Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki and Krystyna Olliffe of the Polish Education Society respond to claims about links between far-right organisations and schools in Britain attended by children of Polish heritage

Reading your article (Polish schools in UK accused of links to far-right associates, 2 April) one can get the impression that a number of Polish Saturday schools are exposed to far-right organisations. I am not aware of any confirmed cases where such a school has developed a serious connection with this kind of group or individual – and if such a case arises I will do everything I can to prevent the spread of this narrative.

Your article creates an incomplete picture of Saturday schools and damages the hard work of parents, schools and the Polish Educational Society, all aiming to ensure the next generation of Polish children are aware of their identity, roots and the values of honesty, tolerance and respect for others. The PES works tirelessly to deliver a Polish curriculum that truly reflects our culture and history. We appreciate the tremendous work of everyone involved in the Polish educational system in the UK. This does not mean that we should not address, and if necessary counter, attempts at influencing these schools by any form of extremism and intolerance.

Arkady Rzegocki

Polish ambassador to the UK

• We take the disturbing allegations about links between some far-right organisations and Polish Saturday schools extremely seriously as we strongly believe there is no space for radical and extremist views of any sort in any of our schools. Following the publication of the article, we have requested further and detailed explanations from two of the schools named in the report. The third, in Southampton, has never been registered with the Polish Educational Society as a member school.

Polish Saturday schools have for decades offered a safe space for all children of Polish heritage to learn more about Poland and its language, literature, and history, playing a pivotal role in the life of generations of Polish-British children. As of 2018 there are over 130 schools, regularly attended by some 20,000 pupils.

We have distributed guidance asking all headteachers to review their procedures regarding external engagement and tighten them up, if necessary, to rule out any future cooperation with organisations representing radical and extremist views.

We also reminded them of the importance of working closely with local authorities, including local councillors and police, and their responsibility to report any activity in the broader Polish community that might not be conducive to the public good or could jeopardise community relations. We are committed to ensuring that all Polish Saturday schools are free of harassment, hate speech, or radicalism of any sort.

Krystyna Olliffe

Chair, Polish Educational Society

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