Overview
- Cabot Learning Federation dismissed Saima Akhtar after an internal probe triggered by The Times’ reporting of her social media posts that called the October 7 Hamas attackers “heroes fighting for justice.”
- Akhtar worked as the trust’s diversity and inclusion coordinator and sat on Bristol Brunel Academy’s council, and her posts also included the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
- Bristol Brunel Academy had postponed Labour MP Damien Egan’s visit in September after planned protests by National Education Union staff and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and he returned quietly in February 2026.
- Ofsted carried out a snap inspection in January 2026 and reported no evidence of political bias at the academy, while the Department for Education has commissioned an independent review of the MP visit decision with findings expected soon.
- The episode highlights the pressure on schools to enforce Department for Education guidance on political impartiality as staff activism, union-organised protests, and public posts about Israel and Palestine draw legal and reputational risks.