.... The DfE is doggedly pursuing the issue; some have speculated that they do not want to lose face, given the scale of the national scandal and the amount of public money already spent. Soon after the cases were thrown out, the DfE opened up a new process: to place some of the former Park View teachers, who are now in theory allowed to return to the classroom, on the Disclosure and Barring Service register. They would not only be banned from classrooms, but would not be allowed to work in any setting involving children. There are limited opportunities to challenge such allegations.
Three years after the Trojan horse letter surfaced, there is still no proof that a conspiracy existed. The central claim that remains about Park View and the other implicated schools is that they had become too Islamic, that some invisible line was crossed from the compulsory level of religion that schools must provide to the point where it was “undue”. But in an education system that is not secular, such as Britain’s, there is no unambiguous way to draw such boundaries.
Among those who believe that a conspiracy existed, as set out in the original dossier, there is a tendency to fall back on vague, dark statements. Several people in Birmingham I spoke to referred to “an ideology, a mindset”, but could not elaborate. “People have hinted darkly to me there were other things going on,” said Felderhof, the educationalist. “That’s interesting isn’t it? My response is always: show me the evidence. I haven’t seen it.” [The Guardian] Read more
