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| 23 Mar 2014 03:05 PM |
Full article (source: the Telegraph)
The Birmingham school at the centre of an alleged campaign of “Islamisation” by Muslim radicals is to be placed in “special measures” by the Government’s education watchdog in a move that could see its head teacher and governors removed.
Park View, previously rated “outstanding” by Ofsted, will be downgraded to “inadequate”, the lowest possible score, in the category of leadership and management, senior education sources said.
This enables Ofsted to place the school in special measures, allowing the watchdog, if it wishes, to remove the school’s entire leadership.
The move, described as “seismic” by senior educational sources, follows a highly unusual two Ofsted inspections in the past three weeks at the school, the alleged victim of a campaign by Islamists called a “Trozhan Horse” to remove secular head teachers and install Islamic practices in Birmingham state schools.
It will be embarrassing for the inspectorate and the Prime Minister, David Cameron, who previously hailed Park View as an example of educational excellence.
The disclosure comes as parents and school governors and staff describe in detail how the campaign has destabilised and undermined successful schools.
In extensive interviews with The Sunday Telegraph, more than a dozen sources disclosed how children at one supposedly non-religious primary school, Oldknow, were led in anti-Christian chanting by one of their teachers at assembly. The school also conducts weekly Friday prayers, has organised at least three school trips to Mecca subsidised from public funds, and requires all pupils to learn Arabic — almost unheard of at a primary school.
It also runs its own madrassah, or religious school. Oldknow’s highly successful non-Muslim head teacher has been driven from her post for resisting this “Islamising agenda”, this newspaper has learnt.
The head of another successful primary school, Springfield, received death threats, had his car tyres slashed and is under “non-stop attack” by radical governors, according to parents, other governors and staff at the school.
Several sources said their schools had repeatedly appealed to Birmingham city council and the education inspectorate Ofsted for help, but were ignored.
This newspaper has also established that one of the alleged leaders of the Trozhan Horse plot, Tahir Alam, is an Ofsted inspector and is employed as a “specialist in school governance” by Birmingham city council. Mr Alam says the plot is a fabrication and denies any involvement.
The council has downplayed the fundamentalist activity. Its leader, Sir Albert Bore, dismissed the allegations as “defamatory” and said there are “no serious flaws” in its management of schools.
The Sunday Telegraph has learnt, however, that late last week, in a highly unusual move reflecting deep concern in Whitehall, at least a dozen officials from the Department for Education were sent to three of the schools allegedly targeted: Park View, Golden Hillock and Nansen Primary. All three state schools are run by Park View Education Trust, whose chairman is Mr Alam.
The deputy head of Nansen, Razwan Faraz, the brother of a convicted terrorist, is the administrator of an organised group of teachers, governors and school consultants called “Educational Activists” dedicated to pursuing what Mr Faraz, in leaked messages, called an “Islamising agenda” in Birmingham schools.
As this newspaper disclosed two weeks ago, a senior teacher at Park View praised the al-Keda ideologue Anwar al-Awlaki at assemblies and used school facilities to copy Osama bin Laden DVDs. The senior teacher is a candidate to replace Mrs Clark, who is retiring. On November 28 the school hosted an extremist preacher, Shady al-Suleiman, at one of its Year 10 and 11 assemblies.
“Oldknow’s pupils are mostly but not entirely Muslim and it was always an equal-opportunity school,” said one former member of staff. “But then all of a sudden there were Jummah [Friday] prayers, and going to Saudi Arabia on government money, and the Arabic, and blatant belittling of Christianity.”
Hardline teachers were recruited who would “sow the seed of religion in every lesson,” said one source. “Some of the teachers told pupils that music was sinful in Islam and the children started to refuse to do music, even though it is compulsory in the National Curriculum. It is incredibly difficult when your own colleagues undermine your efforts to give the children a balanced education.”
Matters came to a head, three separate sources said, last December when all the normal Christmas activity, including a tree, cards and the pantomime, was cancelled because it was considered un-Islamic, and the school’s Arabic teacher, Asif Khan, delivered an assembly “ridiculing” Christian beliefs. “It was like a rally,” said one person present. “He was leading them in chants of, 'Do we believe in Christmas? No! Do we give out Christmas cards? No! The seven days of Christmas, they [Christians] can’t even count!’
At another successful primary school nearby, Springfield, rated “good,” by Ofsted, the process appears less advanced but similar tactics are being used. The head teacher, Christopher Webb, is under “non-stop attack” by radical members of the governing body, teachers said. “Each meeting is two and a half hours of constant verbal attacks, criticism and cross-examination,” said one.
“Morale is low and we are struggling with the constant need to justify ourselves when there is nothing to justify,” said one staff member. “Things are getting worse but we are getting no support from the local education authority.” The acting head of Oldknow, Mr Akbar, would not confirm or deny any of the claims about his school last night. Mr Alam did not respond to repeated messages seeking comment. A spokesman for Birmingham council said it was committed to investigating the allegations. |
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| 23 Mar 2014 03:27 PM |
| probably saudi qatari nato complex funded |
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