Are we really 'poisoning' our learners?
[Sam Frankel in conversation with Caroline Whalley]
“And so it begins.”
That was Caroline’s immediate reaction, when I shared Nigel Farage’s - Leader of the Reform UK Party- astonishing claim that UK teachers are “poisoning our kids” (posted 9th Oct 2025[1]). It frames a rhetoric that is aggressive and provocative and in the words of Daniel Kebede, National Education Union (NEU) General Secretary “grossly irresponsible”.
Farage was alluding to Critical Race Theory (CRT) now adopted as practice worldwide, designed to critique society's existing power structures, inequalities, and norms. It examines how systems of power create and perpetuate forms of domination. The CRT framework helps society to understand ‘what is’ accepted as the norm in order to inform discussions on ‘what ought to be’.
Farage’s 'irresponsibility' shows a lack of interest in understanding the issues facing society much less schools. Rather than being misdirected by false claims of a ‘marxist plot’, serious consideration needs to be given to the real challenges faced.
The data shows an educational system already under tremendous strain because of the surge in pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN):
These numbers tell us that our class teachers are managing more and more pupils who require intensive, dedicated support as they learn. Schools are struggling with large class sizes, increases in neurodiverse children, teacher retention and rising inflation creating less real funding.
Farage and his political mischief gets in the way of genuine serious, structural attention that our system badly needs to address the real challenges, not manufactured ones. He could be contributing to conversations that allow a deeper understanding of the issues that impact schools and classrooms on a daily basis and the search for effective solutions, which fuel a passion for learning.
[Article references]
Nigel Farage accuses teachers of ‘poisoning our kids’ on race issues from The Guardian
