Ukrainian child refugees who fled Putin’s war are shocked when they learn Russian at British primary school
- When the issue was brought up, the response was that they wanted to be “inclusive.”
Ukrainian refugees who fled to Britain after Putin’s invasion of their country were shocked to discover that their children are learning Russian in primary school as part of a language project.
A mother, who declined to be named, said she was shocked that her child had been taught Russian at Brunswick Primary School in Brighton as part of a seven-week Russian Language Half-Term.
When the issue was raised with the staff the response was that they wanted to be ‘inclusive’.
“There are about 30 children in the school who are from Ukraine,” she told MailOnline.
“There are so many languages in the world and now they have to choose Russian?
A mother, who declined to be named, said she was shocked that her child had been taught Russian at Brunswick Primary School in Brighton.
When the issue was raised with the staff the response was that they wanted to be ‘inclusive’
‘We couldn’t believe it. We came to the UK to get away from the Russian invasion, and part of Putin’s conflict with Ukraine is about language – they have different names for Kiev, for example, because they think we are part of Russia.
“There is certainly a risk that the children will be upset by this, especially the older ones. At least I think they should have asked us before they did.’
The theme is part of a long-running series of recommended languages — including Ukrainian — and the mother added that she had nothing against the Russian language.
“With so many Ukrainian children here in special circumstances, I think it was insensitive to do this at the moment. It doesn’t feel very “inclusive” for our kids.
Many of their fathers risk their lives fighting the Russians, partly for the right to use our own language.
“Even those Ukrainians who speak Russian are dropping it in favor of Ukrainian after what has happened in the last 16 months.”
Another Ukrainian mother said she had encountered other “awakened” aspects of teaching at the school, which is run by the “awakened” Brighton & Hove Council.
The city came second in the UK in a ‘Woke Index’ recently compiled by Bankrate, based on a number of factors.
The mother added: ‘My child came home and told me they had learned there are 100 genders, which certainly surprised me!
“I want them to learn the basics, not this kind of waking stuff that they can discover later.”
In 2021, Brighton and Hove adopted controversial guidelines on transgenderism in ‘Trans Inclusion Schools Toolkit Version 4’, which suggests using scripts for pupils claiming to be of the opposite gender, with phrases such as ‘I’ve always been a boy/girl ‘.
It also calls for the provision of ‘floor to ceiling’ gender-neutral toilets in schools, along with segregated toilets.
Other municipalities have withdrawn similar guidelines for transgender people over concerns about their legality.
A spokesman for Brunswick Primary School said:
‘We have a number of both Ukrainian and Russian students at our school.
‘We want to create a sense of belonging where all our students feel equally valued.
‘We had a focus on the Ukrainian language earlier this year. With this in mind, we felt it appropriate to also highlight the Russian language.
‘This is part of an ongoing program that focuses on different languages and cultures in our school community.
“We are, of course, shocked by the Russian invasion and aware of the terrible problems Ukraine is facing.
‘But it is our job to help very young children to get the best possible start with their education.
“And we believe that means treating all our children and their cultural backgrounds with equal respect.”