Conservative cabinet ministers Theresa May and Michael Gove issue a joint statement saying they are “working together” on alleged Islamist extremism in schools following a dispute over the issue.
The home and education secretaries took the unusual step of releasing a joint statement after Mrs May wrote to Mr Gove questioning his department’s efforts to deal with an alleged plot by hardline Islamists to seize control of schools in Birmingham.
In her letter, the home secretary said: “Is it true that Birmingham City Council was warned about these allegations in 2008? Is it true that the Department for Education was warned in 2010? If so, why did nobody act?”
According to the Times, the education secretary believes the home office has been reluctant to clamp down on extremism unless it develops into terrorism.
Following the publication of Mrs May’s letter, a joint statement was issued which says: “The Department for Education and the Home Office take the problems in Birmingham schools and all issues relating to extremism very seriously.
“Michael Gove and Theresa May are working together to ensure we get to the bottom of what has happened in Birmingham and take the necessary steps to fix it.”
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Ofsted has inspected 21 schools in Birmingham since the publication of a letter, believed to have been a hoax, referring to an alleged plot by Muslim hardliners to take over governing bodies.
Three of these institutions – Ninestiles School, Small Heath School, and Washwood Heath Academy – have been given a clean bill of health by Ofsted, which will publish its report next week.
Ofsted 'at odds with British values'
Ofsted has come under attack from a group of educationalists and Muslim leaders for the way it has carried out inspections at schools in Birmingham. In a letter to the Guardian, they say it appears that "inspectors were poorly prepared and had an agenda that calls into question Ofsted's claim to be objective and professional in its appraisal of standards in schools serving predominantly Muslim pupils".
They add: "It is beyond belief that schools which were judged less than a year ago to be outstanding are now widely reported as 'inadequate', despite having the same curriculum, the same students, the same leadership team and the same governing body.
"This is uncharted territory, with Ofsted being guided by an ideology at odds with the traditional British values which schools are meant to espouse, particularly fairness, justice and respect for others."
An Ofsted spokesman said the claims were "baseless" and that its chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, was "completely satisfied that his inspectors conducted themselves with great professionalism and integrity throughout the process".
Park View Educational Trust, which runs three schools in Birmingham and is the focus of the most damning allegations, denied wrongdoing and said there was a “witch hunt” going on.
A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “The allegations made in relation to some schools in Birmingham are very serious and we are investigating all evidence put to us in conjunction with Ofsted, Birmingham City Council and the police.
“It is absolutely vital these investigations are carried out impartially, without pre-judgment.”
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused Mrs May and Mr Gove of behaving irresponsibly and “engaging in playground activity”.
She said: “The truth is that Michael Gove’s reforms have made it easier, not harder, for schools to be run inappropriately, while Theresa May has cut back Prevent programme funding that previously worked to tackle a wide range of extremism.”
The alleged plot has been dubbed “Trojan Horse”.