Racism, sexism and homophobia claim over top Shropshire grammar school

In a hard-hitting blog, A-star student Matt Broomfield said pupils at Adams' Grammar School in Newport made monkey noises at him when he started dating a black girl.

Mr Broomfield, who got the top GSCE results in the whole school with 11 A*s in 2010 and also moved onto the sixth form, claimed there was a culture of "superiority" drilled into students that they were "better" than people at normal schools.

But bosses at the school have refuted the claims and said they were "saddened" to hear of the article.

Mr Broomfield said: "I dated a black girl when I was 17. When my school friends found out, some of them laughed openly in my face.

"They made monkey noises. This happened in England in the 21st century. Specifically, it happened at Adams' Grammar School.

"From my perspective the fundamental doctrine that Adams' taught was that we should define ourselves by our perceived superiority to others.

"Adams' drilled into us that the strong were always superior to the weak.

"The ethos of self-advancement, self-protection and self-promotion was echoed everywhere from the assembly hall to the rugby field.

"The arrogant confidence I learnt at Adams' taught me to capitalise on my privilege.

"'You are Adams' Boys' ran the endlessly repeated litany.

"We took it to mean 'you are better than those below you in the exam tables or weaker than you on the rugby pitch – you are better than everyone else because you have beaten them – you are better because you are Adams' Boys'.

"Adams' is far from unique in being steeped in the toxic absurdity of lad culture.

"But the staff often indulged our sexist arrogance, in casual classroom bullying.

"So long as we were doing well in the exam league tables and the Daily Mail Cup, it was like we could get away with anything.

"The victims of our jokes felt it necessary to participate in them.

"The head boy in my year, a Muslim of Sudanese origin, was rightly popular and well-respected, but he still had to endure endless jokes about bombs and famine.

"I saw black boys posing with KFC buckets on their heads while a room full of rich white boys guffawed.

"The girls put up with being groped, bullied and harassed on a daily basis.

"We drove them from the school and mocked them when they left. We constantly mocked marginalised groups.

"It was all just a laugh – so long as you were one of the popular white boys laughing the hardest.

"In effect, we were taught that to be Adams' Boys was to be inherently superior to the rest of the world. And arrogance combined with ignorance creates bigotry."

Sonya Wilson, marketing manager at the school, said it disagreed "wholeheartedly" that racism, sexism and homophobia was institutionalised within its walls.

She said: "Staff at Adams' were saddened to read an article written by a former pupil that attacked the school, its ethos and values.

"We disagree wholeheartedly with the view that Adams' supports racism, sexism and homophobia and that such opinions are institutionalised within its walls.

"In fact, precisely the opposite is the case: we make every effort to educate our pupils to be tolerant and respectful of diversity, and to counter prejudices that are, sadly, still all too common in the world outside school.

"We also emphasise to our pupils that their academic talent should not be mistaken for moral superiority, but rather places a special obligation on them to use their talents wisely for the common good.

"Adams', like all schools, continues to be challenged by some kinds of unacceptable pupil behaviour, but nobody should be in any doubt that the ethos of the school, its policies, and its day-to-day practice, are all designed to eradicate such behaviour and to create young people who are confident themselves about combating racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of intolerance and prejudice.

"An Ofsted inspection which took place last November praised 'students' excellent attitudes to learning and behaviour, their mutual respect for each other and support are significant factors in creating a positive culture for learning'.

"The report went on to comment 'The school takes a firm stand against any prejudice-based bullying such as racist, homophobic and trans-gender bullying and sexism. Students stated they felt accepted for who they are. All students spoken to stated they felt safe at school and in the rare instances of bullying knew who to go to for support. They are confident that any bullying is dealt with swiftly.'

"Students regulate their own behaviour. The sixth-form students, especially in boarding houses and the house system, are key to ensuring this. Older students model high standards of behaviour for younger students. They take responsibility for the care and welfare of younger students and ensure that school is a caring community."

"The Good Schools Guide, who visited the school in July 2014, praised the school's 'very active and visible commitment to celebrating diversity. What used to be casually swept aside as male 'banter' is now no longer acceptable and is rigorously scrutinised for racist, sexist or homophobic overtones by the boys themselves.'

"The school would like to thank the many pupils, parents and Old Novaportans for their messages of support."