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A Birmingham school has come under fire for hosting a ‘secret’ visit by the Israeli Ambassador and accused of ‘screening’ questions.

The acting Ambassador Eitan Na'eh held a 30 minute-long question and answer session with sixth formers at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls , on Wednesday.

A total of 182 past and present pupils has put their names to a letter complaining to the school and the secrecy and asking why questions were screened beforehand.

Linda Johnson, the head of the Kings Heath school , confirmed the visit but denied the questions were ‘screened’, explaining they were chosen using a ‘Question Time style’ format to avoid repetition.

She also confirmed that the students were told about the visit just before his arrival because of “security concerns” and rejected claims that there were armed bodyguards on site. All parents were emailed after the visit.

Mrs Johnson said: “The sixth form students that had been invited to meet with the ambassador had the option not to meet him.

“I think it was an interesting view of the diplomatic service and the situations they deal with. If you never talk in a conflict, you never resolve it.”

The ambassador had also visited Newman University and the University of Birmingham the same day.

The open letter which has been posted on Facebook read: “What is truly shocking, for a school purportedly values its students, is how it actively prevented us challenging the Israeli Ambassador on the Israeli state’s record.

“This invitation could have provided the space for students to interrogate the Israeli state’s foreign policy. Instead it was a purposefully sedated affair.

“To have hosted this event without informing all students, to have screened the questions beforehand, may have spared the Israeli Ambassador his shame but is a disgrace to the open spirit of debate that this school is supposed to cultivate.

“In the future, the School should never prevent students from challenging the powerful and to achieve this, give all students the ability to protest invited speakers by informing all students beforehand.

The school aims to ‘provide the fullest range of quality experiences in a forward-thinking and supportive Grammar school environment,’ according to their website.