Revealed: Islamist plot dubbed 'Trojan Horse' to replace teachers in Birmingham schools with radicals



Birmingham city council has warned of an alleged dirty tricks campaign

It has documents purporting that non-Muslim teachers are being targeted



Islamic fundamentalists allegedly want to replace them with radicals

Called Trojan Horse, the operation has reportedly succeeded in places

The documents reveal a plan for the operation to target other cities



Muslim fundamentalists are plotting to take over state schools, according to leaked documents.



Activists have launched a campaign to oust headteachers using dirty tricks such as spreading false allegations and packing governing bodies with their supporters.



The plot, which ringleaders have named Operation Trojan Horse, has emerged in documents drawn up by the group and leaked to a local newspaper.



The dossier names several schools in the Birmingham area as targets of alleged plots.



The authors of the documents discuss extending the ‘jihad’ operation to Bradford and Manchester – cities with rapidly growing Muslim populations.



Investigation: There have been allegations of faked resignation letters at Adderley Primary School in Birmingham, possibly connected to a reported Trojan Horse operation by Islamic fundamentalists

Last night Birmingham City Council said it had launched an urgent probe to establish the authenticity of the documents, which are understood to name up to 12 schools.



The investigation is being monitored by police and the Department for Education, which said it would not hesitate to take ‘firm action’ against those involved.



The Mail understands Education Secretary Michael Gove met the leader of Birmingham City Council last month to discuss the documents.



Apparently written by fundamentalist Salafist Muslims, the papers outline a five-point guide to forcing out a headteacher and installing supporters in key positions to ensure a school is run according to Islamic principles.



This involves identifying state schools in Muslim areas which are underperforming and at risk of being turned into academies.



Under the academies programme, schools are removed from local council oversight.



Assemblies were allegedly carried out in Park View School promoting radical Muslim clerics with links to terrorism and extremist views

One passage reads: ‘We have caused a great amount of organised disruption in Birmingham and as a result we now have our own academies and are on our way to getting rid of more headteachers and taking over their schools.



‘Whilst sometimes the practices we use may not seem the correct way to do things you must remember this is a “jihad” and as such all means possible to win the war is acceptable.’



One head, who is understood to have resigned following a plot to oust him, said last night his decision to quit had been ‘vindicated’.



Balwant Bains, former headmaster of Saltley School, said he was unable to comment directly on the claims but confirmed he had been forced to leave his job.



But he said last night: ‘It was a difficult situation. I had to leave. It’s a tough time. I am trying to move away from a very horrible, horrible experience, and I am pleased that it has been exposed.’

Another headteacher targeted by the extremist group is understood to have been the victim of unfounded allegations that she was encouraging pupils to cheat in their SATs exams.



Linked: Saltley school was also named in the documents

The documents are understood to refer to the group having ‘planted the seed’ of the allegations in order to undermine headmistress Tina Ireland.



The allegations against Miss Ireland resulted in her pupils’ SATs results being cancelled. Soon afterwards she resigned from her job at Regents Park Primary.



At a third named school, Adderley Primary, police have launched a fraud investigation into claims from four staff members that supposed employee resignation letters had been faked.



A fourth school, Park View Academy, which is headed by Lindsey Clark, was given a snap Ofsted inspection this week after claims were raised of unfair treatment of non-Muslim staff.



That school said in a statement last night: ‘Although we are not aware of any such campaign actually being carried out in relation to Park View, we are of course concerned about the school potentially being targeted for such action.



‘We remain on alert for any such conduct, and will act appropriately.’



The Trojan Horse documents have been leaked to media outlets including the Birmingham Mail.



Similar documents have since been sent to several head teachers.



The council investigation involves several departments, including legal, audit, human resources and education.



A spokesman said: ‘We have received letters making allegations in relation to some schools in the Birmingham area. Birmingham City Council is continuing to investigate these allegations and therefore cannot comment further.’



Lindsey Clark, Park View's executive head, reportedly said faith classes were being organised, but for after-school lessons West Midlands Police is being kept updated on the inquiry.

Chief Superintendent, Alex Murray, commander of East Birmingham police, said: ‘In December 2013 Birmingham City Council brought the content of a letter they were investigating to the attention of West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit requesting we make an assessment of whether any criminal offences had been committed.

‘The assessment at that time and remains the case today is that the allegations in the letter were for further investigation by Birmingham City Council and the Department for Education and were not a matter for the police.

‘The city council has continued to keep us updated on their enquiry in the event that any findings either warrant police investigation or impact on our joint delivery of Prevent (anti-extremism strategy) across the city.’

A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the serious allegations made in relation to some local authority schools and an academy in Birmingham, and are in close contact with a number of parties, including the police, the council and teaching unions.

‘Birmingham City Council is investigating all these allegations and we are also looking specifically at the Park View Academy.

‘All schools are subject to a tough inspection framework and must meet the high standards and requirements rightly expected.

‘We will not hesitate to take firm action if these are not being met – in particular where we become aware of issues of concern in an academy we will move quickly to resolve these.’ ‘Recruit parents, turn them against the head, then target other cities’

The Trojan Horse documents appear to be correspondence between a Birmingham-based Muslim fundamentalist and an acquaintance in Bradford.

They outline a five-point guide for taking over a school and encourage expanding the operation to Bradford and then Manchester.

The recipient is first urged to identify any Salafi parents – Muslim fundamentalists – sending pupils to the school.

‘They are always the most committed to the faith and are hardliners in that regard and once charged up they keep going for longer,’ the documents say.

‘When the parents have been identified, we start to turn them against the headteacher and leadership team.

‘The only way to do this is to tell each parent that the school is corrupting their children with sex education, teaching about homosexuals, making their children pray Christian prayers and mixed swimming and sport.

‘If you can get them to be very vocal in the playground as they drop off or pick up their children that will stir up other parents.

‘The parents MUST be given direction and told not to discuss this with anyone, you only need a maximum of four parents to disrupt the whole school, to send in complaints to question their child’s education and to contact their MP and local authority.’

