Press Release 550

AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS

PRESS RELEASE 550#

So-called independent public schools

Can become Captured schools.

24 April 2014

The Federal Minister for Education, Mr Pyne, should do research on what has happened to Mr Gove’s ‘Free” State Schools in the UK before he repeats the grave mistake in Australia.

Independent Public Schools, are another name for schools put into the market place for privatisation - ripe for ‘capture’ by any and every religious group.

In Birmingham, evidence is mounting that Muslim hardliners have attempted to take over of up to twenty five Birmingham schools.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2608776/Schools-centre-Muslim-Trojan-Horse-plot-special-measures-amid-fears-numbers-affected-reached-25.html

Do we want our children in public schools to be exposed to hardline religious teaching of any kind? Christian, Muslim, Steiner, Falan Gung, Hare Christna, Calathumpian?

Do we want what is happening in Birmingham to be even considered a possibility?

The attempted takeover of secular schools by hardline Muslim extremists in Birmingham and other English cities illustrates what can happen in a society that does not cherish and protect its public schools and principals with a strong centralised and accountable administration.

The only way to prevent the nation being held to ransom by religious groups which create ‘silos of segregation’ is to fund a genuinely public education system which is free, secular and universal,

and

STOP STATE AID TO RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS OF ANY KIND.

The following are excerpts from the English media:

In Birmingham evidence has been provided of a ‘Trojan Horse’ plot in which hardline Muslims have attempted to capture up to 25 ‘free’ state schools. Investigations have commenced. But why should this be a possibility in the first place?

The Birmingham Example.

Six secular schools at the centre of a plot to introduce hardline Islamic teaching into classrooms are to be placed in special measures.

It has been reported that Ofsted inspectors will rate the schools 'inadequate' after snap inspections this week, which usually leads to a school being placed in special measures, allowing officials to remove senior managers or close the school.

Inspectors were ordered in to the Birmingham schools after a 'Trojan Horse' letter was uncovered last month detailing a plot by hardline Muslims to force moderate and secular head teachers from their posts and install extreme Islamic teachers in their place.

Today a report published in The Telegraph alleges that Park View, Golden Hillock, Nansen, Oldknow and Saltley schools will be rated inadequate, the lowest possible score, while Alston school is already in special measures.

If the new Ofsted investigation does place the schools in special measures, Tahir Alam, who is also governor of Highfield school, is almost certain to be removed from his post.

Mr Alam, an activist for the hardline Muslim Council of Britain, is alleged to be at the centre of the trojan Horse plot, but has denied the allegations, calling them a 'fabrication'.

According to the Ofsted report, a further nine schools Springfield, Adderley, Regents Park, Highfield, Gracelands, Ladypool, Marlborough, Montgomery and Waverley will be given the second lowest rank of 'requiring improvement'.

A letter from Adderley school to parents yesterday confirmed the school had been subjected to a 'malicious and targeted' attempt to oust senior staff.

In its statement to parents, Adderley Primary's governing body confirmed that several headteachers in the city had faced pressure to resign from their posts.

The school, which is also embroiled in a fraud inquiry into allegedly fake resignation letters, said: 'Many of you will now be aware that a number of headteachers across Birmingham have come forward and confirmed that they have experienced malicious and targeted campaigns to remove them and that this issue is not unique to the leadership of Adderley Primary School.

'The seriousness of this issue has now been taken up by the Department for Education who have appointed a new education adviser responsible for investigating this matter thoroughly.

'Birmingham City Council have also appointed a former head teacher, Ian Kershaw, as Birmingham's chief adviser to assist in a wider investigation.'

The BBC had the following report:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-27020970

An investigation into an alleged hard-line Islamist takeover plot of Birmingham schools has widened, with 25 schools now under the spotlight.

Birmingham City Council said it had received more than 200 reports in relation to its inquiry.

It has appointed former head teacher Ian Kershaw as its chief advisor.

Anonymous claims hard-line Muslims were trying to take over the running of some city schools were made in a letter sent to local authorities last year.

The 25 schools now being looked at include primaries, secondaries and academies.

Continue reading the main story

More appointments

Phil Mackie News correspondent

Besides the announcement about Ian Kershaw, who'll oversee the Trojan Horse investigation on behalf of the city council, there have been two other important appointments.

Stephen Rimmer will chair a second group which will include faith groups and figures from the local communities affected by the allegations.

He was brought to the West Midlands last year to lead an investigation into the abuse and sexual exploitation of children, but was previously employed by the Home Office as director of its Prevent strategy, set up to counter radicalisation.

And the Department for Education has also announced the appointment of its first Commissioner for Schools in the West Midlands.

Pank Patel will decide which schools can become academies and will monitor performance.

There has been a lot of criticism during the Trojan Horse inquiry that governance at academies has been too opaque.

The 200-plus reports to the council include emails and calls from staff, parents and governors.

The leader of Birmingham City Council, Sir Albert Bore, said: "No, I don't believe there is a plot, but there are issues we need to look at and look at very carefully - issues perhaps around how a governing body behaves, perhaps what is said and done around the school."

He said he was concerned the situation could endanger community relations but called on parents and others to be patient while the investigation was concluded.

Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, said an "urgent resolution" was needed, with parents looking for places for the new term.

The council's investigation, running in parallel to a separate inquiry by the Department for Education (DfE), is due to initially report back in May.

Mr Kershaw, who is managing director of Northern Education, will report to a newly-formed review group made up of MPs, councillors, national teaching and governors groups, the police and faith leaders.

The group will also oversee the work of the operational committee, which is co-ordinating the investigation of the allegations.

A follow-up report containing recommendations for schools locally, and for the DfE to look at nationally, is to be published by July.

Separately, Ofsted inspectors were sent in to 15 Birmingham schools in the weeks after the allegations came to light.

Concerns were raised last year when an undated and anonymous letter emerged outlining the alleged plot, dubbed "Operation Trojan Horse".

Bradford contact

It claimed the plan aimed to make schools adhere to more Islamic principles and had already brought about leadership changes at four schools.

The letter was apparently penned by someone in Birmingham to a contact in Bradford.

Sir Albert said the city council had spoken to local authorities in both Manchester and Bradford.

"There are certainly issues in Bradford which have similarities with the issues being spoken about in Birmingham," he said.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent

This investigation in Birmingham - which the council is now expanding further - is already "new territory" for the Ofsted education watchdog.

It's the first time there have been so many co-ordinated school inspections targeted on concerns of religious extremism.

And Ofsted will try to cast light on a murky tale of anonymous letters and disputed claims of an "Islamic takeover" - allegations which the Department for Education describe as "very serious".

So far Ofsted has carried out inspections in 18 schools. The Department for Education had instigated 15 of these inspections - in addition to three already carried out by Ofsted.

These are a particular type of unannounced inspection - called Section 8 inspections - which are not about the general standard of education, but are in response to a specific concern.

These inspection reports, looking for evidence of whether there really has been unacceptable behaviour, are expected to be published next month.

Schools, parents and the wider community will then hear whether action needs to be taken.

Read more from Sean

Sir Albert claimed he was frustrated with the two-tier schools system in which academies operate outside the local authority's control and report directly to the DfE.

"We do not have the relationship with academies as we do with the community schools," he said.

Brigid Jones, the council's cabinet member for children and family services, said children should be able to work "without fear of intimidation".

She denied claims from some Muslim parents that a freeze on the recruitment of school governors, while it investigated the claims, was effectively a message that Muslim governors were not welcome.

"We have put a freeze on appointing governors across the city until we can be sure that they're being appointed robustly and in the right possible way," she said.

Since the Trojan Horse letter surfaced a number of school staff have come forward to make various allegations.

These include claims of boys and girls being segregated in classrooms and assemblies, sex education being banned and non-Muslim staff bullied.

Park View Education Trust, which was implicated in the original document, has rejected claims of a takeover.

Its chairman Tahir Alam said it was facing a "witch hunt" based on "all sorts of false allegations" and an internal investigation had found no evidence to substantiate the claims

Silos of Segregation

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has backed the investigations, saying schools should not be allowed to become 'silos of segregation'.