- Former Respect councillor accused of being behind Bradford plots
- Faisal Khan sat on governing bodies of two schools under suspicion
- He denies plot and says he is seeking to improve education standards
- 'Trojan Horse' plot involves ousting moderate headteachers from schools
- The goal is allegedly to replace heads and governors with radical Muslims
- Prime Minister pledges to wipe out extremism from schools
The plot involves ousting moderate headteachers from schools, and is also feared to have taken place in Birmingham, Manchester and parts of east London.
Faisal Khan, a former member of George Galloway's Respect party was accused of being behind the alleged plot in Bradford, where one of the heads described herself as the victim of an 'attempted coup'.
Faisal Khan, a former member of George Galloway's Respect party was accused of being behind the plot in Bradford, where one of the heads described herself as the victim of an 'attempted coup'
At another secondary school in Bradford the local council dismissed every governor as it tried to tackle the issue.
News of events in Bradford comes after the National Association of Head Teachers said it had ‘serious concerns’ about attempts to ‘alter the character’ of at least six schools in Birmingham, and warned efforts to infiltrate classrooms were likely to be affecting other major towns and cities.
According to the Sunday Telegraph Mr Khan, who was formerly a councillor with Respect but who now sits independently, was seen in a video clip revealing how he and his colleagues have been working to change headteacher at Bradford schools.
'We have to do that for every single school… we have to be there, on governing bodies, because that’s what it’s all about… It’s time we took these schools back,' he reportedly said.
Mr Khan has maintained that his desire to remove head teachers was to improve standards, and said he was not seeking to 'Islamise' schools
However, Mr Khan has maintained that his desire to remove head teachers was to improve standards, and said he was not seeking to 'Islamise' schools.
His group, the Bradford Muslim Education Forum (BMEF) has links to alleged plotters who have sought to bring in more conservative Islamic practices at Birmingham schools.
The group has run events in Bradford involving alleged Birmingham plotter Tahir Alam, who heads the governing body at the city's Park View school, where it is claimed pupils freely praise terrorism, are segregated by gender, and are taught women must obey their husbands.
Park View has denied the allegations, and said the idea it supports terrorism is ‘abhorrent’.
Mr Alam's contact details were reportedly distributed at a BMEF meeting against teaching sex education in schools, and another meeting was run in conjunction with the al-Hijrah Training Academy - which he also runs.
The Bradford Muslim Education Forum has run events involving alleged Birmingham plotter Tahir Alam, who heads the governing body at the city's Park View school
Speakers at BMEF meetings have also included Razwan Faraz, the deputy head of Nansen Primary School in Birmingham, which has been visited by Ofsted inspectors investigating the alleged plots, Nansen's chairman of governors Shahid Akmal, and Achmad da Costa - the chairman of governors at Oldknow Academy - where a successful non-Muslim head was allegedly driven from her post.
BMEF head Mr Khan is chairman of governors at Carlton Bolling College in Bradford, a secular school where many pupils are Muslim.
He had been on the governing body at Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College until every member was sacked by Bradford council following fears over poor performance and a 'dysfunctional' relationships between the governors and management.
Staff at both schools claimed Mr Khan was behind attacks aimed at driving out headteachers.
WHO IS FAISAL KHAN?
Faisal Khan was elected to serve on Bradford city council in May 2012 when he stood for George Galloway's Respect party, vowing to put educational accountability high on his agenda and lift Bradford schools up the national league tables.
However, in August 2013 he and four other councillors resigned the Respect party whip, claiming Galloway had accused them of attempting to sabotage the party.
The row was sparked when Mr Galloway, Respect MP for Bradford West, revealed he was considering running for Mayor of London in 2016, prompting the councillors to suggest he should quit as MP were he to do so.
Mr Khan now sits as councillor for the Bradford Moor ward as an independent, and serves on the council's Children's Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Last January former Carlton Bolling head Chris Robinson left the role in the middle of the school year, despite having recently been announced as runner-up in the secondary head teacher of the year category in the Pearson National Teaching Awards.
Ms Robinson has not commented on the Trojan Horse claims but after moving to another school in Rotherham gave a presentation about her tenure at Carlton Bolling, saying in the talk on February 21 last year that people had been working against her.
She went on to say how important it was to remain 'absolutely focused, even when dementors attempt a coup,' referencing evil characters from the Harry Potter books.
Mr Khan has insisted he had not driven out Ms Robinson, and said she had taken another job.
He added that he had clashed with her over a contract for the school's human resources services, and said she had not got three quotes for the work, as laid out in Department for Education rules.
Mr Khan reportedly admitted being involved in removing
Jackie Nellis, who was head before Ms Robinson and was head when the school received an 'outstanding' Ofsted rating.
He said she had not delivered good enough GCSE results at the school.
Mr Khan was also accused of attempting to undermine current Laisterdyke head teacher Jen McIntosh, with one source at the school saying tactics used were similar to those used in Trojan Horse plots as governors were questioning decisions and results.
Mr Khan denied any 'Islamist' takeover but said he had argued with Ms McIntosh as she had not hired enough permanent staff.
Under investigation: Park View school, pictured above, is being investigated over the plot - which headteachers fear could spread
He said the governors had been removed for holding the head to account.
'This is the head teacher removing the governing body, not the other way round. It’s more like a Trojan donkey than a Trojan horse,' he said.
Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to erase extremism from schools, saying his is concerned about the alleged plots.
'I don't want to see Islamist entryism into our schools. That is a very worrying development,' he told the Sunday Times.
'We will not have extremism, entryism, Islamism in our schools.'
Russell Hobby, NAHT general secretary, said some teachers were being appointed because of their Muslim faith rather than their skills.
Lindsey Clark, former head of Park View, resigned this month after being reduced to a 'figurehead' with no real control over her school, a Department for Education probe found
There was also evidence of ‘pressure’ being brought to bear on heads to adopt ‘certain philosophies and approaches’
.
Speaking ahead of the union’s annual conference in Birmingham, he said: ‘We ourselves have concerns about what has been going on in and around half a dozen of those schools.
‘There have been things going on inside our schools which would make some of us feel uncomfortable.’
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that dozens of teachers pushed out of schools by an alleged Islamist takeover plot are too afraid to speak out because of gagging orders.
Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood said at least ten teachers told him they were made to sign agreements offering cash in return for their silence.
Mr Mahmood said: ‘A lot of people are still not speaking, even in private, because they are frightened of what may happen.
hey think if they come forward they will lose their pay-off or pensions and are worried they will then not be able to teach.’
Noshaba Hussain, a moderate Muslim former headmistress of Springfield Primary, was forced out of her job by a ‘well-organised and sinister’ group of extremists more than 20 years ago.
The 69-year-old told the Mail she was made to sign a confidentiality agreement, or ‘gag’, that threatened to withdraw her pay-off of a few months’ salary if she spoke to the press.
She claimed false rumours were spread about her by the Muslim governing body until she was sacked by Birmingham education chiefs for what was described as a ‘loss of faith and trust in the head by the governing body’.
‘It was all done through my union,’ she said. ‘I was told if I spoke to the press about what happened to me I would have to return the money.’
A source from one of the schools affected said: ‘A lot of teachers who leave are being bullied and harassed. The threat of taking away a reference can be worse than a monetary threat as they are worried their career will be affected.’
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