Solsticewitch13's BOS: Up to 100 Islamist teachers could be banned from schools after investigation into their links with Trojan Horse scandal found dozens claiming Lee Rigby's murder was a hoax

Monday, April 6, 2015

Up to 100 Islamist teachers could be banned from schools after investigation into their links with Trojan Horse scandal found dozens claiming Lee Rigby's murder was a hoax

Teaching watchdog investigating some 100 staff with links to the scandal
In some Birmingham schools, Islamic views forced on staff and pupils
Alleged al-Qaeda style video with masked gunmen copied in a classroom
Also claimed teachers punished children by making them kneel on tiles
Staff members also alleged sent offensive messages in a WhatsApp group
Messages claimed murder of Lee Rigby and Boston bombings were a hoax

Published: 09:08 GMT, 5 April 2015 | Updated: 15:23 GMT, 5 April 20152.8k shares

Up to 100 Islamic teachers could be banned from working in schools for life following an investigation into their alleged links to the Trojan Horse scandal.

It is understood a teaching watchdog is working on possible disciplinary cases against current and former staff members at some schools in Birmingham where extremist Islamic views were being forced on pupils and staff.

This includes allegations an al-Qaeda style video featuring masked gunmen was copied in a classroom and teachers punished pupils by making them kneel on tiles.

More than 50 teachers - called the Park View Brotherhood - also alleged exchanged as many as 3,000 messages in a WhatsApp group which included offensive comments about British soldiers and claimed the murder of soldier Lee Rigby was a hoax.

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Park View School in Birmingham was one of the schools placed in special measures after inspectors found systemic failings in safeguarding pupils against extremism - up to 100 teachers are now being investigated

It is understood the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) - the profession's watchdog responsible for banning teachers from classrooms - is looking at 30 disciplinary cases, with an expectation many more teachers will be targeted for their part in the affair.

The probe into the Islamic plot last year found evidence of anti-Western rhetoric, intolerance towards gays and creating the perception of a worldwide conspiracy against Muslims.

Golden Hillock School, Nansen Primary School, Park View School - all run by the Park View Educational Trust - Oldknow Academy and Saltley School in Birmingham were placed in special measures after inspectors found systemic failings in safeguarding pupils against extremism.

Another school investigated, Alston Primary, was already in special measures.

Allegations under investigation include claims that an al-Qaeda style video was copied at Park View Academy and teachers punished children by making them kneel on the floor, the Sunday Times reports.

A group of teachers - called the Park View Brotherhood - also alleged exchanged messages in a WhatsApp group where they claimed the murder of soldier Lee Rigby and the Boston bombings, where two bombs were set off at the finish line of the city's marathon, were a hoax.

Professional hearings are set to begin next month.

More than 50 teachers alleged exchanged messages in a WhatsApp group which included offensive comments about British soldiers and claimed the murder of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, was a hoax

In his report, Peter Clarke (pictured) found there had been a 'coordinated, deliberate and sustained action' to introduce an aggressive Islamic ethos in the schools

The teaching watchdog has obtained 'dossiers' about some of the 100 staff it is investigating from the Department for Education as part of its inquiries.

They are understood to include information from last year's Trojan Horse probe headed by Peter Clarke, the former head of counterterrorism at Scotland Yard.

His report, published in July, found there had been a 'co-ordinated, deliberate and sustained action, carried out by a number of associated individuals, to introduce an intolerant and aggressive Islamic ethos into a few schools in Birmingham'.

It also highlighted a 'disconcerting pattern' in the schools, including nepotism in staff appointments, bullying of senior teachers, a 'strategy of harassment to oust the head teacher' and the 'reinforcement of Muslim identity to the exclusion or disparagement of others'.

A source told the Sunday Times: 'The 100 or so include teachers, teaching assistants and teaching staff. The Department for Education is feeding in information to help corroborate some of what the NCTL has, and, in other cases, flag up new targets.'

'In some cases, some of those teachers and staff are still working at schools, and in other cases they have been removed.

'But although some of them have been removed, the NCTL does not want them to end up anywhere else.'

Archive: Ofsted's damning verdict on Trojan Horse schools

TROJAN HORSE: SCANDAL THAT SAW SCHOOLS PUT IN SPECIAL MEASURES

The Trojan Horse scandal started with an anonymous letter in March last year describing an Islamic plot to take over schools in Birmingham called 'Operation Trojan Horse'.

The document - now thought to be a hoax - proposed a campaign of installing governors and undermining and then replacing school leaders with staff who would be more sympathetic to their religious agenda.

That in turn led to 21 schools being inspected by schools inspector Ofsted, which put six schools in special measures and said five had not done enough to protect children from extremism.

Golden Hillock School, Nansen Primary School, Park View School - all run by the Park View Educational Trust - Oldknow Academy and Saltley School in Birmingham were placed in special measures.

Another school investigated, Alston Primary, was already in special measures.

Then in November last year, inspectors found evidence that six independent faith schools in Tower Hamlets, in east London, had an unbalanced curriculum.

Several teenage girls have fled to join ISIS in Syria from schools in Tower Hamlets.

This Easter, tens of thousands of leaflets were distributed by Tower Hamlets council advising parents to 'lock away' their children's passports if they fear the youngsters may be planning to travel to Syria over the holiday period.

Tower Hamlets is the only local authority in London where Muslims account for the largest single religious group.

An estimated 35 per cent of the population practise Islam, compared with 4.4 per cent across the country according to the latest census.