BBC executives have been forced to pull controversial Left-wing material from their schools platform after being accused of brainwashing pupils with extreme views on migration and Net Zero.
Senior BBC bosses ordered an immediate review and began removing biased material from the Bitesize website early last week following an exposé by The Mail on Sunday.
The platform, which is accessed by 1.7 million pupils every week, had encouraged children to play an online game that rewarded them for choosing open borders and granting an amnesty to illegal migrants.
Bitesize content pushed political bias
Material on the educational site suggested that citizens concerned about migrants taking jobs from local people were “prejudiced”.
The corporation also used the website to hail a string of Left-wing and progressive political icons, including climate activist Greta Thunberg.
School children were further encouraged to join the Left-wing campaign group Amnesty International.
Extremist material pulled under review
The revelations caused major concern among senior BBC executives, who ordered an immediate review into the educational pages.
Material highlighted by the newspaper began disappearing from the site early last week, replaced by a notice explaining the removal.
The website now displays a message regarding the content:
This content is currently under review. We occasionally review content to ensure that it remains up to date and in line with the curriculum.
Impartiality failures sparked political action
The exposed bias prompted action last Monday when shadow education secretary Laura Trott wrote to BBC director-general Matt Brittin, urging him to remove or suspend material failing the BBC’s standards on impartiality.
Danny Cohen, a former controller of BBC television, condemned the corporation following the findings.
These are such blatant breaches of impartiality that it is no surprise the BBC has removed this material, even more so given it was targeted at children. The BBC should transparently explain to licence-fee payers why this was allowed to happen and what steps it will take to ensure it is not repeated. It is further evidence of ongoing failures of impartiality at the BBC where leaders continue to bury their heads in the sand.
A BBC spokesman responded to the controversy.
We recognise the trust parents and teachers place in Bitesize. All content must be relevant for the audience and be compliant with the BBC’s editorial guidelines and we are reviewing these examples in that context.