Emergency inspections at more private Islamic schools in London over fears of new 'Trojan horse' plot

• Inspectors have visited six more schools amid concerns of Islamic influence 
• These include private Islamic schools and a Church of England state school 
• Al-Mizan primary and the London East Academy had a snap visit 
• Government source said fears were raised about curriculums in schools  

Emergency inspections have been carried out at more private Islamic schools and a flagship Church of England state school in London amid fears of a new 'Trojan horse' plot.

At least six schools examined after concerns about Islamic influences in curriculums were raised by the Department for Education, according to government sources.

They include Al-Mizan primary and the London East Academy, private schools for Muslim boys run by the East London Mosque Trust.

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Inspectors have visited Al-Mizan primary school in Tower Hamlets, London, amid fears of a 'Trojan-horse' plot

The schools teach their pupils, who are predominantly from families of Bangladeshi origin, to memorise the Koran and charge fees of £3,000 a year.

Both were rated as providing a 'good' quality of education and teaching during their last inspections in 2011 and 'outstanding' for students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Ofsted teams also paid snap inspections to Jamiatual Ummah secondary and Sir John Cass and Red Coat Church of England Secondary School, a voluntary aided state school overseen by Tower Hamlets education authority.

Two other schools inspected have not been named.

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Tower Hamlets said the inspection has not found any 'Trojan Horse-type issues' relating to the conduct of staff or governors at Sir John Cass and Red Coat Church of England Secondary School

Tower Hamlets said the inspection has not found any 'Trojan Horse-type issues relating to the conduct of staff or governors at Sir John Cass.

A council spokesman said it was 'one of the best performing schools in the country, however, all schools can improve, and we look forward to supporting the school in implementing the recommendations of the Ofsted report when it is published'.

He added: 'Local education authorities have no powers whatsoever over the educational conduct and performance of private schools. 

This remains the responsibility of Ofsted and other agencies.

'Councils do have a safeguarding duty for all children within their boundaries, but this does not include the right to inspect and enter the premises of private educational establishments.'

A government source told The Sunday Times: 'There were specific concerns about the curriculum being taught in some of the schools. Since these schools were being investigated, it was decided to look at six schools in the area.'  

Ofsted inspectors gave a clean bill of health to safeguarding arrangements for pupils at Marner Primary, a Tower Hamlets state school, after a visit in September.

At the time, Tower Hamlets council strongly denied claims by a Whitehall source that the borough was 'expected to be the next Birmingham' with a 'Trojan Horse' problem of Islamic influence in schools. 

Sir Michael Wilshaw, the Ofsted chief, has made it clear that more inspections will be undertaken more frequently in the light of the scandal.

It involved claims that several schools in Birmingham had been infiltrated by governors and teachers with a hard-line Islamic agenda. 

THE BATTLE FOR THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS - THE 'TROJAN HORSE PLOT'

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Sir Michael Wilshaw said the plot was 'planned and orchestrated' attempt to control school boards

The Trojan Horse plot first came to light earlier this year, when a letter emerged outlining an alleged a plot by Muslim hardliners to drive moderate headteachers out of schools.

The letter prompted Department for Education inspectors to go into Park View School in Birmingham along with its sister schools, Golden Hillock and Nansen. 

Whistleblowers at Park View claimed the school was in the hands of a group of extremists who had infiltrated its governing body.

It is alleged girls at the school were forced to sit at the back of the classroom and non-Muslim pupils forced to teach themselves at the state school.

The letter prompted separate ongoing investigations by both the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofsted in to the school and several others in the area.

Following inspections, Sir Michael Wilshaw told MPs in July that there had been a 'planned and orchestrated' plot to radicalise pupils in schools in the city.

He told the Education Select Committee said: 'I spoke to eight or nine head teachers. They believed it was planned and orchestrated.

'They believed people got together and decided which schools to target. They believed there was a strategy to infiltrate governing bodies.

'They believed governing boards couldn't take place in the normal way. They believed all that was planned and orchestrated. This was all in Birmingham.'

When asked by MPs if pupils had been radicalised in the schools, Sir Michael replied: 'We didn't see that. The issue of extremism was outside of our remit.'

The Ofsted chief inspector told MPs: 'What we did see was the promotion of a culture, which if that promotion had continued would have exposed these children to extremism.' 

Read more:

• Snap inspections target private Islamic schools | The Sunday Times