Pupils were embroiled in a “festival of hate” football match officiated by a school that saw flares fired, a parent has claimed.

Queens’ School in Bushey angered parents last week when it scrapped its Year 11 leavers’ assembly citing bad behaviour – but more alleged details have now emerged.

As part of headteacher Jonathan Morrell’s initial response, he said activities enjoyed the day before the cancellation included “a sports event with all the year either participating or observing”.   

A Year 11 pupil’s father has since told the Watford Observer: “The sporting event was a football match and all the children who were black, Asian or of eastern European heritage were put in one team called ‘The Immigrants’, and all of the boys who were judged to be white and British were put in a side called ‘The EDL’.

“The match was officiated by one of the assistant headteachers, and some of the boys in the so-called EDL team let off flares.”

The match is something the kids had previously been doing themselves, he said, “but on Tuesday (May 9) the school actually decided to hold it as an official event and they officiated the match”.

The EDL, which stands for the English Defence League, is a far-right organisation renowned for Islamophobia and football hooliganism.

Video footage, seen by the Watford Observer, appears to show pupils with various flags on their school shirts huddled for a team talk, before one shouts: “Oi listen last game today yeah, it’s our last day of school, we are not gonna lose to them English p*****.”

The social media post – captioned ‘EDL Vs immigrants final’ alongside Champions League music – then shows pupils frenetically leaping about.

The father claims the match was “promoting racial hatred and is a complete farce given that about two months ago the school trumpeted to the parents that they had won a major award for promoting equality, diversity and inclusion”.

After being given a Gold Equality Award last month, Queens’ wrote on its website: “At our school we place great value on equality and diversity, and celebrate the differences within our school community.”

It adds: “Having a Gold Award demonstrates that our commitment to equality is well embedded throughout our setting, and we know that maintaining a positive and inclusive school environment is not a tick-box exercise but requires ongoing thought and attention.”

The school declined to comment when approached by the Watford Observer.