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'Trojan Horse': Three Birmingham schools in special measures 'Trojan Horse': Campaign' to impose 'faith-based' ideology
(about 2 hours later)
An educational trust at the centre of the "Trojan Horse" controversy has confirmed its three schools have been placed in special measures. Head teachers claim there was an organised campaign to impose a "narrow, faith-based ideology" at some schools in Birmingham, Ofsted has said.
Park View Academy, Golden Hillocks and Nansen Primary, all in Birmingham and run by the Park View Educational Trust, were recently inspected by Ofsted. The watchdog inspected 21 schools after an anonymous letter alleging a Muslim takeover plot was circulated.
Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw said teachers had reported being unfairly treated due to their faith and gender.
He added that a number of the schools inspected were "doing well" and promoting social awareness.
Governors 'too involved'
Sir Michael said inspectors had "uncovered evidence of unfair and opaque recruitment practices, including examples of relatives being appointed to unadvertised senior posts".
He attributed a "sudden steep decline" in some schools, such as Park View School, which was downgraded from "outstanding" to "inadequate", to governors exerting too much sway over the running of schools.
"Although exam results are often good," he said. "The curriculum has become too narrow, reflecting the personal views of a small number of governors, rather than the wider community in Birmingham and beyond."
"It's really important that all our schools, whether they're faith schools or secular schools, promote the values of wider British society," he added.
"This is especially true of schools that serve culturally homogenous communities such as those we inspected in Birmingham."
Sir Michael also criticised Birmingham City Council for its "failure to support schools in their efforts to keep pupils safe from the risk of extremism".
"There's been a lack of urgency in the council's response to persistent complaints from head teachers about the conduct of certain governors," he said.
Park View Academy, Golden Hillock and Nansen Primary, run by the Park View Educational Trust, were recently inspected by Ofsted.
The trust said it "wholeheartedly disputed" the watchdog's findings and would mount a legal challenge to them.The trust said it "wholeheartedly disputed" the watchdog's findings and would mount a legal challenge to them.
Ofsted is to reveal the results of 21 school inspections later. Earlier, a leaked draft report from the Education Funding Agency said some parts of the trust's curriculum were "restricted to a conservative Islamic perspective".
Earlier, a leaked draft on the trust from the Education Funding Agency said some parts of the school curriculum are "restricted to a conservative Islamic perspective".
'Climate of suspicion'
It found that girls and boys had been segregated in some classes.It found that girls and boys had been segregated in some classes.
Meanwhile, Park View School's leaked Ofsted report found it had not done enough to keep students safe from extremism.
The trust has been caught up in the so-called Trojan Horse claims that a group of hardline Muslims have been trying to take over schools in Birmingham.
A draft Ofsted report into Golden Hillock Secondary School, in Small Heath, leaked to the BBC on Thursday, accused the school of not doing enough to protect pupils from being exposed to extremism.A draft Ofsted report into Golden Hillock Secondary School, in Small Heath, leaked to the BBC on Thursday, accused the school of not doing enough to protect pupils from being exposed to extremism.
Vice chair of Park View Educational Trust Dave Hughes said it "wholeheartedly disputed" Ofsted's findings and accused inspectors of operating in a "climate of suspicion".Vice chair of Park View Educational Trust Dave Hughes said it "wholeheartedly disputed" Ofsted's findings and accused inspectors of operating in a "climate of suspicion".
"Ofsted inspectors came to our school looking for extremism, looking for segregation, looking for proof that our children have religion forced upon them as part of a religious plot," he said."Ofsted inspectors came to our school looking for extremism, looking for segregation, looking for proof that our children have religion forced upon them as part of a religious plot," he said.
"The Ofsted reports find no evidence of this, because this is categorically not what is happening at our schools."The Ofsted reports find no evidence of this, because this is categorically not what is happening at our schools.
"Our schools do not tolerate extremism of any kind," he added."Our schools do not tolerate extremism of any kind," he added.
Lee Donaghy, assistant principal at Park View, said Ofsted's claim the school did not encourage social cohesion "simply wasn't true".
"For the community in which you now stand, as visitors covering our story, our school stands for a beacon of hope against isolation, poverty, drugs, crime and - yes - potential extremism," he said.
Arshad Malik, whose son, Imran, is in Year 9 at Park View School, said he had read the Ofsted report and he believed its findings were "alien" to his child's experience.Arshad Malik, whose son, Imran, is in Year 9 at Park View School, said he had read the Ofsted report and he believed its findings were "alien" to his child's experience.
"‎Inspectors came with loaded questions," he said."‎Inspectors came with loaded questions," he said.
"This issue is a political football."This issue is a political football.
"People... are trying to use this school to push their own agendas.""People... are trying to use this school to push their own agendas."
He said parents would like to invite Education Secretary Michael Gove to the school for an open meeting about Ofsted's findings to discuss the evidence found to support them.
The trust said Golden Hillock was "categorically not an inadequate school" and had only been part of the trust for five months when it was inspected.The trust said Golden Hillock was "categorically not an inadequate school" and had only been part of the trust for five months when it was inspected.
"A number of the judgments are based on data and information that pre‐date the trust's involvement," it said."A number of the judgments are based on data and information that pre‐date the trust's involvement," it said.
Ofsted's report into the school found "no evidence" of segregation or promoting racist or homophobic views, it added. The 21 schools inspected
Salma Yaqoob, former city councillor and head of the Hands Off Birmingham Schools campaign group, said the Ofsted reports indicated "vicious and co-ordinated smear campaign".
"All we know is there was an anonymous letter that prompted all this," she said.
"Now we've found there's no evidence of extremism."