TheParagon-Education

Education hit squads are being sent into schools to root out conservative Islamic practices, according to reports.
Michael Gove wants inspectors to fail schools where religion is "getting in the way of learning and a balanced curriculum", The Sunday Times said.
Under the plans headteachers and governing bodies could be replaced by teams chosen by Whitehall officials.
"Extreme religious conservatism often acts as an entry to later problems," a Department for Education source told The Sunday Times.
"A child who is brought up, age eight, nine, 10, believing that you should segregate the sexes and hand out Islamic textbooks is more likely to be radicalised in later life.
"In our view female staff being bullied in schools and segregated assemblies are very serious matters."
It follows a pledge by Prime Minister David Cameron earlier this month that swift action would be taken against any school found to be ''run by extremists'' as investigations began into an alleged ''Trojan Horse'' plot by Muslim hardliners to seize control of schools in Birmingham.
Park View Academy - one of several schools at the centre of the claims - has dismissed allegations of forced segregation and promotion of al Qaida as an anti-Islam ''witch hunt'' and insisted there was ''no evidence for any of these things whatsoever''.

Birmingham City Council, the Department for Education and Ofsted have been to a number of schools in the city as part of the probe, initially prompted by a letter claiming responsibility for ''disrupting'' the leadership of several institutions.
If enough of them are judged to be "inadequate" the Education Secretary wants a wave of new investigations to be launched across state and private schools, according to the newspaper.
"The investigations will be done over several phases over the next few months and will help narrow down the schools that require further investigation by the DfE and those that are deemed OK and not connected to the Islamicisation," a Whitehall source told the newspaper.
A DfE spokesman said: " The allegations made in relation to some schools in Birmingham are very serious and we are investigating all evidence put to us in conjunction with Ofsted, Birmingham City Council and the police. It is absolutely vital these investigations are carried out impartially, without pre-judgment. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."

MY REPLY: Personal Comment & Opinion:
During my time as a teacher in the West Midlands, through observation and experience, with individuals that were once my friends and are Muslim, the Trojan Horse was very evident, especially during 9/11, and when there were large British and allied casualties - On numerous occasions I had to remind my friends and students they lived, worked and were educated in the UK and should respect UK culture and the feelings of the people in their host or resident country. It didn't stop them cheering, on hearing of the British and Allied soldier casualties. During my time working in education and training these 'radical' students, even when next to them they would suggest:

"..it would only be time before Birmingham is made the Capital Muslim City and it will only be time before 'we' would vote our representatives into key positions of office, voted in by 'our' communities". Over time, changes would be gradual and subtle, influences will change society towards the Muslim faith and culture, when questioned, we will shrug it off and the 'do-gooder's' will accept it!"

When schools suggest there is nothing wrong, they are sticking their heads in the sand - The Muslim culture is corrupt through radicalism growing by each generation. I am not racist and accept multi-culturism, however I don't like to be told 'my house is not on fire, when I can see it is'! Personally I don't like Michael Gove, however, if he is looking into this, I may change my opinion of him....
Facebook blog NGW 13/14.04.14

UPDATE 14/04/14
There are now 25 schools under investigation over an alleged hardline Muslim plot to force out governors and headteachers.
Birmingham City Council said it was appointing a new chief adviser to directly handle at least 200 complaints received in relation to the Operation Trojan Horse allegations focusing on schools in the city, as the investigation continues to widen.
The council's investigation, running in parallel to a separate inquiry by the Department for Education (DfE), is due to initially report back in May.

However, Sir Albert Bore the council leader expressed "frustration" with the two-tier schools system which means academies - which are at the heart of the allegations - are outside the local authority's control, because they report directly to the DfE.
The council said Ian Kershaw, managing director of Northern Education, will take up the chief adviser role, and it is also setting up a review group of MPs, councillors, national teaching and governors groups, the police, and faith leaders, to look into the claims.
Mr Kershaw will publish his findings to the review group, which will then report to a council committee.
Sir Albert said a follow-up report containing recommendations for schools locally, and for the DfE to look at nationally, would be published by July.

He also confirmed the council had spoken to the local authorities in both Manchester and Bradford, during its three-month long investigation, where similar allegations have been raised.
Separately, Education Secretary Michael Gove has personally sent Ofsted in to inspect 15 Birmingham schools in recent weeks, after the allegations first broke.

Concerns over how some of the city's 430 schools were being run first emerged when an anonymous letter known as Operation Trojan Horse was leaked, claiming a small but radical group of Muslims were pursuing their own agenda in the classrooms, with uncooperative headteachers and governors forced out.
The unsigned and undated document also claimed to have caused "a great amount of organised disruption" in the city, crediting the plan with forcing a change of leadership at four schools.

The council's education chiefs have said that pupils deserve a "fantastic education system" while teachers "deserve to be able to work in their jobs without intimidation".

The allegations detailed in the Trojan Horse letter focus on the Park View Educational Trust, which runs three schools in the city - all of which have been subjected to snap Ofsted inspections in recent weeks.

Among further claims which have since come to light, one former anonymous staff member at Park View Academy in Alum Rock alleged a colleague had in an assembly praised the firebrand al-Qaida-linked Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki - he was killed by a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011.

The school trustees have firmly denied all the claims, branding the allegations "a witch-hunt", while pointing to very good academic results among its pupils.

All of the city's MPs recently wrote a letter to Mr Gove calling for a full inquiry into the issues to settle the matter.

A DfE spokesperson said its investigation was continuing and it would be inappropriate to comment further.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said schools should not be allowed to become "silos of segregation", as he backed the DfE's probe.

At a press conference in Westminster he said: "I am very concerned whenever I hear allegations that schools, funded by the taxpayer, become vehicles for the propagation of particular ideologies which divide young children and pupils off from other people in society.

He added: "The best faith schools, partly because they are conscious of their own faith, reach out to other faiths, reach out to other schools in the local community, teach about other faiths, rather than allowing them to become silos of segregations."

He said his comments were not "directed at any one faith", but said schools which "turn inwards" needed to be investigated.