Teachers will not be banned from joining the British National Party, a review has recommended.

Maurice Smith was commissioned by the government after a leaked BNP membership show 15 educators were members - a ruling on independent schools will be released in September.

The far-right party has hailed the ruling as "common sense" whist unions called the decision "woefully inadequate."

Currently BNP members are banned from working for the police and prison service.

Ministers have accepted that the ruling should be reviewed every year - Schools Secretary Ed Balls said the case for a ban would be kept "under active consideration and reviewed on an annual basis".

BNP leader Nick Griffin said it was a great day for democracy.

Members of the BNP are barred from the police and prison service.

Six incidences

Only six incidences of BNP membership by members of the teaching profession or governors were brought to the attention of the Department for Children, Schools and Families in six years, the report said.

It also found only nine incidents where teachers making racist remarks or holding racist materials had been referred to the General Teaching Council for England.

Mr Smith, a former chief inspector of schools said:

"I do not believe that barring teachers or other members of the wider school workforce from membership of legitimate organisations which may promote racism is necessary at present."

Although police and prison officers are banned, to ban more than half a million teachers - or six million public servants - from joining a legitimate organisation would take this to a different scale of magnitude."

He also said any ban was likely to have been challenged in the courts by the BNP.

Mr Balls said he wanted:

"...the right balance between allowing independent schools autonomy, operating in accordance with their ethos and values, and protecting the young people attending those schools from teachers displaying racist or intolerant views or behaviours that could be harmful".

"Good day for Democracy"

British National Party leader Nick Griffin said:

"Today is a good day for British democracy. Under a BNP government, there would be no employment prohibitions placed on anyone based on political beliefs.

All teachers should, however, keep their politics strictly separate from the classroom.

Several cases have come to light in recent times where leftwing teachers have been exposed promoting their own brand of politically correct politics in the classroom, with no action being taken by educational authorities. This is clearly wrong, and should not be tolerated.

Schools should be fountains of learning and study not indoctrination centres."

The NASUWT union said it was disappointed by the findings.

General secretary Chris Keates said the report was "an opportunity that's been missed" to bring teachers into line with police and prison officers.

Adding:

"The idea that a person who signs up to membership of the BNP can simply leave these beliefs at the school gate and behave as a 'professional' when they walk into school is risible, " said Ms Keates.

The report is woefully inadequate and littered with contradictions."

She said too much attention was paid to the number of incidents in schools, saying "one incident is one too many".

But the Association of School and College Leaders welcomed the findings.

Its general secretary Dr John Dunford said:

"Of course people with racist views should not be working with young people in schools. However, it is much less clear that there should be a blanket regulation on the issue.

The aim should be genuinely to challenge young people to think for themselves and to form their own opinions rather than to promote a particular ideology."