Polish Saturday Schools in UK give proud Polish children a chance to prosper in UK

On 2nd April the Guardian printed an article headed "Polish schools in UK accused of links to far-right associates.

This is grossly unfair. Polish Saturday schools have a long and proud tradition in the UK ever since they were set up in the 1940s for children of Polish political emigres stranded here after the War. Currently there are over 150 such schools in the UK serving both the grandchildren and great children of those emigres as well as the new diaspora following Poland's entry into the EU. These schools vary in size and resources and they teach Polish children to have a pride in their parents' country of origin by learning the language, customs, history and geography, These schools respect the British attitude to tolerance of other minorities and prepare their pupils to live and prosper in a multicultural society, especially as older children are given the possibility to sit GCSE and A level exams and thus add an extra subject to their CV.

While accepting that currently the political polarisation within Poland has led to the radicalisation of some young Poles arriving recently in the UK this is not something that Saturday schools are in a position to monitor and to check the background of their children's parents. However the Polish Education Committee which has responsibility for 120 of these schools would be happy to accept any Home Office guidance on this issue as the lines between pride in your country of origin and a nationalist ideology can sometimes be blurred.