But the National Union of Teachers at its annual conference said England and Wales must not follow France in banning conspicuous religious symbols - including the hijab or veil, worn by Muslim girls - from the classroom.
Oldham education officials today admitted the BNP has been found leafleting outside secondary schools. But they say there is little they can do to prevent it.
Although they notify the police when BNP supporters are found outside the borough's schools, they say they cannot be moved on because they are not breaking the law.
Assistant director of education Nick Ford said: "The BNP has been known to leaflet outside schools but that is not a common occurrence - just a couple of times a year.
"What the council does is to seek to promote anti-racist policies, through guidance issued to teachers in dealing with racist issues. The council takes the issue of racism very seriously in any of our schools."
Labour councillor Hugh McDonald, the council's executive member for lifelong learning, said: "There was leafleting a number of months ago at Hathershaw and it does happen now and again. Technically, they are not doing anything illegal but we do make sure the police are notified right away, so if they infringe the law they can be moved on. We try to do everything we can but there's not a lot we can do about it - just make sure they are not pestering the kids."
Liberal Democrat councillor Kay Knox said: "Certainly we have had problems in the past few years with this but I haven't heard anything recently. This is a very serious issue."
Delegates at the union's conference in Harrogate blasted the BNP for trying to spread its message among pupils during an era of rising tension between whites and Asians in some parts of the country.
But they also lambasted New Labour in general and Home Secretary David Blunkett in particular, claiming they were sending out the message that it was acceptable to "denigrate" immigrants and asylum seekers. Opening the debate, Philippe Harari, an NUT member from Cambridgeshire said: "The government has been criticised for being too soft on asylum seekers.
"I want to live in a country that is perceived around the world as a safe haven, as a soft touch, if you like."
Teacher boycotts of national primary tests, this time of five-year-olds, will be debated today.
The NUT is considering whether to refuse to fill in "tick-lists" showing how children performed in the first two years of primary school.
The union is concerned that so-called "foundation stage profiles" completed by reception teachers on every child in England and Wales, are "stultifying" education.
The NUT put a boycott of next month's tests of seven and 11-year-olds in England to a vote late last year. But not enough eligible members voted to trigger one, even though most of those that took part were in favour.
Today's call for a renewed assault on primary school testing in the form of a boycott of foundation profiles was being resisted by the union's national executive.
The executive would rather the union campaigned against scoring five-year-olds alongside the other teacher unions and, if necessary, support teachers taking industrial action if the profiles meant their workload was "excessive".
NUT General Secretary Doug McAvoy said that if members were balloted on a boycott, the result could well go the same way as last time. Tweet
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Sir,
However odious the indoctrination of our school children by the BNP, this is not a new concept. Parents
should also be aware of the European Union's endless political propaganda at
every educational level.
EU youth is in the eyes of Brussels a legitimate target for indoctrination
and is given special treatment. This is because school children are said to
be " a very receptive section of the population and can carry the message to
the home environment among family and friends."
(Quote from the European Union's DG XX11 Propaganda Unit)
The EU Commission and the BNP are both in violation of the 1996 Education
Act; article 407 clearly states head teachers must ensure that " where
political issues are brought to the attention of pupils they are offered a
balanced presentation of opposing views".
As four out of five people are now considered to be Eurosceptic and
implacably opposed to the Euro, the EU Constitution and many to membership
of the EU itself, will these violators of the 1996 Education Act be held to
account ? School authorities DO have the power to protect our children.
If this government did something about the rise in illegal immigration and asylum seeking, the BNP would not have so many people wishing to vote for them. There are so many people I talk to who are fed up with the situation in this country with spongers who have no right to be here, who have the cheek to sue for compensation and backpay for minor insults 'cos they're ethnic minorities. Pretty soon white people will be the minority - will be getting all these privileges and be able to sue for racism? I don't think so. Tony Blair is determined to get rid of anything British, there is no patriotism and nothing to be proud of. All that England has become is a dumping ground for workshy layabouts who would rather claim benefits than actually work.
Teachers should start concentrating on teaching and stop trying to be politicians. Why do they think they know best ?
One of my memories from school (1983 ish). was teachers telling us there wouldnt be any jobs when we left school because of Maggie Thatcher. Education, indoctrination or brainwashing, a fine line divides them.
Labours policies are more damaging to this country than the BNP will ever be. (and I voted for Blair in '97!)
You talk about asylum seeking spongers like they are the only drain on our economy. There are a thousand times more white indigent spongers whose only contribution to our society (if you can call it a contribution) is being lucky enough to be born here. Our whole society is designed for white people to prosper yet there are still thousands who think they are too good to do the only jobs they are qualified to do. Asylum seekers, legal or illegal, travel thousands of miles often in dangerous conditions to get to our country. Yet the spongers that are born here don't even have to get off their arses to walk a few hundred yards to the post office to get their dole any more - they get paid by Direct Debit. I'm sick of hearing the problems of this country blamed on asylum seekers. Thatcher's era has bred a society of lazy ingrates who think they are owed a living and do not give a stuff about anyone else.
Well said John, I couldn't have put it better myself.