Countering Extremism in British Schools? by John Holmwood & Therese O’Toole

Author:John Holmwood & Therese O’Toole
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Policy Press

EIGHT

The Clarke and Kershaw Reports

We have seen how, in the light of media reports of a ‘plot’ to ‘Islamicise’ schools in Birmingham, Ofsted set in motion section 8 inspections of 21 schools in Birmingham in early March 2014, followed by 5 full section 5 inspections. The supposed ‘plot’ was revealed in a letter and supporting document sent to the Birmingham City Council leader in November 2013, but apparently not acted upon. Three of the five schools subjected to full inspections were part of PVET, with Oldknow Academy, another school previously judged to be outstanding, one of the others. Sir Michael Wilshaw delivered Ofsted’s verdict on the affair on 14 June 2014. He declared that ‘a culture of fear and intimidation has developed in some of the schools since their previous inspection’, and, further, stated that ‘there has been an organised campaign to target certain schools in Birmingham in order to alter their character and ethos’. He also stated that ‘some headteachers, including those with a proud record of raising standards, said that they have been marginalised or forced out of their jobs. As a result, some schools previously judged to be good or outstanding have experienced high levels of staff turbulence, low staff morale and a rapid decline in their overall effectiveness’.312

However, as we have shown, this does not accord with what the previous Ofsted reports had described. Park View Academy was an effective and outstanding school, on the basis of which it had been asked to sponsor two other less successful schools, Nansen Primary and Golden Hillock secondary school. Indeed, it is precisely as a consequence of the Trojan Horse affair that a head teacher, Lindsey Clarke, with ‘a proud record of raising standards’ would be subjected to a professional misconduct hearing at the National College for Teaching and Learning (the body responsible for teacher standards), along with other members of her senior teaching team who were also involved in that success. The only cases brought by the NCTL involve teachers associated with PVET (and Oldknow).

As we saw in Chapter Five, the academies programme itself has generated ‘staff turbulence’ within schools, not least because it was associated with a concerted attempt to improve academic standards by calling head teachers and other teaching staff to account. Parents and members of ethnic minority communities had for some time been concerned that schools were failing their children. The academies programme encouraged governing bodies to challenge head teachers and the strategy of schools toward improving performance. This also had an impact upon LEAs, which were faced with schools either being required to become academies, because they were deemed inadequate (and, therefore, no longer responsible to them), or opting to ‘convert’ to academies.

Notwithstanding the public statements about failures in governance, including the bureaucratic and complacent nature of LEAs, made by government ministers and the Chief Inspector of Schools, it would be grossly unfair to suggest that LEAs were not also concerned to improve standards. As we saw in Chapter Six, Birmingham LEA, in particular, had outcomes above the national average.

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