The lessons of Birmingham Schools

getting a good governing body together is a huge challenge everywhere, and that is part of the problem. They have huge responsibilities placed on them and many are not able to cope with it.

I have tried recruiting Muslim governors, amongst others, aka.
Had a bright young graduate once, for a year, but her job was busy and then she married (a Welsh man - but it was OK cos he converted )
Otherwise the dads usually worked evenings in restaurants and taxis and the mums were at home looking after kids.
I'm sure there are lots of schools in affluent areas where they struggle to find governors who can and do actually stay on top of the ever increasing list of things they are accountable for. Preventing radicalisation is one of the most recent. The list includes all the things a normal employer does (in a variously unionised environment) , safeguarding of children, educational performance, performance and pay of staff, recruitment etc etc
Also there is no mechanism for "drafting in" aka. Academies are responsible for recruiting their own governors. Sometimes they advertise in the paper for community governors, but there is not a queue forming to take on such an onerous task. Same with small charities looking for trustees.

By 'drafting in' I mean when a non-parent is approached and asked if they would be willing to serve on the GB. At one time an Advisor was usually asked to represent LEA and if a church school someone to represent the Diocese. I was approached recently, but I honestly haven't the time or inclination for the sort of internal politics that often accompany such roles.

Respect to those who do such voluntary work.

And if things do not go Gove's way, he changes the law to suit.

???

I've given up, Aka...

Thank goodness for that Ana I thought it was me

Yes Gove is giving himself more powers - to "withdraw funding" from an academy if he does not like the attitudes of a governing body. In other words close it down and try to find someone else to run it.

The LA used to do bait of drafting in aka because they knew who was who in the area. The trouble with academies is that they are not necessarily plugged into those networks.

I was annoyed with the reporting on the National News of the latest report into the 'Trojan Horse' allegations in Birmingham schools. The BBC trotted out, yet again, the same token female stridently asserting 'not so' despite the report's findings.

The local news 'Central' reports featured the HT of one of the schools who had been forced by her governing body to go against her better judgement and Muslim parents who said they were pleased this had all been made public as now their school could get on with educating their children without this influence. Plus the same strident, token female.

Where was the balance in the BBC reporting?

Were you watching the tv news Aka? I caught some of the radio 4 coverage whilst making my early morning cup of tea. The snippet I heard was reporting what I'd already read in the morning paper. As I read/hear it, there has been a problem, the problem was made known to Gove and co, to the Council and no effective action was taken.

No surprise though, that the current education minister stands by her predecessors work on free and academy schools. Whilst in no way defending the notion of a sunni stranglehold on schools, what about the schools that teach creationism?

What is to be done about the growth of faith schools, with agenda's that most of us see as just a bit extreme? I can't imagine any government would find it easy/possible to separate faith and education, but if nothing else, the problems identified in Birmingham should lead to a proper debate on the subject.

I'm pleased that it is all being sorted out and that things will, hopefully, get back on track.

I do hope they have learned a lesson about keeping quiet:

The education secretary warned that the council's inability to intervene reflected a "culture of not wanting to address difficult problems where there is a risk of accusations of racism or Islamophobia".

The accusation of 'racist' to any comment that doesn't support a minority group has to be reigned in or it will lead to further things such as this.

The report also stated: He [Peter Clarke] said the social media messages included "explicit homophobia; highly offensive comments about British service personnel; a stated ambition to increase segregation in the school; disparagement of strands of Islam; scepticism about the truth of reports of the murder of Lee Rigby and the Boston bombings; and a constant undercurrent of anti-western, anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiment".

Which begs the question: if they want to run an Islamic school in that fashion, why start one in the UK in the first place?

I'm just glad it's being dealt with. Hope they continue to keep a watch out for Muslim extremism in our schools.