Teachers to be Trained in Combating Extremism Following Islamist School Takeover Plot

British schools watchdog ‘Ofsted’ is planning to give teachers guidance on combating extremism and radicalism in the classroom following the recent ‘Trojan Horse’ scandal where radical Islamists have attempted to take over schools in Birmingham.

A source at the Department for Education said that teachers will be given the training as 20 schools in Birmingham face allegations that Muslim staff have imposed strict Islamic practices on children, including segregating boys and girls in classrooms, refusing to teach sex education and forcing some girls to wear headscarves.

Earlier today, various papers reported that inspections into the schools are likely to reveal that students have been denied a “rounded education” by radical staff.

At Park View Academy, inspectors are reported to have found evidence of the omission of parts of the national curriculum deemed “un-Islamic” and the segregation of students by gender.

Six of the schools, including Park View, have reportedly already been placed in “special measures”, meaning they will be subject to further, regular inspections, and are not allowed to take on newly-qualified teachers.

Sky News says that the Ofsted report claims: “Key safeguarding procedures are not followed. Too little is done to keep students safe from the risks associated with extremist views.

“Some staff, including senior leaders, are concerned about a special perceived unfairness and lack of transparency in the recruitment process and the breadth and balance of the curriculum.

“Some female members of staff complained… that at times they are spoken to in a manner which they find intimidating.”

Labour MP Khalid Mahmood commented: “There has been grooming, by a particular community, a school of thought within Islam, and would possibly lead to extremism … not saying that children at school at the moment are extremist, but certainly they have been groomed in a particular way for that to be made easier at a later stage. That’s what my concerns have been in Birmingham.”