Has The Plot By Islamic Extremists To Take Over State Schools In Birmingham Opened A Whole Can Of Worms Inside The Government?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2651832/Dont-dismiss-Tory-feud-protecting-swamp-medieval-Islam-fanatics-TOBY-YOUNG-gives-parents-stark-warning-threat-facing-children.html

/// Mr Gove told journalists at a lunch that the person responsible for failing to detect the Trojan Horse plot is Charles Farr, the former intelligence chief who now runs the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism in the Home Office. ///

/// According to Mr Gove, Mr Farr’s response to this Islamic extremism has been neutered by his fear of being accused of ‘Islamophobia’ – the same reason the last Labour Government did nothing to tackle it. In essence, the Home Office has allowed a pernicious and medieval strand of Islamism to be imported into Britain from Pakistan – and we are reaping the
consequences. ///

It now seems that Fiona Cunningham, the Home secretary's adviser who has been forced to resign is the girlfriend of Mr Charles Farr.

[mushroom25]

you could also subscribe to the view (advanced by Birmingham city councilor Salma Yaqoob) that mr Cameron and his government chums have been marginalized from society more than any inner city school could, by being members of the bullingdon club.

[jim360]

It's a right mess, no doubt about that, and annoyingly distracting from the main issue.

[anotheoldgit]

mushroom25

/// you could also subscribe to the view (advanced by Birmingham city councilor Salma Yaqoob) that mr Cameron and his government chums have been marginalized from society more than any inner city school could, by being members of the bullingdon club. ///

Blimey I must have missed that have the members of the Bullingdon club been found out teaching extremists views to children?

[Booldawg]

http://metro.co.uk/2014/06/07/devon-schools-multicultural-sleepover-in-london-receives-mixed-response-from-parents-4753442/

Maybe all the kids in this rural Devon school are too Bullingdon Club as well?

[mushroom25]

possibly booldawg, but since devon kiddies aren't making pronouncements about the position in society of others, it probably doesn't matter for them.

[ladybirder]

At least members of the Bullingdon Club aren't trying to force our children to join!

[mushroom25]

indeed not, LB.

I think what councilor yaqoob is alluding to is the lifestyle associated with mr Cameron and his chums is so far removed from reality that all "multiculture" means to them is an ability to hire a nanny at less than the minimum wage.

[Gromit]

Seems odd that Toby Young didn't declare that he is the co-founder of a Free School, which came about from Gove's 2010 legislation, and that Mr Gove's department directly finances his school. Gove was President of the Oxford Union when Young was at Oxford.

Perhaps if we had known that before reading this piece praising Gove, then it would have made a bit more sense.

Free schools and Academies are Free of Local Authority Control, and the Department of Education, of which Gove is the Minister responsible, are suppose to oversee their running. That has clearly failed, and Gove is desperately trying to shift the blame.

[ladybirder]

Mushroom I've never understood that argument. It is rather insulting to say that just because one has a certain lifestyle that one lacks the ability to imagine the life of another. Just by watching the news, looking around you, seeing how others live it's impossible that some of this won't be absorbed I would have thought. Anyway I'll shut up as I'm miles off the answering the question.

[Gromit]

According to the Telegraph, it is all about May positioning herself to oust Cameron...

// Mr Cameron's aides have developed a healthy suspicion of Mrs May and her team over what they have seen as attempts by the Home Secretary to position herself as a potential leader.
One former Coalition minister said: “Number 10 have been gunning for Fiona Cunningham for a while – she is not their favourite spad, that’s for sure. //

[naomi24]

It's opened a can of worms for any government - past, present, or future.

[Brenden]

Why on earth are schools informed by OFSTED of an impending visit, surely true results will only be obtained by unexpected visits - or am I missing something.

[Gromit]

// Has The Plot By Islamic Extremists To Take Over State Schools In Birmingham... //

It is interesting that you have stated your question as if the alledged plot is true and proven. In fact, the plot is based on a letter widely believed to be a hoax, and after six months, no evidence has been found to support the allegations.


// There is no evidence that anyone caught up in the Trojan horse row in Birmingham has acted illegally. In fact, there's not much evidence of anything.

That is the most bizarre element of an affair that has thrown 21 Birmingham schools into the heart of a cabinet row over how to tackle extremism.

It began with a letter sent to Birmingham city council in November last year. The letter, quickly dubbed the "Trojan horse", purported to be a plan of attack sent from a Birmingham circle of Islamist plotters to counterparts in Bradford, advising them how to carry out a similar takeover of Bradford schools, by hijacking boards of governors in state schools in mainly Muslim areas and forcing out opposition. //

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jun/08/trojan-horse-extremism-political-storm-michael-gove-ofsted

[Gromit]

// The letter was detailed and refers to events in Birmingham going back years. But it is widely thought to be a fake or hoax, because it is also strewn with errors. The letter then bounced around inside Birmingham city's administration, a hot potato that got passed on to the West Midlands police and back again. Eventually someone forwarded it to the Home Office, which forwarded it to the Department for Education. And there it rested, until February, when it became public through leaks to the media. //

[Peter Pedant]

Birmingham councillors saying on tee vee that they knew something was wrong with a few schools eight or ten y ago - oops

[ichkeria]

This seems like a very dull story to me - when you have an opposition spokesperson on Sunday morning TV complaining that there have been no "apologies" (as opposed to resignations, sackings, banishments, hangings etc) from the other side then you know you're in the land of trivia and tedium.

As to the matter of the Islamic conspiracy: I haven't really been following this, but evidence does seem rather tenuous

[seadogg]

There is a suggestion in the Indy that Gove, (the free school champion) may be in for a reshuffle by the end of the month. Roll on- if its somewhere he can't do so much harm.

[anotheoldgit]

seadogg

/// There is a suggestion in the Indy that Gove, (the free school champion) may be in for a reshuffle by the end of the month. Roll on- if its somewhere he can't do so much harm. ///

If improving the education of our children is 'doing harm' well what can I say?

/// The figures show that almost 250,000 fewer children are now being taught in underperforming secondary schools compared to when this government came to office. ///

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/leaguetables/10592960/Michael-Gove-Our-reforms-are-working-schools-have-significantly-improved.html

[seadogg]

Gove states a "fact"- what are his criteria?
How cab GCSE results be stabilised when the goalposts change every year?
How do you improve the performance of a profession by demoralising the professionals?
Where have the older and experienced staff gone to since they seem to have been leaving the job ?

My son is a teacher. His weekends are used in preparation and trying to overcome fatigue. He is 50+ and a sucked orange.

[mushroom25]

the OFSTED reports are out, and pretty much reflect what's been leaked.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-27762341
the controlling trust disputes the reports' findings. soooo - do the schools have to accept the reports? if they don't, what sanction do OFSTED have, particularly if the local authority backs the schools?