What lessons from Trojan Horse case?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34606169

Version 0 of 1.

More than 18 months after the Trojan Horse allegations first made the headlines, the arguments over claims of a take-over of Birmingham schools are being fought out in a series of disciplinary hearings.

The claims of an organised covert attempt to impose a hardline Muslim ethos on a group of state schools emerged in a letter describing a so-called Operation Trojan Horse.

There have been investigations by the Department for Education, Ofsted and the local authority - and disputes about the plausibility of the letter. But there has never been any consensus about what really happened.

You can talk to people close to events who will say the entire story was an overblown hoax, unsubstantiated claims built up by a climate of fear about Islamic extremism. They say it's been more Salem than Birmingham, with high-achieving schools being unfairly condemned.

Or you can talk to others privately who will say that this was only the tip of the iceberg. They say teachers have been bullied and schools have been manipulated by closed groups, operating to their own religious and cultural agenda. They also suggest that this isn't only a problem for Birmingham.

Nothing so far has brought these deeply-held and contradictory views any closer.

The claims and counter-claims are now being heard in a series of misconduct hearings for 11 teachers, held under the auspices of the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL).

One of these cases has already been withdrawn. A teacher at Park View, facing claims along with others of acting in a way that could undermine "respect for the faith and belief of others", has been told he has no case to answer.

'Prohibition orders'

There have so far been no decisions in the remaining 10 cases, some of which will continue until mid-December.

These professional conduct panels, acting on behalf of the secretary of state, can issue "prohibition orders" banning people from teaching.

They can impose indefinite bans, or else there can be a prohibition with a time limit, so that after a specified number of years the banned person could seek permission to return to teaching.

In 2014-15 these panels heard 150 misconduct cases, with 108 leading to prohibition orders.

So what is the case being brought against these former staff?

Opening the misconduct case, Andrew Colman said this was "not about an evil plot to indoctrinate young children in extremist ideology or anything like it".

"We say the education of children in a number of schools in Birmingham was led at the instigation of a group of like-minded individuals who shared deeply held religious beliefs, sincerely held.

"We don't suggest they were malicious or ill-willed but it looked as though they believed the best way to educate the children of their community was to make them mirror their own image of what a good Muslim was."

'Improper pressure'

But what is suggested is that "improper pressure" was put upon "unsympathetic" staff that they wanted to remove, that there was segregation of boys and girls, an over-emphasis on religion and a lack of tolerance towards other beliefs.

A former assistant head gave evidence that she had been isolated and excluded by the changing culture of a school. And it was claimed that jobs were being "passed around" between friends.

Exchanges on WhatsApp are claimed as revealing evidence of private prejudices. A former head of department has claimed that the use of derogatory language was not adequately challenged, including anti-semitism.

Another accusation was that pupils were told that wives had to obey husbands.

Representatives of the teachers have said the claims against them are over-simplified and lacking in context or in one case "frankly bonkers".

Some of the evidence has been given anonymously and again there has been a gulf in interpretation.

There were accusations of "excessive disciplinary punishments", including "stress positions" and pupils being left to stand in the rain.

And one of these alleged punishments was "being made to stare at bushes".

A representative of one of the teachers said "some pupils were placed in detention" and that meant "they have to look out towards bushes".

The misconduct panel has still to reach any decisions - that will emerge in the weeks and months ahead.

But even though the names of some of the schools have changed, and the control of the schools has been put into new hands, and there have been multiple inquiries, don't expect any agreement on the outcome.