Response Operation Trojan Horse

1 response

1.1 political

1.1.1 political row between home office , department education


1.2 unions
1.3 birmingham city council
1.4 schools
1.5 media

1.5.1 daily mirror exposé


1.6 reinstatement of headteachers

response
political

prime minister david cameron declared refusing accept british laws , way of life not option

prime minister david cameron, on visit birmingham, praised government s swift action in investigating conspiracy. said protecting our children 1 of first duties of government , convened emergency meeting of extremism taskforce , ministerial meeting discuss affair. announced proposals send ofsted school without warning, saying schools in question had been able stage cover-up previously. cameron announced 800th anniversary of magna carta, on 15 june 2015, used reassert british values muscular approach against preachers of hate . said refusing accept british laws , way of life not option , , schools should teach magna carta.

former prime minister, tony blair, said trojan horse plot driven same islamic extremism of boko haram, nigerian terrorist group. said efforts instil fundamentalist practices birmingham classrooms based on warped , abusive view of religion .

michael gove, secretary of state education, announced after investigation schools must promote british values

michael gove, education secretary, announced of england’s schools have promote british values of tolerance , fairness , teachers banned profession if allowed extremists schools. new clauses added funding agreements academies, stating secretary education close schools governors not comply fundamental british values .

harriet harman, shadow culture secretary, urged culture secretary, sajid javid, protect music being dropped school curriculums after learning had taken place @ 1 of investigated schools.

deputy prime minister , leader of liberal democrats nick clegg backed investigation, stating schools should not become silos of segregation . later, critical of conservatives plan teach british values , claiming alienate moderate muslims.

in letter park view trust chairman tahir alam, education minister lord nash criticised running of schools, saying mindful of need eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity , foster relations. said government terminating funding arrangement 3 of schools.

members of parliament of 3 major parties in birmingham wrote joint letter inquiry. khalid mahmood, labour mp perry barr, said city council may have known of previous plots, not acted due fears of being seen anti-islamic. mahmood, muslim, said felt salafists attempting change school s secular nature , split young people away parents . accused tahir alam, chairman of park view educational trust, of planning 15 years , honing in birmingham tactics had drafted in 72-page document, published muslim council of britain in 2007, on how subvert schools fundamentalist islam. mahmoud told channel 4 did not believe investigation islamophobic, stating on 200 people complaining local authority what’s gone on , can’t claim it’s witch-hunt . when reports published, mahmoud said scepticism of original letter put in bin , people still had heads buried in sand .

after reports published, liam byrne, labour mp birmingham hodge hill, said cultural division in birmingham had been caused rhetoric of government, , [birmingham] s school system fragmented feels @ times likes balkans .

in may, david blunkett announced if in government again, labour party appoint ‘independent director of school standards’ power monitor academies “in april 2014, alleged operation trojan horse in birmingham demonstrated difficulties have arisen ‘absence of transparency’ .

the labour mp poplar , limehouse, jim fitzpatrick, warned of trojan horse -style islamist plot infiltrate councils in london. said trojan horse in east london political 1 rather educational 1 , spoke of racial politics taking hold. noted in tower hamlets, borough in 32 per cent of population bangladeshi, tower hamlets first party, of mayor member, has 18 councillors bangladeshi , 17 of them men.

salma yaqoob, former birmingham city councillor , prominent muslim spokesperson, began group named hands off birmingham schools in aftermath of inspections, saying influenced “a climate of political , media hysteria”.

political row between home office , department education

in june 2014, there highly public argument between home office , department education ministers responsibility alleged extremism. prime minister, david cameron, intervened, requiring secretary education michael gove apologise office security , counter-terrorism head charles farr briefings critical of him appearing in times, , home secretary theresa may sack close adviser, fiona cunningham, known in relationship farr, found downing street inquiry have been source of negative briefing against gove.

unions

the national union of teachers (nut) demanded full review of academies after letter revealed, expressing political , religious groups had exploited status @ thousands of schools indoctrinate children. national association of head teachers (naht) has expressed concerns scope of problem in other major cities, whilst advising there no cause panic . general secretary of headteachers’ union, russell hobby, said union has found concerted efforts hardliners infiltrate birmingham schools, , working 30 of members in 12 schools , had serious concerns of them.

birmingham city council

sir albert bore, leader of birmingham city council, called original trojan horse letter defamatory , hugely difficult investigate , offered protection whistleblower if come forward in investigation. later said council accepted ofsted findings schools in city failing pupils. council s chief executive, mark rogers, said there no plot, new communities had raised legitimate questions , challenges liberal education system .

in july 2014, after reports had been published, bore apologised , admitted council had ignored operation trojan horse due ‘‘fear of being accused of racism”.

schools

david hughes, trustee @ park view school, claimed ofsted s investigation of school biased, , dubbed inspection witch hunt . tahir alam, governor @ park view school since 1997, , former chair of education committee of muslim council of britain, said accusations had been motivated anti-muslim, anti-islam sentiment . muslim council of britain described investigation witch hunt . waseem yaqub, former head of governors @ al-hijrah school, called mccarthy-style witch-hunt , letter used councillors turn on [muslims] , use muslims scapegoats .

helena rosewell, music teacher @ park view 15 years, stated blood [was] boiling when investigations started @ school. admitted senior staff had warned not let pupils dance pop or bollywood music. assistant principal lee donaghy, self-declared agnostic, said school achieving more accommodating muslim practices, called pernicious idea people running school trying force more religion on these kids parents want .

on reaction gove s call british values in schools, muslim council of britain expressed fear bar conservative muslims becoming school trustees or governors.

governors resigned saltley school in protest after ofsted findings released, stating doubted inspectors impartiality.

tahir alam, chair of governors @ park view , labelled newspapers ringleader of operation trojan horse, resigned alongside of board of trustees on 15 july. denied allegations against him.

media

media coverage of operation trojan horse varied.

andrew gilligan of daily telegraph wrote extensively on episode. criticised approaches story bbc , guardian, claimed unduly biased in favour of schools. pieces in guardian included criticism of academy system, , demands state schools made secular. latter piece concluded in present system, schools investigated have registered faith schools , been allowed teach islamic values permission state. guardian analysed michael gove s book on combatting islamist terror, celsius 7/7, pointing out chapter titled trojan horse .

in july 2014, channel 4 s investigative programme dispatches aired episode titled no clapping in class on issue of faith schools. interviewed mohammed zabar, muslim parent wrote prime minister in december 2013 lack of cultural balance in curriculum @ daughter s school, oldknow. member of staff @ park view alleged school had handed out worksheets stating wives can not refuse have sex husbands, claim school denied. show found evidence of unregistered haredi jewish schools in london, ex-pupil claimed not teaching balanced curriculum.

daily mirror exposé

an undercover reporter working daily mirror posed wealthy businessman , potential client of training firm exquisitus, firm owned shahid akmal, chairman of governors @ nansen primary school. reporter recorded series of meetings him mirror alleged exposed akmal sexist, racist bigot .

akmal recorded saying “white women have least amount of morals” , since women “emotionally weaker” men, role after children , home. akmal criticised female politicians, saying: “she has sacrifice family, has sacrifice children, has sacrifice husband, in name of equality. claimed girls should taught cooking , sewing while boys should taught trades.

he claimed white children lazy , white people still think rule half world. said colonial blood within white people difficult rid of .

akmal said jailing gay people , adulterers moral position hold , should exiled community. said man-made british laws confusing unlike given god , fair.

reinstatement of headteachers

headteacher of oldknow academy, bhupinder kondal, handed in notice in january 2014. ms kondal alleged had been victim of undue , unlawful pressure resign position both parents , governors. previous trustees of academy having been replaced, withdrew resignation , returned post on 19 august 2014. speaking after withdrawing resignation, ms kondal said: pressures outlined in trojan horse letter real , mustn t allowed happen again. shabina bano, chair of oldknow academy parents association, said parents welcome ms kondal because wanted stability possible... @ same time want know why deserted parents. these questions have been left unanswered... has not been held account. governors have been made resign... has come because wants take school forward or fulfilling personal vendetta? ms bano had been highly critical of terms of inspections of school, claiming (my children) never knew words radicalisation, have been exposed them.