Posted on Friday 1st Apr 2016
Teachers have warned that the government's anti-extremism strategy is "shutting down" open debate in school.
The National Union of Teachers conference voted for the government's Prevent strategy to be withdrawn from schools and colleges.
Delegates said it created "suspicion and confusion" rather than safety in schools.
The Department for Education says it "makes no apology" for protecting young people from extremism.
The NUT's annual conference in Brighton heard warnings that the counter-radicalisation policy was stopping teachers from discussing "challenging ideas" with their pupils.
There were warnings that it encouraged a climate of "over-reaction" in which pupils were mistakenly reported and the police called.
Among the cases mentioned were a child writing about a "cucumber" which was misinterpreted as "cooker bomb" and a child who wrote about living in a "terraced" house which was misunderstood as a "terrorist" house.
Latest News
11/12/20Covid-19 tests for secondary school pupils in parts of London, Kent and Essex
Mass testing will be rolled out to secondary school children in the worst-affected areas of London, Kent and Essex, the health secretary has said.
10/12/20Covid: Schools in England can close for Christmas a day early
Schools in England will be allowed to close a day early for Christmas to give teachers "a proper break" from identifying potential Covid-19 cases.
03/12/20Top teacher wins $1m and gives half away
A teacher from a village school in India, praised for improving the education of girls, has won this year's Global Teacher Prize.
30/11/20Will schools shut a week early this Christmas term over fears of Covid-19 isolating?
Will schools shut a week early this Christmas term over fears of Covid-19 isolating? Kent head teachers have their say
13/10/20Students to be given more time to prepare for 2021 exams
Exams will go ahead next summer, underpinned by contingencies for all possible scenarios.