Grammar school U-turn over Reform UK 'Farage 10' shirt essay prize amid backlash

A grammar school in Rochester, Kent, has U-turned on plans to award a Reform UK shirt as an essay prize after backlash over political memorabilia in school competitions. Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School invited pupils to write a 1,000-word essay on the topic "Evaluate the view that Reform UK have obliterated the two-party system," with the winner to be presented with the shirt by Reform UK Kent County Council leader Linden Kemkaran during her visit to the school on Oct. 1. The prize was framed as part of a broader program to invite guests from across the political spectrum and to feed into the citizenship curriculum, with organizers saying memorabilia would help increase participation in the essay competition. However, parental concerns about political impartiality led the school to reassess the plan.

This afternoon, the school said it would backtrack on the prize. A spokesman said: "Following the response to this particular competition, the school will no longer be awarding the original prize. We recognise our responsibility to be impartial, but recognise too that we need to be seen to be impartial. As a result of this we will no longer award any party political items as part of politics competitions or events. The visit and essay competition will go ahead." The blue and white football-style shirts, unveiled last month, are for sale on the Reform UK website for £39.99. They feature a “made in Britain” logo, the Union Jack, and “Farage 10” emblazoned across the back. For £99.99, fans can buy a shirt hand-signed by Reform leader Nigel Farage, though those items have sold out.

The school, known locally as Rochester Math, described its citizenship and politics department as very active and high-performing. It said essay competitions are an established part of the curriculum and are often timed to coincide with organised visits from politicians. Visitors in the last academic year included Labour councillor Vince Maple, Labour MP Lauren Edwards, Green Party activist Cat Jamieson and Conservative peer and Lord Leigh; on Sept. 23, local Labour MP Naushabah Khan is also due to visit. Previous prizes have included life-size cardboard cut-outs of Jeremy Corbyn and Rishi Sunak, copies of Vince Cable’s book and batches of “Vote Labour” leaflets. The spokesman added: "It is very important for our students to be exposed to a plurality of voices from across the political spectrum. Only by hearing from a diverse range of views can healthy debate be fostered. The planned Reform UK visit and contest is one amongst many in pursuit of this aim. The school invites all parties every year, but not every party is able to visit. We think these visits enrich the study of politics and citizenship and demonstrate our commitment to political impartiality, something we could not claim if we were to exclude Reform UK. The school and its staff take their obligations around impartiality extremely seriously. We do not endorse or support any individual party or viewpoint." The school, rated outstanding by Ofsted, operates under the Leigh Academies Trust, one of the largest academy chains in the South East. It selects pupils via the 11-plus test and has strong GCSE results, with 97.5 per cent of pupils achieving at least a grade 5 in English and maths. By law, schools are required to ensure a balanced presentation of opposing political views and are not allowed to actively promote partisan political views, according to the Department for Education. Reform UK has been contacted for comment.