A council has sparked outrage with parents after it sent out a survey asking children whether it would be acceptable to 'marry someone from a different race or religion'.

Pupils as young as nine at Buxton Primary School in east London were handed the voluntary questionnaire by Waltham Forest Council last week as part of its new safeguarding project.

The Building Resilience through Integration & Trust (BRIT) programme, which is funded by the European Commission, aims to help protect youngsters from potentially harmful information online.

The voluntary survey (above) was handed to Year 5 and 6 pupils at Buxton Primary School in east London

But parents were shocked to learn their children, who are in Year 5 or 6, had been asked a string of controversial questions including 'how much do you trust people of another race/religion?' and 'would you mind if a family of a different race or religion moved next door?'

Several took to social media, sparking outcry from other Twitter users who described it as 'unbelievable' and 'appalling'.

One user said: 'How old are these kids?! Young children (esp. boys) have literally no idea about marriage [sic].'

Another added: 'It's very sad if any 7 year old thinks it is not OK to marry someone from a different race or religion'.

Anne Booth on Twitter said: 'I'm appalled at that questionnaire and the implicit assumptions and ignorance within it. Who devised it?'

Others felt that the form was being directed specifically at Muslim children, asking if they agree with statements such as 'God has a purpose for me' and 'I believe my religion is the only correct one'.

The questionnaire (pictured) sparked outrage among parents who branded it 'unbelievable' and 'appalling'

The school's executive head teacher, Kathleen Wheeler, has strongly defended the survey and said in a letter home to parents that the project had been 'misunderstood' on social media.

She said: 'The school takes extremely seriously its responsibility to develop pupils’ understanding of the world we live and our duty to create a community that is respectful of all religions, faiths and beliefs.

The school's executive head teacher, Kathleen Wheeler (pictured), said survey had been 'misunderstood' on social media

'As parents you will be well aware of our inclusive ethos and be surprised that this project, aimed at developing a cohesive community, has been misunderstood.

'It has now been shared on social media by those who do not appear to be aware of the school's historic reputation for inclusiveness and diversity.

'These principles are at the heart of the schools' ethos and will remain so.'

Mrs Wheeler added that all stakeholders, including parents, were made aware of the project and were invited to an information session last month.

She concluded: 'To date we have not received any complains from parents either at the session or subsequently.'

A council statement denied the anonymous questionnaire was 'directed at pupils of any particular faith' and was 'completely voluntary' to primary schools.

Cllr Mark Rusling, cabinet member for children and Cllr Liaquat Ali cabinet member for community safety released a joint statement about the project saying they were glad to have 'sparked a debate”'on cohesion.

'Participation is completely voluntary for individual schools. The feedback received so far about the programme from local primary schools has been positive with more wanting to take part in the programme,' it read.

'We encourage parents to get involved and when we start working in an individual school we invite them to an initial session to talk about the focus and content of the project which includes lots of different materials which are in no way directed at pupils of any particular faith.

The students at Buxton Primary School in east London (pictured) were asked a string of controversial questions including 'how much do you trust people of another race/religion?'

'We’re glad that this has sparked a debate as our aim is to encourage people to talk about the importance of cohesion at all ages.'

Waltham Forest Council says on its website that the BRIT project equips teaching staff with the means to discuss the 'complex issues of multiple identities and social exclusion'.

It encourages children to reflect on themselves, the communities in which they live and any challenges or grievances they may be experiencing.

The aim is to teach youngsters about the concepts of identity and multiple identities, self-respect and respect for the differences between people and the difference between offline and online realities.

Discussions also surround the power the internet has to cause harm to them and to their communities and their responsibility to protect and care for their community.