An anonymous online campaign, which has initiated a formal legal challenge to the proposed Schools Bill, is being funded by a prominent leader of a conservative religious community.

Scrap The Schools Bill, a campaign that appeared on social media platforms at the start of September 2022, has so far spent over £2000 on ads targeting UK Facebook users. None of the online material for STSB discloses who is responsible for funding or managing the group’s activities.

After an in-depth investigation, we can reveal that STSB is financed by Rabbi Asher Gratt, an influential Haredi activist and the former governor of one of the largest Orthodox Jewish schools in the UK. The online STSB campaign is managed by Jeremy Stein, a property developer.

Both men have been vocal critics of the Schools Bill, and have spoken at demonstrations about the potential impact it will have on the Orthodox Yeshivot schooling system.

An email to STSB supporters detailing the group’s intended legal action against the Bill, (which had its Third Reading on 14^th September postponed) quotes from the 2016 Named Person judgement of the Supreme Court: 

“The first thing that a totalitarian regime tries to do is to get at the children, to distance them from the subversive, varied influences of their families, and indoctrinate them in their rulers’ view of the world. Within limits, families must be left to bring up their children in their own way.”

Humanists UK expressed concern over a recent report that the Bill could be delayed, or even scrapped, which they argue could have “real consequences for the lives of thousands of children trapped in illegal schools.” They stated that: 

“A significant number of unregistered, illegal schools still operate throughout England. Many or most of these are religious in nature, and at least 6,000 children have been identified as being in these schools. In many cases, children are made to study religious texts for up to 12 hours a day. They are often exposed to extremist literature and many schools operate in environments that are dirty and unsafe… However, due to loopholes in the law – such as agreement on the definition of ‘full-time’ education, and also the lack of a home education register – Ofsted’s hands are currently tied and they have been unable to seize evidence and shut them down.”

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WHO wants to SCRAP THE SCHOOLS BILL?

In multiple FB posts, those responsible for STSB describe themselves as “a campaign team who are representing a consortium of English Parents who are challenging this legislation.”

However, no individual or organisation from the campaign team, or from the consortium of parents, are ever identified. The explicitly theological motivation of key members of the group are also not disclosed.

In 2019, Tom Perkins wrote in The Guardian about political ad campaigns in America, and how “[anonymous] Facebook ads remain a potent political weapon...You can still have a huge impact by spending very little”.

The STSB website went live in February 2022, with a social media launch across multiple platforms at the beginning of September. In less than a month, the FB page has gained over 50,000 likes and ran £2,200 worth of ads, registering almost 300,000 impressions.

Rabbi Asher Gratt is the only individual quoted on any STSB content, but his involvement as the group’s patron is not declared. He is simply quoted alongside other anonymous “private English parents” as “Asher Gratt, Stamford Hill”.

Rabbi Gratt is a former teacher and author who became a millionaire after selling his telecoms business to Centrica in 2004. He has previously had to defend controversial comments, and the wearing of a yellow star of David, whilst publicly protesting this legislation, and was also criticised for signing a “harmful” letter regarding sex education and lessons discussing LGBTQ+ issues.

We approached Rabbi Gratt and asked if the STSB campaign was run purely on behalf of himself and the Haredi community of the UK, or if any other individuals or organisations were involved. He replied:

“There are other individuals and organisations involved, such as Home-schooling leaders, e.g., Kat Brown, Steph Johnston, Christine Clavey and many others”

Kat Brown, an activist who also opposes the Schools Bill, stated:

“I’m not sure why I have been named as I don’t have any affiliation to the #ScrapTheSchoolsBill campaign. I do support the rights of parents and families to educate children in accordance with their beliefs and needs.”

When asked in what capacity he was involved in the STSB campaign, Jeremy Stein stated:

“Throughout my career I have been managing and advising various lobbying campaigns behind the scenes. I was contracted to oversee the public side of this campaign by liaising with all the parties who have funded, added or edited content, interacted or prepared content. I believe in Freedom and Privacy and the Schools Bill threatens my beliefs.“

When asked for what reason the identity of those involved in financing and managing the campaign were kept from the public, Rabbi Gratt claimed:

“I financed it, but I was not involved in the day-to-day running of it as I do not use social media and cannot even log in to Facebook, Twitter, etc. I could therefore not put my name to it.”

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WHAT IS THE SCHOOL’S BILL?

The Department of Education, under Nadhim Zahawi’s leadership, published the Schools Bill in May 2022.

The new legislation was designed to provide:

“for a new, legally enforceable set of standards for academy trusts…It includes new powers for Ofsted to gather evidence and act against schools operating illegally, and removes loopholes that allowed some settings not to register as a school despite having children attend during most or all of the school week…Other safeguarding powers in the bill include a new legal requirement for local authorities to maintain registers of children not in school, helping make sure no child gets lost from the education system”

[A DfE summary of the Bill as well as its full contents are available here and here.]

When outlining his opposition to the Schools Bill, Rabbi Gratt stated in a speech:

“the Schools Bill threatens to dismantle the very fabric of our community… [it]represents a threat to the orthodox Jewish way of life, and to our survival as a distinct religious group. The Schools Bill seeks to undermine and compromise our traditions, our religious standards and practice...If the Schools Bill is passed, our educational institutions would be unable to maintain the religious traditions, we have carried on through such time.“

Humanists UK Education Campaigns Manager Robert Cann said:

‘Since 2014, Humanists UK has led the campaign to tackle such settings, and we now demand urgent clarity from the Government as to what will happen to these important plans...

With the safety of thousands of children still attending these schools at stake, it’s vital that efforts to close these schools are not lost amongst an internal power-battle over detail of the delivery and regulation of academy schools. We’re reminding ministers how important it is not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.’

Susan Liverman (who is not affiliated with STSB) started an online petition against the Bill after facing sanctions from her son’s school. She explained that she objected to the proposed legislation because:

“The Attendance Guidance is non-specific about support and very specific about sanctions. The effects of this are being felt already by families…Attendance Guidance can be changed without going back to parliament. It leaves families extremely vulnerable in a system that is under-resourced but focused on attendance.“

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conclusion

Neither of us at The Free Press? are parents. We both live in Scotland, where education legislation is devolved.

We make no suggestion of illegality or impropriety on the part of those involved in STSB. This article is not an attack on a particular community and their traditions, nor is it a rebuttal to the very legitimate concerns of parents, who for many reasons feel the Schools Bill will adversely impact the lives of their children.

What we are concerned about here however, is that the individuals responsible for the STSB campaign have not been fully transparent as to who they are, how they are funded, and how their agenda is decided. These hitherto anonymous operatives are spending large amounts of money attempting to influence the legislative process in the UK.

We make no judgement on the objectives of the STSB campaign. What we do challenge is the opacity with which these activists choose to conduct their activities. For a truly democratic debate to take place, an informed public must know who is trying to influence them, and why.

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Follow Sean Rankin on Twitter: @ClydesiderRed