The education governing body is fighting back aggressively after facing criticism about their lax approach to Muslim extremists who infiltrated schools in Birmingham and other locations in the Midlands. Small Heath academy, one of the schools at the centre of the scandal, is introducing new steps such as pupils receiving free uniforms, special training for teachers, a new Executive Principal and finally, home visits for each individual child. This is all part of an effort to shake-up the changes and ensure that reforms are properly embedded.
As of September 2015, Small Heath will be closed for the first two weeks of term as teachers receive the vital training and pupils the confidence in their institution. The academy will also change its name and organise new school uniforms by way of a fresh start: “We haven’t got time to waste,” their new Executive Principal Rebecca Garratt told the Birmingham Mail. “We’ve got to make up a lot of time for the kids because they have been let down in the past (…) Losing the first two weeks of term means we can reap the benefits later.
“There’s no point being sat in an office for two weeks talking about changes – we need to be in the classrooms with the teachers, training them and implementing the changes.”
This resilient attitude comes in the wake of new reports that the Department of Education have known of the Trojan Horse-style scandal for twenty years in advance. Chris Wormald, a top official in the high-profile investigation, found that complaints were filed with ministers about Muslim hard-liners affecting school agendas as far back as 1994, the time of the last Tory government. Documents revealed that complaints had been made about a radical group 'Hizb ut-Tahrir' by three separate senior school figures, with the Prime Minister copied in. Concerns were stated about the way governors were corresponding with the staff, especially at the Moseley School. The education secretary at the time, Michael Gove, was allegedly unaware of these reports.
Wormald stated: “While I have not found instances of warnings having been ignored or of individuals having acted inappropriately, I have found the department has lacked inquisitiveness about this issue, and that procedures could have been tighter than they were.” Tim Boyes, head of Queensfield school in Birmingham, having written twice in 2010 about Muslim infiltration, told 'The BBC': “It’s farcical that central government can dodge responsibility when it wants to, that ministers feel that such stark warnings could be ignored and neither immediate action nor policy change needs to take place.”
At the beginning of 2015, there is promise in the form of Rebecca Garratt who has been lauded for her developmental work. Also the head of ARK Tindal Primary Academy in Balsall Heath, she says Oldknow, Small Heath will work closely with the Tindal Academy: “We’ve already invited teachers from Oldknow over for afternoon tea to get to know each other,” Garratt continued. “There is a lot of hard work ahead but it is an exciting and challenging time.” Ms. Garratt has elevated her other establishment from 'satisfactory' in May 2010 to 'good' with 'outstanding' features in October of last year.
