Parents angered by school's Manchester bombing-themed homework task
A UK school has been forced to issue an apology after a teacher set an assignment for her Year 8 class that revolved around the 2017 Manchester bombing.
The task, which was issued via a homework app, asked students to imagine they were a parent of a victim of the 2017 terrorist attack, which took place at an Ariana Grande concert and killed 22 people.
They were instructed to write a response to the view that "all terrorists should be forgiven."
Shortly after assigning the homework, a father from the school complained on Twitter that it was inappropriate for the 12-year-old students, adding the task was "a disgrace."
A girl injured in the blast hugging Ariana Grande during her visit to a Manchester children's hospital. AP
"How on earth Mr Parker Randall thinks this is appropriate for children is beyond me! This is a disgrace! Shame on you," he wrote.
Other parents were quick to agree with the father, many claiming that they wouldn't let their children complete the homework.
"I'm genuinely disturbed by this. It's not appropriate at all and deserves a 2 word answer," wrote one follower.
"I'd have a field day if my 12 year old got that for homework. I'd write an essay for her explaining why the death penalty should be invoked for terrorists and forgiveness is off the table," added another.
"If my lad got that as homework I'd be straight round to the school demanding to see the head. If true that's outrageous to expect a 12yr old to write about that," wrote a third.
The school issued a lengthy statement on its Twitter account, apologising for any upset caused by the task and explaining it was a poorly-written question in response to a conversation during class time.
"The homework was set as a part of a person, social, health and economic education lesson which was considering the consequences of crime and the aims of different punishments," the statement from head teacher Kate Parker Randall read.
"The homework was intended to allow students to formulate their own views about whether hate or forgiveness are the best response to even such terrible crimes.
"Having reflected the matter we would in hindsight have posed the homework question in a different way."
Most viewed in Lifestyle
The four-year experiment that created Australia’s best sausage roll
Meghan gives first look at Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s new UK life
It costs more than $150k to raise a kid, but half a million Aussies do it with no savings. These are the money mistakes to avoid
Prince William and Kate back return to official duties with subtle nod to Prince Harry
