Trojan horse school damned in Ofsted report

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jun/06/trojan-horse-school-ofsted-report-park-view

Version 0 of 1.

Park View academy, the Birmingham secondary school at the centre of the alleged Islamist plot known as Trojan horse, will be told next week that it has failed to adequately warn its pupils about extremism and that staff are intimidated by the school's leadership.

A controversial Ofsted report ordered by Michael Gove and leaked to the Guardian will highlight that one of the reasons why the school – previously rated outstanding – will be downgraded to inadequate is that teachers have not received enough training in the government's anti-extremism Prevent programme.

Ofsted's report, due to be published with those into a further 20 Birmingham schools on Monday, says: "The academy is not doing enough to keep students safe, including raising students' awareness of the risks of extremism."

Park View is one of five mainly Muslim schools expected to receive Ofsted's lowest rating, following an incendiary series of inquiries that has prompted criticism of Gove from the home secretary, Theresa May, and led to David Cameron ordering an inquiry into the political fallout.

The school rejected the findings of the Ofsted report as driven by media coverage of the Trojan horse letter, which alleged that there had been a longstanding attempt by conservative Islamists to hijack school governing bodies. There are doubts that the letter itself is genuine.

Other key findings by the Ofsted inspectors include:

• External speakers, such as those who speak to students as part of a programme of Islamic-themed assemblies, are not vetted and pupils not taught how to use the internet safely.

• Students are not prepared properly for life in a diverse and multicultural society.

• Staff feel intimidated and fearful of speaking out, while some believe the governors involve themselves inappropriately in the running of the school.

• Sex and relationship education is ineffective, with students not well supported in understanding how to protect themselves from bullying.

Among Ofsted's recommendations are that the school's management must "urgently improve systems for safeguarding students", including greater use of the government's Prevent anti-extremism strategy, and secure "equality of opportunity for all staff and students".

While the Ofsted report seen by the Guardian provides no evidence of extremist behaviour, it says students' understanding of the arts, different cultures and other beliefs are limited. "This, together with their superficial understanding of how to stay safe and awareness of life in different parts of the United Kingdom, mean that students are not well prepared for life in wider society," it says.

The highly critical report comes after an initial visit by the inspection team on 5 and 6 March made only mild criticisms of the school. But inspectors returned two weeks later, initially citing concerns about online safety.

The dramatic reversal of Park View's rating comes two years after the school was feted for its high performance in GCSEs, with nearly 80% of pupils gaining the benchmark of five good grades, including English and maths. The school, in the Birmingham inner-city suburb of Alum Rock, has a pupil intake that is 98% Muslim.

Park View's results in recent years have been outstanding for a disadvantaged inner-city comprehensive, given the 70% of pupils who receive pupil premium funding, a government programme targeted at students from deprived backgrounds. Two years ago Ofsted's then newly appointed chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw, visited and praised the school, highlighting its exam results.

Park View said Ofsted made "absolutely no suggestion, nor did they find any evidence, that Park View schools either promote or tolerate extremism or radicalisation".

The Park View educational trust, which manages the school, said: "Park View works with the Prevent team and students across the school on preventing violent extremism and addressing the risks of being groomed towards having a right-wing ideology. The Prevent team have been welcomed without restriction into Park View School and have done more work here than with many other schools."

The school also sought to defend itself against the finding that a "significant number of staff" who told Ofsted they lacked confidence in the school leadership. The trust said: "In common with many schools we have challenges around recruitment, staff pay and progression and change associated with academy conversion.

"However, Park View's continued strong achievements across all subjects is a barometer of strong teaching methods and generally contented staff. A disillusioned workforce would soon result in standards slipping."

It has emerged that in earlier drafts, the Ofsted inspectors did back down on a number of more controversial claims about the school. A draft copy of the report said: "The school has allowed an external speaker, with known extremist views, to speak to students as part of a programme of Islamic-themed assemblies."

That reference, removed from the final version, is presumed to be a reference to Shady Asuleiman, an Australian Muslim who spoke at a school assembly. The reference appears to have disappeared after the school complained that Asuleiman had been granted visas by the Home Office, had spoken at several other schools and universities, and that the government Prevent team did not regard him as an extremist. The subject of Asuleiman's talk was time management.

A suggestion that pupils were not taught enough about homophobia was also removed from Ofsted's final version after the school provided evidence that pupils were given lessons that addressed different views on homosexuality and were taught that homophobic comments or bullying were unacceptable.

Ofsted's inspectors appear to have taken a harder line than the Department for Education's own inspection team, which completed its report in April.

A copy of the DfE report – which has circulated within government – refers to the Asuleiman visits, and notes: "[Park View] has no policy in place to vet external speakers, although this is in keeping with a number of other schools." The DfE inspectors, in a report that has not been made public, also wrote: "There was no evidence to suggest a strict Islamic dress code was being enforced."

Both Ofsted and the EFA reports make claims that have been challenged by the school. Both inspectors note that there is gender segregation within classes. The school said that the higher GCSE grades achieved by girls was evidence that they were not victims of discrimination. The EFA report noted: "We also observed lessons where boys and girls were mixed. Boys and girls are taught separately for PE lessons, which is not unusual."