Katharine Birbalsingh – the head teacher of Michaela Community School.

We could entirely do away with religion, culture or difference of any kind (boring but possible) and people will still find a reason to pick on someone else...

It's important to understand why someone bullies to stop them... Not engage in blaming the victim

Why cant other schools provide the results that this school seems to be achieving. Results that if the info is to be believed are the same if not better than private education.

Callistemon21

I'm sure you have mentioned you are an atheist, Glorianny, forgive me if I'm wrong, so I wonder why you are defending the Muslim faith so strongly?
Would you defend Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism or other faiths too?

With children of all faiths demanding their rights in school time, it could cause utter chaos with the timetables. Teaching could be constantly disrupted.

Should all state schools in England be Church of England schools as the C of E is the Established Church in Engand?

I'm not defending the Muslim faith. A room for prayer or meditation could be used by anyone wanting to spend time in prayer or reflection. I am an atheist but I wouldn't dream of insisting that all people are atheists or that all children be brought up as atheists. It seems evident that there are many schools coping with children of many and varied religious beliefs who provide space for them to worship or meditate.
I don't understand why this school couldn't do the same. Or why the religious bullying couldn't be dealt with like any other form of bullying. Does it matter, if one child is calling another names, quite what the subject of the names is. If it's "ginger" or "bad Muslim" it should be stopped.

I'm LGBTQ yes and I have Muslim friends

So perhaps the issue is the person or group of people, not the religion itself

Which is my point

CoolCoco

They aren’t leaving the classroom!! So much intolerance on here. In one school I taught in teachers volunteered to do lunchtime clubs or groups - there was loads going on. We had a Muslim teacher who brought in sweet at Eid. It wasn’t a religious school but there was a Christian group and a space for this if anyone wanted. It had good discipline, an inclusive ethos and good results. These aren’t mutually exclusive.

Teachers volunteer to do before school clubs, lunch time clubs and after school clubs one of which I run. They run clubs that interest them, not clubs that they are obliged to run.
Such intolerance?
Is it intolerant to refuse to
provide for one group when you can’t guarantee the same provision for another group? Or is it intolerant to say only one group is deserving of their request being granted?

Violet Sky, infont think any child who is gay or trans would be allowed in Islam. I do not understand how gay trans or bi
People would support Islam. They would kill gays prople in somd countries. I sm puzxled why you do not accept secularism in this school?

And again who gets to decide the meaning of some of those phrases. Just pick one, 'healthy society' everyone on this thread will have different ideas of what that means.

All that you mention, VS is part of the ethos of that school.

Kindness, tolerance and understanding does not have to have a religious basis.

Religion worship can be practised out of school hours.

I honestly think that when people come to live in a different country that has a different culture to their own, they should not expect people of that new country to change the way things are run. The whole point of moving to another country is for a better way of life so I honestly cannot understand why they want to change the country where they have come to live for a better life to the country they have just left. If they want to pray then pray at home before and after school.

If Christian people went abroad to live in a Muslim country do you honestly think that they would let us build Christian churches. When you go to Dubai or any other country of that faith then you have to abide by their rules so why is the UK letting immigrants do what they want when they want.

If immigrants do not like the way we live in a Christian country then they can go back from whence they came.

I am not against immigration as long as we put our own country's people first. But at the moment that is not happening.

A school is either secular or it is not.

I can't see there can be any argument at all.

A fundamental life skill is the ability to build healthy relationships. Everyone owes everyone something in a healthy society. We owe those we hurt an apology, we owe people who support us gratitude, we owe those we disrespected respect and accountability.

We will always live in a broken society until we learn to be accountable for our actions that impact others lives negatively... and that is what we need to build for our children and grandchildren's future

Saying so is, necessary.

Crikey and who gets to decide what constitutes that.

Yes they should

Because we have to stop children growing up and becoming closed minded, bitter, miserable people incapable of any kind of personal growth

They aren’t leaving the classroom!! So much intolerance on here. In one school I taught in teachers volunteered to do lunchtime clubs or groups - there was loads going on. We had a Muslim teacher who brought in sweet at Eid. It wasn’t a religious school but there was a Christian group and a space for this if anyone wanted. It had good discipline, an inclusive ethos and good results. These aren’t mutually exclusive.

VioletSky

Schools should be embracing other cultures and religions and teaching children to be open minded, interested and able to formulate their own opinions...

And thankfully they do for the most part

No they shouldn't.

Schools should be embracing other cultures and religions and teaching children to be open minded, interested and able to formulate their own opinions...

And thankfully they do for the most part

I think if you are getting the results she was getting, it might be quite easy to get carried away. She is obviously really good at getting amazing results for pupils from difficult backgrounds. That's really quite important. You might get carried away with your own brilliance so to speak. Reading some of the info I am not sure processes for this decision were followed ( or of course the governors could be weak and covering their own backs). Possibly she is really good at her job and didnt handle this well, we will know more as this plays out. Perhaps she is neither hero or villain, life is rarely that simple.

PuddyCat

I'm a bit baffled as to how a child leaving a classroom for music lessons, speech therapy or interventions a couple of times a week, all of which are aids to learning, can be compared with pupils leaving a classroom a couple of times a day to pray. I'm assuming that parents who chose this school, did so in the full knowledge of its curriculum and ethos and made the decision that it was the right school for their child. So what's changed? Why are they now trying to force a change of ethos to one that the majority of parents, pupils and staff found superfluous, irrelevant and unnecessary? Plenty of other schools cater for all and any religion but Michaela Community School isn't one of them. They knew that when they bought the uniform.

Well said Puddycat

And eazybee - good post, informative, thank you.

VioletSky

Children leave the classroom room for all sorts of reasons .. interventions, speech therapy, music lessons, other kinds of therapy, movement breaks....

If a school allows all of that and not time to pray, that is discrimination

It's a secular school.

If parents want a faith school they should choose another one.

I'll bet no-one would get so exercised over a child of the Baptist faith, Plymouth Brethren, Hinduism or Judaism for example.

VioletSky

Children leave the classroom room for all sorts of reasons .. interventions, speech therapy, music lessons, other kinds of therapy, movement breaks....

If a school allows all of that and not time to pray, that is discrimination

Fags behind the bike sheds?

petra

The knives have been out for this amazing inspirational teacher for years. This is just another example.
When this blows over they’ll find something else.
I wonder if these children realise how lucky they are to have her.

Yup!

I'm a bit baffled as to how a child leaving a classroom for music lessons, speech therapy or interventions a couple of times a week, all of which are aids to learning, can be compared with pupils leaving a classroom a couple of times a day to pray. I'm assuming that parents who chose this school, did so in the full knowledge of its curriculum and ethos and made the decision that it was the right school for their child. So what's changed? Why are they now trying to force a change of ethos to one that the majority of parents, pupils and staff found superfluous, irrelevant and unnecessary? Plenty of other schools cater for all and any religion but Michaela Community School isn't one of them. They knew that when they bought the uniform.

they made us do the lords prayer at the end of each day at our non religious primary school. They wouldn't get away with it now but that is good imo

schools have to make reasonable adjustments by law but I have just learned this is a free school so...

VioletSky

Children leave the classroom room for all sorts of reasons .. interventions, speech therapy, music lessons, other kinds of therapy, movement breaks....

If a school allows all of that and not time to pray, that is discrimination

Utter tosh. Most people wouldn't put praying in even the same category as learning. Or medical appointments. They knew the score when they enrolled their kids in this school, the rules are there to benefit all , and they seemingly do. If you don't like it they are free to leave. No exceptions should be made.

Cool coco
Who do you envisage giving up their break to supervise this activity?
Would staff who are not religious be entitled to refuse?

Would you make the provision exclusive for one particular group?

Or how would you provide inside spaces for other religious or even secular groups who would like the provision of a similar space for them?
That would certainly happen amidst claims of discrimination against children who are not entitled to a space for them.

There is obviously need for more work on anti-bullying.