News Coverage
Christians flock to defend controversial headmaster
The Western Mail, June 8 2002
Head defends evangelists speech
BBC News, 5 June 2002
AM backs head in `word of God' row
South Wales Argus, 5 June 2002
PC society eroding our faith, head tells pupil.
Daily Mail, 4 June 2002
Christians
flock to defend controversial headmaster
June
8 2002
Rhodri Evans, The Western Mail
CHRISTIAN groups have come to the support of a head teacher
who sparked controversy with one of his assemblies, claiming
he has been the victim of a politically correct witch hunt.
During an assembly at Cwmcarn High School, head teacher Bill Beales spoke of divorcees, single mothers and homosexuals as "flouting God's rules".
The assembly prompted calls from the leader of Caerphilly council, Lindsay Whittle, for Mr Beales to be suspended and a full investigation to be carried out.
But Chris Hess, chairman of the Association of Christian Teachers in Wales, of which Mr Beales is a member, has attacked the call for his suspension.
He said, "The calls for Mr Beales to be suspended are totally groundless.
"The law says that schools must have Christian assemblies. Mr Beales was doing no more than the law requires him to do. Now he has become the victim of a politically-correct witch hunt."
Director of the Christian Institute, Colin Hart, said he believed there was nothing wrong with Mr Beales's assembly.
He said, "The comments made by Mr Beales are totally consistent with mainstream Christian teaching.
"He is a head teacher in a school which is required by law to provide Christian assemblies.
"He was defending religious liberty. It is ironic therefore that some members of the local authority are now calling for him to be suspended because they think Christian beliefs are `inappropriate'."
However, teaching unions have maintained their call for a full investigation into the incident.
Geraint Davies, secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers Cymru said, "Let's find out just what has been said and get to the bottom of this and have a full investigation. I would have hoped that Mr Beales would have welcomed that, so that everything can come out."
Mr
Beales's runs a foundation school, so any decision on suspension
rests entirely with the governors.
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Head
defends evangelist speech
Wednesday,
5 June, 2002, 09:59 GMT 10:59 UK
A
Christian headteacher who apparently used a morning assembly
to criticise homosexuals and single mothers has dismissed
calls for his suspension.
Bill Beales told hundreds of pupils at Cwmcarn High School
in south Wales the groups were "flaunting God's rules."
Teaching
unions and the local council leader have called for his suspension
while a full investigation is carried out.
But the Cross Keys secondary school head explained traditional
Christian values were being eroded by political correctness.
He said he has received no complaints from staff or pupils and felt morning assembly was the right place for such views.
Eroding faith
Mr Beales had told pupils in his speech: "Through the thin veneer of political correctness, the fundamental precepts, beliefs and value system of the Christian faith are being eroded by spin doctors and politicians.
"When
Christians voice concerns about divorce, unmarried mothers
and homosexuality, genetic cloning and many other products
of human weakness and desires...
"... it is not those flaunting God's rules for right
living that are placed on trial, but those who apply the word
of God to their lives."
The school's website includes an archive of 100 religious speeches from morning assemblies.
But the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers has said school governors should look in to the latest comments.
Union demand
Geraint Davies of the NASUWT said: "I think his words were unwise. Everybody has to face the fact we live in a multi-cultural society, a multi-ethnic society.
"It is a society which has to show toleration. Children in a school should be taught to live as equals. As teachers, we have a moral right to teach everyone equally."
Governors have thrown their support behind Mr Beales, but Caerphilly County Borough Council Leader Lindsay Whittle called for his suspension while an investigation is carried out.
Comments defended
But the headteacher told BBC Radio Wales: "We need to be aware of what is happening behind the curtain of democracy.
"The new diversion is to accuse those who stand by God's principles of bigotry and harassment.
"I don't regret singling out particular groups; what I am highlighting is the unfair accusations faced by Christians who defend their religion.
"My assembly is [just] one in a week; it is enshrined in law I have to lead them through a path of the Christian perspective."
He said critics of his remarks were pre-judging the issue and he claimed the support of the board of governors.
Cwmcarn
High School is a "foundation" school funded by Caerphilly
County Borough Council, but managed by the board of governors.
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First
published on Wednesday 05 June 2002:
AM backs head in `word of God' row
A HEADTEACHER who caused outrage by telling a school assembly
that unmarried mothers and gays were "products of human
desires" is being backed by a Gwent AM.
The Argus reported on Monday how Bill Beales, headteacher of Cwmcarn High School, made the comments in front of hundreds of pupils.
Mr Beales told pupils: "The new diversion is to accuse those standing by God's principles of bigotry, discrimination and harassment.
"When Christians voice their concerns about divorce, unmarried mothers, genetic cloning and many other products of human weakness and desires, it is not those flaunting God's rules for right living that are placed on trial but those who faithfully apply the word of God to their lives."
Now Monmouthshire AM David Davies (pictured) is drafting a personal letter of support for the embattled head, claiming Mr Beales shouldn't be sacked but promoted. Mr Davies believes the erosion of Christian standards is leading to a breakdown of society.
He said: "I fully support what he has done and welcome his comments as being a good thing. I hope that he can draw attention to these issues."
Saying the vast majority of single parents were responsible people, but there were others who were not, Mr Davies alleged: "There is an issue with people in socially deprived areas who have two, three, four or more children - often by different fathers - who exhibit bad behaviour in the classroom and statistics show they are more likely to wind up in jail for repeat offending."
And he added: "I believe what you get up to in your private life is your own business, but there seems to be a small but growing group of gay rights campaigners who have a much wider agenda of bringing down the age of consent, and distributing gay literature in schools to impressionable young people convincing them that it is normal and should be encouraged. It should not be encouraged, it should be tolerated.
"I congratulate Mr Beales for raising these difficult issues." Caerphilly council leader Lindsay Whittle has already written to the school's board of governors calling for Mr Beales to be suspended.
The
foundation school is run by the governors but gets money from
Caerphilly council. The National Association of Schoolmasters
and Union of Women Teachers also says the school's governors
should look into the facts of the case.
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PC society eroding our faith, head tells
pupils.
Tuesday, 4 June 2002
A HEADMASTER who accused politicians of helping to create
a 'morally corrupt' society was at the centre of a row over
political correctness last night.
Comprehensive school head Bill Beales deplored the ' trend'
towards branding Christians bigots for daring to speak out
against divorce, single motherhood and homosexuality.
In an address to his morning assembly, he said that senior
politicians and spin doctors were keener on votes than standing
for right and wrong.
He added: 'Through the thin veneer of political correctness,
the fundamental precepts, beliefs and value system of the
Christian faith are being doctored and eroded.' Mr Beales
also told pupils at Cwmcarn High School, near Caerphilly,
South Wales, that liberalisation was 'eating away at our freedom
to uphold the tenets of the Christian faith'.
He said: 'When Christians voice concerns about divorce, unmarried
mothers, homosexuality, genetic cloning and many other products
of human weakness and desires, it is not those flaunting God's
laws that are placed on trial, but those who faithfully apply
the word of God.' Mr Beales, who has been praised for his
school's 150 per cent improvement in GCSE results, also accused
Tony Blair's government of introducing 'morally indefensible'
laws.
Last night, his local council leader called his remarks 'inappropriate'
and demanded his suspension.
Lindsay Whittle, of the Plaid Cymru-controlled Caerphilly
Council, said: 'How many pupils left the assembly feeling
worthless because their parents are divorced, because they
live with a single parent or may be homosexual? When children
from certain backgrounds are singled out there is a danger
bullying could be encouraged.' Geraint Davies, of the teachers'
union NAS/UWT, said: 'We have to teach our children that no
one in society should be discriminated against because of
their background.
Teachers have to be careful at all times - the wrong comment
can cause untold damage.' But parents' groups backed Mr Beales's
right to uphold Christian values in school assembly.
Nick Seaton, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education,
said: 'He should not be vilified in a free society for expressing
beliefs many people hold. It is good for children to understand
there's another point of view.' Mr Beales was unrepentant
last night, but the Welsh Assembly warned him against promoting
'one-sided' political views.
Cwmcarn, funded by the council but run by governors, bases
its ethos on the ' broad tradition of the mainstream Christian
churches'.
State schools are required by law to provide a 'broadly Christian
daily act of collective worship'.
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