Five teachers at the centre of the so-called ‘Trojan Horse’ scandal in Birmingham will be free to return to teaching after the case against them was thrown out due to procedural errors made by government lawyers. Humanists UK has expressed its disappointment at the outcome, which it hopes will be challenged.
An independent disciplinary panel at the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) has been hearing the case for the last two years, investigating allegations that teachers and school leaders were involved in facilitating the imposition of a fundamentalist Islamic ethos in three Birmingham state schools with no religious character.
Humanists UK first contacted the Department for Education (DfE) regarding these allegations in January 2014, after having been approached by several staff with concerns about Park View School in particular. It was not until early March that the so-called Trojan Horse letter appeared in the press, after which the whistleblowers, working alongside Humanists UK, decided to publicise the bulk of their allegations.
Having been given assurances as to their anonymity, the whistleblowers agreed to testify as part of the previous independent inquiry led by former counter-terrorism chief Peter Clarke. Officials from the DfE’s Due Diligence and Counter Extremism Division also gave assurances to Humanists UK that the whistleblowers’ identities would be protected, stating in correspondence that it would ‘redact details that would identify them’ should it need to share the testimonies with others.
However, it has now been revealed that the DfE refused to share any of the testimonies from the Clarke inquiry with the NCTL disciplinary panel, redacted or otherwise, despite indications that they formed the basis of a number of the witness statements submitted to the NCTL. In dropping the case, the panel described this as an ‘extraordinarily serious error of judgment’, criticising government lawyers for ‘a lack of candour and openness’ and ‘a lack of cooperation’.
The outcome means that the teachers will not be banned from teaching in the future, and leaves the key allegations at the centre of the Trojan Horse scandal unresolved.
Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson, who worked with the whistleblowers at the time, commented, ‘Given the seriousness of the allegations involved in this inquiry, it is simply appalling that it has concluded with so many questions unanswered. If what the panel says is true, the mismanagement of the case by the Government’s legal advisers has, in effect, exonerated prematurely five teachers accused of espousing or sympathising with extremist views. If they are now free to return to the classroom, before any final assessment of their culpability has been made, that is almost as big of a scandal as the one for which they are being investigated. We hope the Department for Education will appeal the outcome, or that a fresh inquiry will be launched.’
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For further comment or information please contact Humanists UK Education Campaigns Manager Jay Harman on jay@humanists.uk or 0207 324 3078.
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At Humanists UK, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. Our work brings non-religious people together to develop their own views, helping people be happier and more fulfilled in the one life we have. Through our ceremonies, education services, and campaigning work, we’re committed to creating a fair and equal society for all.
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