Mark knew the Adderley case well and the letter Responding to those claims, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said that there was no place for extremism in education, and there was still more work to be done to eradicate it. mark walters trojan horse. It described the ideology being promoted as "an intolerant and politicised form of extreme social conservatism that claims to represent and ultimately seeks to control all Muslims. [21], The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, said that "protecting our children [was] one of the first duties of government" and convened an emergency meeting of the Extremism Taskforce and a ministerial meeting to discuss the affair. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 10 (1), pp. In 2017, the academic scholars Therese O'Toole and John Holmwood, who served as an expert witness in the professional misconduct cases, described the Trojan Horse affair as a "false narrative" spread by a hostile British press which led to "a serious miscarriage of justice" against the teachers, drawing comparisons to the Hillsborough affair. "This is a reminder that this is a serious issue and something that is not going to be solved overnight. the Panel expressly stated in each decision, when pronounced on 9 February 2016, that the allegations were "in no way concerned with extremism". The inspection said that "too little is done to keep students safe from the risks associated with extremist views". [56][bettersourceneeded], Park View academy had been identified as outstanding in a 2012 Ofsted report, the first school to be inspected under a tougher new inspection regime introduced by then Secretary of State. The charge of failure to disclose documents from the main hearing against senior teachers in other hearings, however, indicated a possibility of a similar failure on the part of NCTL to fulfil its obligations of disclosure in the hearing against senior leaders. [124], In January 2022, a new podcast by The New York Times, The Trojan Horse Affair, cast many doubts on the multiple investigations and the version of events that emerged. [123] The Guardian also revealed that West Midlands Police was investigating whether the alleged plot was a hoax concocted to support one of the schools named in the plot, Adderley primary school, in an industrial dispute. Neither report addressed this, nor did they report any interviews with those officials and the minutes of the meetings that took place among senior leaders at the various schools. Across eight episodes, journalists Brian Reed and Hamza Syed sought to discover the author of the anonymous letter that triggered the scandal. [4], These claims by witnesses were unsubstantiated. [42] Senior Department for Education sources have also been reported as claiming that coordinated attempts to undermine and supplant head teachers have occurred in Bradford, Manchester, and the London boroughs of Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets. [90] Nasim Awan, a governor at Springfield, said that the "first agenda item" should be to apply for Islamic assemblies at the secular school. [122] The Guardian also analysed Michael Gove's book on combatting Islamist terror, Celsius 7/7, pointing out that a chapter is titled "The Trojan Horse". The case against the senior leaders was discontinued, as were the remaining two cases in July 2017. He noted that in Tower Hamlets, a borough in which 32 per cent of the population is Bangladeshi, the Tower Hamlets First Party, of which the Mayor was a member, had 18 councillors who were all Bangladeshi, and 17 of them were men. Neoptolemus son of Achilles, who according to a prophecy had to fight at Troy in order for the Achaeans to be victorious. [70], At the tribunal held in October and November 2015, Mr Saini was accused of advising a teacher who had been arrested for having extreme pornography to throw his mobile phone into the canal to make sure there was no problem. Once inside the network, attackers are able to carry out any action that a legitimate user could perform, such as exporting files, modifying data, deleting files or otherwise altering the contents of the device. [101] Khalid Mahmood, the Labour MP for Perry Barr, said that the City Council may have known of previous plots, but not acted due to fears of being seen as anti-Islamic. [93], The investigation, however, did not find evidence of a "conspiracy" to promote "violent extremism or radicalisation" values.[19]. [28] This included a special concern with the achievement of pupils of Asian heritage, as set out in its "Asian heritage achievement action plan" of 19 December 2003. However, the report interviewed none of the teachers or governors against whom allegations were made with the single exception of Tahir Alam. As set out in the Panel Report,[133] this included evidence an inspector from the EFA Report who had acted as adviser to the Clarke Report about the circumstances of the EFA inspections where the Panel proposed that "no doubt it would be argued that this further undermined her credibility and the reliability of her evidence" (see paragraphs 124/125 of the Panel's justification of discontinuing). ", "Birmingham Trojan Horse letter 'no hoax', "Top academy investigated for 'sidelining' non-Muslim staff", "Inner-city academy investigated after being accused of 'side-lining' its non-Muslim staff and trying to put Islamic studies on curriculum", "Trojan Horse: 25 schools probed over alleged takeover plot", "Head teachers raise 'serious concerns' over Islamic school take-over", "City fights new Trojan Horse Islamic schools plot", "Teachers 'assaulted and marginalised in Islamising plot', "Birmingham 'Trojan Horse' plot 'started 20 years ago', "Ministers 'given Trojan Horse schools warning in 2010', "Trojan Horse fears in Birmingham 'raised in 2008', "Watch: Oldknow Academy principal: 'I was forced out by Trojan Horse plotters', "Bradford school governors 'promoted Islamic agenda', "Trojan Horse probe headed by ex-Met chief Peter Clarke", "Trojan Horse: Special adviser brought in to investigate 25 Birmingham schools", "Council expects 'firestorm' over Trojan Horse schools plot", "Schedule 1: Breaches of the Funding Agreement and/or legislation applicable to Academies", "Ofsted inspectors make U-turn on 'Trojan Horse' school, leak shows", "Trojan Horse schools: 'British values' must be promoted in the classroom, says Michael Gove", "Girls claim discrimination at 'Trojan Horse' school", "Extremists and the 'Trojan Horse' approach in state schools", "Trojan Horse leaked report says pupils 'not protected from extremism', "Trojan Horse school Golden Hillock still 'inadequate', Ofsted finds", "Hardeep Saini, Sikh Teacher in Britain Accused of Unprofessional Conduct Towards The Students", "Trojan Horse school looking to new future", "Trojan Horse school forced to recruit teachers from Australia", "Culture of fear and intimidation in Birmingham schools, says Ofsted chief", "Muslim teacher spoke of 'white prostitutes' to children in assembly", "Gove to order teaching of 'British values', "Dossier of Trojan horse evidence finally laid bare after leaks and allegations", "Trojan Horse: Birmingham academy spent 50,000 on trip to Saudi Arabia using travel firm linked to school director", "Trojan Horse schools: Harriet Harman calls on Government to protect music lessons", "Trojan Horse hearings: Pupils shown picture of white person to teach them what Christians looks like", "Michael Gove calls for further schools investigations after Trojan Horse affair", "Books 'promoting stoning' found at Olive Tree Primary School", "Trojan Horse row: Teachers suspended for refusing to impose strict Islamic model", "Birmingham schools: Education Commissioner's report", Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mr Monzoor Hussain, Mr Hardeep Saini, Mr Arshad Hussain, Mr Razwan Faraz, Ms Lindsey Clark. A sixth school was labelled inadequate for its poor educational standards and twelve schools were found needing of improvements. In addition, Park View had been designated a National Healthy School for its approach to Personal, Social and Health Education. WebPanton, Mark and Walters, Geoff (2018) Its just a Trojan horse for gentrification: austerity and stadium-led regeneration. It also provides useful information and guidance and features of good practice in meeting those needs. [48] Reverend Ray claimed that in the 1990s, when John Major was Prime Minister, he made the government aware of Islamists from Hizb ut-Tahrir becoming involved at his school. Andrew Gilligan of The Daily Telegraph wrote extensively on the episode. The Trojan Horse scandal, also known as "Operation Trojan Horse" or the Trojan Horse affair, involves claims of an alleged conspiracy[1][2] that there was an organised attempt to introduce an "Islamist" or "Salafist" ethos into several schools in Birmingham, England. [26] In protest of the investigations, Tahir Alam and several governors of affected schools resigned. Book Sport Policy and Politics in an Era of Austerity. [135][136] No mention was made of the fact that allegations of extremism had not been any part of the charges against teachers. [61], Subjects such as Personal, Social and Health Education, Biology and Sex and Relationships Education were bowdlerised to conform with a conservative Islamic teaching. [4], These claims by witnesses were unsubstantiated. [5] The inspections found that head teachers have been "marginalised or forced out of their jobs". [99], Governors resigned from Saltley School in protest after the Ofsted findings were released, stating that they doubted the inspectors' impartiality. The governors have been made to resign Has she come back because she wants to take the school forward or is she fulfilling a personal vendetta?[127]. External speakers were improperly vetted. In May, Mark Rogers, Birmingham City Council's Chief Executive, had a meeting with head teachers of affected schools. [40], Based on interview and research in The New York Times podcast Serial, the producers argue that most levels of government did not prioritise the identification of the letter's author. Some staff members admonished girls not to partake in school extracurricular visits and activities. Journal of Qualitative Research in Sports Studies, 13, [3][4] This reflects the views of the neo-conservative Henry Jackson Society and included the description of a document intended to provide guidance about the needs of Muslim pupils in state schools as a "blueprint for Islamisation". [59][7] The school staff defended the measures stating that the loudspeakers were put up to make announcements in general, not only the Islamic prayer call and that every school in Britain is legally required to provide a collective act of worship, which is usually Christian in nature but in their case was Islamic for which they applied for and received permission. [2], Russell Hobby, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers said the organisation could not fully endorse the report. A Trojan Horse (Trojan) is a type of malware that disguises itself as legitimate code or software. This showed Birmingham to be performing badly on most indicators, but outperforming other cities and the national average for its school results and the proportion of schools graded outstanding. [96] He said that "protecting our children" was "one of the first duties of government" and convened an emergency meeting of the Extremism Taskforce and a ministerial meeting to discuss the affair. It's co-hosted by Brian Reed, a veteran producer of This American Life [54] Kerslake deferred issues of education to the Clarke and Kershaw Reports, but an appendix to his Report provided contextual data on poverty, adult education attainment, unemployment and school performance across comparator cities and for England as a whole. It was entitled Towards Greater Understanding: Meeting the Needs of Muslim Pupils in State Schools. The reporter recorded a series of meetings with him which the Mirror alleged exposed Akmal as a "sexist, racist bigot". In August 2014, the Principal Hardeep Saini was replaced by an interim principal. [7] Pupils and teachers from Park View School denied this version of the story, saying that after this assertion had been raised by a boy during a presentation on sexual education teachers organised an assembly where they explained that "marital rape was legally and morally wrong". It is designed to steal, damage, or do some harmful actions on the computer. [88] This showed that most schools conflated the two and did not have teachers trained in the Prevent duty. [100], In a letter to Park View Trust chairman Tahir Alam, Education Minister Lord Nash criticised its running of the schools, saying he was "deeply mindful of the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations". The Trojan Horse was a clever idea that turned the tide of the war in favor of the Greeks. Using a graphic book to disseminate academic research findings. WebIdomeneus King of Crete, hero who defended against Hector, and killed 20 Trojan heroes. He found "very clear evidence" that young people were encouraged to "accept unquestionably a particular hardline strand of Sunni Islam that raises concerns about their vulnerability to radicalisation in the future". One EFA inspector went on to become educational adviser to Peter Clarke. [29] Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education, said that "wider, more comprehensive action" was needed and appointed Peter Clarke, a former senior Metropolitan Police officer and ex-head of the Counter Terrorism Command. [126], Akmal said that jailing gay people and adulterers was a "moral position to hold" and that they should be exiled from the community. He said that Birmingham City Council had limited its process and terms of reference "in a way which excludes critical evidence", that it had employed "too narrow a definition of extremism" and that the governmental report had reached a very different set of conclusions by accessing a different evidence base. [citation needed] A senior teacher told inspectors that the solution to all problems would be a global Caliphate under Sharia law. The school has a largely Muslim governing body. Agent: Mark Walters - (772)-201-5650. Indeed, in presenting his charges, Clarke commented that "it is only fair to point out that the Trust disputed most, if not all, of the allegations". Nor did he report any evidence provided by school improvement officers at Birmingham City Council or the department for Education. [19] It found evidence that the "five steps" to destabilise a school's leadership, as outlined in the original Trojan Horse letter, were "present in a large number of the schools considered part of the investigation". [17], Birmingham City Council announced an investigation into the allegations, estimated to last six months. Akmal criticised female politicians, saying: "She has to sacrifice her family, she has to sacrifice her children, she has to sacrifice her husband, all in the name of equality." Opera News describes veteran baritone Mark Walters as a force to be reckoned with as Don Carlo in La forza del destino. [107], In June 2014, there was a highly public argument between the Home Office and Department for Education ministers about the responsibility for the alleged extremism. Youre otherwise a regular Joe, you just go and pray on occasions. [112] The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has also expressed concerns about the scope of the problem in other major cities, whilst advising that there was no "cause for panic". [5][15][16] Golden Hillock School, Nansen Primary School, Park View School all run by the Park View Educational Trust Oldknow Academy and Saltley School were placed in special measures after inspectors found systemic failings including the schools having failed to take adequate steps to safeguard pupils against extremism. It found that non-Muslim staff were banned from assemblies in which the children were preached at and told that white women were "prostitutes". [60], It was alleged that the sexes were segregated in the classrooms and boys and girls suspected of being too friendly towards each other were disciplined. The Truth about the Birmingham Trojan Horse Affair (2017). Ofsted found that the curriculum was being narrowed to reflect the "personal views of a few governors". However, because some of the schools were academies under the responsibility of the Department for Education, the then Secretary of State, Michael Gove, commissioned a separate report by Peter Clarke, the former head of the Metropolitan police's counterterrorism command. [31], Of the schools mentioned by the letter, the account of Adderley Primary School was the more detailed, alleging that an employment dispute at Adderley was part of the Islamic plot's attempt to unseat the head teacher and install a conspirator with the same radical Islamification goals as the letter writers. Staff were afraid to speak out about the significant changes. [47], Reverend John Ray, OBE, and ex-head teacher of a school in Pakistan, resigned as a governor of Golden Hillock School after 25 years. For the ufology book, see, Saltley School and Specialist Science College, Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College, Political row between Home Office and Department for Education, National College of Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) hearings, Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism, "Trojan horse: the real story behind the fake 'Islamic plot' to take over schools", Report into allegations concerning Birmingham schools arising from the 'Trojan Horse' letter, "Trojan horse inquiry: 'A coordinated agenda to impose hardline Sunni Islam', "Trojan Horse: Ofsted says schools were targeted", "Birmingham City Council receives 'hundreds' of allegations after Trojan Horse claims", "Guide to school Islamisation, by 'ringleader' of Trojan Horse plot", "Investigation Report: Trojan Horse Letter (The Kershaw Report)", "Banned school governor Tahir Alam fights gay equality lessons", "High court overturns lifetime bans for Trojan horse teachers", https://policyexchange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Trojan-Horse-Affair.pdf, "Michael Gove calls New York Times 'useful idiots' for Trojan horse podcast", "Islamist plot: six schools face Ofsted special measures", "Police arrest four former teaching assistants from 'Trojan Horse' school", "Trojan Horse: Ofsted probe widens to Luton and London", "Trojan Horse: Birmingham council 'accepts' Ofsted reports", "Christians lie and wives must have sex or go to hell, Trojan Horse pupils told", "Birmingham council freezes appointment of school governors following Trojan Horse probe", "Guidance on promoting British values in schools published", "PM threatens snap Ofsted inspections over 'Trojan Horse' affair", "Trojan Horse: Three schools to lose funding", "Trojan horse report: All schoolchildren to be taught British values from September, says Michael Gove", "Education and Muslims: End this Witch-Hunt of British Muslims", "Education experts voice fury over Ofsted's 'Trojan Horse' schools inquiry", "Jihadist plot to take over Birmingham schools", "Shamed head and deputy banned from teaching over SATs tests cheating", "Alleged Islamic plot to take over Birmingham schools may be hoax", "Trojan Horse affair: Midlands student behind controversial podcast", "Is the Trojan horse row just a witch hunt triggered by a hoax? [43], Two anonymous members of staff at Park View School told BBC Radio 4 that school assemblies had praised Anwar al-Awlaki. It appears that this wording troubled the Head of the Department for Education's Due Diligence and Counter Extremism Group, Hardip Begol. The school was one of those identified in the Kershaw and Clarke Reports, but no information about it was provided. Children were urged to join in anti-Christian chants. Jaimie Martin, former special adviser at the Department for Education, wrote that "it is important to note as [the teachers] were not tried for the charges, they were therefore not cleared of them", and that "people who downplay the seriousness of Trojan Horse, claiming those involved exhibited 'mainstream' Islamic views, are guilty not only of stunning naivety, but of a dangerous error". [29] It encouraged parents to complain about the school's leadership with false accusations of sex education, forced Christian prayer and mixed physical education, with the aim of obtaining a new leadership of Islamists. Senior leaders did not ensure "balanced views of the world" were taught and that "contact with different cultures, faiths and traditions is too limited to promote tolerance and respect for the views, lifestyles and customs of other people". Richard Kerbaj and Sian Griffiths, writing in The Sunday Times, reported that over 100 teachers would be charged with professional misconduct. He said that "the Trojan Horse in east London was a political one rather than an educational one" and spoke of racial politics taking hold. Park View was more compliant than would be the case for other schools. [115], David Hughes, a trustee at Park View School, claimed that Ofsted's investigation of the school was biased, and dubbed the inspection a "witch hunt". [1][11] The allegations against the teachers were set out in the press and in the Kershaw and Clarke Reports. He said some of the witnesses had been very nervous and anxious. [2]:15, In May 2015, the National Association of Head Teachers' annual conference heard that the problems associated with Operation Trojan Horse persisted, and there were claims that teachers had received death threats for attempting to dissuade students away from homophobia. [95], After the reports were published, Liam Byrne, Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, said that cultural division in Birmingham had been caused by the rhetoric of the government, and "[Birmingham]'s school system is so fragmented it feels at times likes the Balkans". The decision to discontinue disciplinary proceedings was based on procedural grounds not on a shortage of evidence". He raised concerns about the governance of Golden Hillock 20 years ago stating that the Trojan horse plot "reveals something, something that is true". WebTottenhams Trojan Horse? [86], The investigation found there to be "no evidence to suggest that there is a problem with governance generally" nor any "evidence of terrorism, radicalisation or violent extremism in the schools of concern in Birmingham", but said there was "evidence that there are a number of people, associated with each other and in positions of influence in schools and governing bodies, who espouse, sympathise with or fail to challenge extremist views". [81], During the tribunal it emerged that a photo of a white person was shown to students as an example of what Christians look like. The latter piece concluded that in the present system, the schools investigated could have registered themselves as faith schools and been allowed to teach Islamic values with permission from the state. [71], As of September 2015, Golden Hillock School was rebranded Ark Boulton Academy after being taken over by the Ark Academy Chain. The Trojan Horse scandal, also known as " Operation Trojan Horse " or the Trojan Horse affair, refers to a scandal involving claims of an alleged conspiracy that there was an organised attempt by some individuals to introduce an Islamist or Salafist ethos into several schools in Birmingham, England. Case hearings in July and August 2015 took place to establish the nature of the charges to be put and evidence to be submitted (in the case of the senior teachers at PVET, the evidence file expanded from around 1,000 pages to 6,000 pages between the two meetings). [22] He announced proposals to send Ofsted to any school without warning, saying that the schools in question had been able to stage a "cover-up" previously. [7][8] This document provided guidance about the religious needs and practices of Muslim parents and pupils that would facilitate their integration into schools.
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