Mike Fairclough

[[File:Fairclough.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Mike Fairclough shows off his favourite teaching aid on ''Good Morning Britain'' at the height of his fame in 2016.]]
{{conspiracynav|1}}
{{cquote|I was the only serving UK headteacher or school principal to have publicly questioned lockdowns, masking kids and the Covid vaccine rollout to children.|||Mike Fairclough<ref name=sussexworld101023>[https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/controversial-former-eastbourne-headteacher-who-resigned-starts-crowdfunder-to-help-pay-for-legal-fees-4366756 Controversial former Eastbourne headteacher who resigned starts crowdfunder to help pay for legal fees] by Sam Pole (October 10, 2023) ''Sussex World''</ref>}}
{{cquote|He has let that school down and been so distracted by all of his Covid and anti-establishment rantings… that he hasn’t done his job.|||Parent of West Rise Junior School pupil<ref name=times090923>[https://archive.ph/XEyCT Head linked to Hope Sussex ‘conspiracy school’ quits] by Tom Ball and Dominic Kennedy (September 9, 2023) ''The Times'' (archived September 9, 2023)</ref>}}{{cquote|I feel that I have been discriminated against, harassed and bullied for exercising my right to lawful free speech.|||Mike Fairclough<ref name=times090923 />}}

'''Mike Fairclough''' {{lived|1973|}}<ref name=CompaniesHouse1>[https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/iHDaZXpIrqJnFYfzV-2noPVj5Ms/appointments Mike FAIRCLOUGH] ''Companies House''</ref> is an [[antivaxxer]], [[conspiracy theorist]], and the former head of a state primary school in Eastbourne, [[England]].<ref name=times090923 />

Fairclough served for 19-years as headmaster (he prefers the "old school" terminology) of West Rise Junior School, a state primary in Eastbourne, with around 360 pupils, where he achieved public fame and professional plaudits by opposing the "elf and safety brigade" to add such "character building" subjects as fire-making, rabbit-skinning, and shooting to his syllabus.<ref name=telegraph070216>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/12143019/Meet-the-hunky-headmaster-who-teaches-kids-to-use-a-shotgun.html Meet the hunky headmaster who teaches kids to use a shotgun] by Harry Wallop (February 7, 2016) ''The Telegraph''</ref><ref name=guardian041016>[https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/oct/04/school-guns-knives-fire-ofsted-danger School with guns, knives and fire on the timetable – and Ofsted loves it] by Liz Lightfoot (October 4, 2016) ''The Guardian''</ref>

In September 2023, however, Fairclough stepped down stating his intention to take the local council to employment tribunal. He had been on a leave of absence since November 2022 following complaints from parents about his public statements and associations.<ref name=times090923 /><ref name=sussexworld110923>[https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/education/eastbourne-headteacher-resigns-after-alleging-he-was-discriminated-against-harassed-and-bullied-4287875 Eastbourne headteacher resigns after alleging he was 'discriminated against, harassed and bullied'] by Sam Pole (September 11, 2023) ''Sussex World''</ref> He justified these controversial opinions, which had gotten him banned from [[Twitter]],<ref name=times090923 /> in a public statement:
{{Quotebox|As a headteacher, I have had a legal duty to safeguard [[children]] against harm. My professional field of expertise is child development and [[education]]. I have publicly shared my opinion on the following matters concerning the health and welfare of children:<br />
#That lockdowns harm children and cause economic damage which harms the most vulnerable in society.<br />
#That I disagree with [[Face masks|masking]] children.<br />
#That I feel that the risks from the [[COVID-19 vaccine|Covid vaccines]] for children outweigh any possible benefits. Children are at extremely low risk of serious illness from Covid. The Covid vaccines pose known risks and have no long-term safety data. A child can still catch and spread Covid when vaccinated against the virus.<br />
It has therefore been entirely reasonable and relevant for me to express my lawful opinions on these matters in the interest of safeguarding children against harm.&nbsp;— Mike Fairclough<ref name=bournefree070923>[https://bournefreelive.co.uk/eastbourne-headteacher-resigns-i-have-been-discriminated-against-harassed-and-bullied/ Eastbourne Headteacher Resigns: ‘I Have Been Discriminated Against, Harassed and Bullied’] by Peter Lindsey (September 7, 2023) ''Bournefree Live''</ref>}}

Fairclough sends his own kids to [[HOPE Sussex]], a suspected [[Illegal schools in the United Kingdom|illegal school]] for the kids of antivax parents, which his wife is involved in running. During his leave of absence, he gave a talk there praising the “global [[freedom]] movement” and its opposition to the plan by “[[globalist]]s” to “disempower people and take away their freedoms”.<ref name=times210123>[https://archive.ph/Dnphx Hope Sussex school trains next generation of conspiracy theorists] by Tom Ball (January 21, 2023) ''The Times'' (archived January 21, 2023)</ref>

Despite being cleared of a breach of headteacher standards, he refused to return to work, claiming that the council’s inability to rule out further investigations was “damaging to his health”.<ref name=times090923 /> He subsequently launched a funding campaign to cover the costs of his legal challenge.<ref name=sussexworld101023 />

==See also==
*[[Matthew and Sadie Single]] – founders of HOPE Sussex

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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[[Category:Anti-vaccination movement]]
[[Category:British people]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:COVID-19 denialists]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Categories: Anti-vaccination movement, British people, Conspiracy theorists, COVID-19 denialists, Living people