found at this school or trust, the wider picture demands urgent action.” The DfE has commissioned an independent national review in preventing and responding to antisemitism in education.