Police have reopened a fraud investigation into a Birmingham school named in the Trojan Horse document.
Four members of staff at Adderley Primary School made a complaint to West Midlands Police in January 2013, but the probe was later shelved.
It is understood they had claimed supposed employee resignation letters had been faked.
After receiving the Trojan Horse documents, the force has now reopened the fraud investigation because of “new information coming to light.”
Superintendent Sue Southern, head of Prevent & Protect West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, said officers were not investigating the documents but added: “However, a separate complaint relating to an allegation of fraud from members of staff at a primary school was made to West Midlands Police in January 2013. This investigation has been re-opened by the Economic Crime Unit as a result of this letter coming to light.”
It is understood that at least one former member of staff at Adderley is now taking the school to employment tribunal.
A number of other schools named as targets in the supposed leaked document have faced controversies in the past year.
Respected head teacher Balwant Bains quit his role at Saltley Schoollast November after a damning Ofsted report criticised his “dysfunctional” relationship with governors.
The Saltley specialist science college was previously at the centre of a controversy after governors overturned a decision to expel a pupil who had threatened classmates with a knife. Staff later refused to teach the student.
Ofsted inspectors blamed a “lack of trust” between governors and Mr Bains for thwarting improvements at the school.
Their report said: “Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time the dysfunctional relationship between the governors and the headteacher is damaging the school’s capacity to improve.
“There is a lack of trust between the two parties and each holds contradictory views about their work and performance of aspects of school life.”
In a parting letter to parents, Mr Bains spoke about his ‘difficult decision’ to leave the school. He said: “I have... concluded that I cannot carry out my roles and responsibilities as head teacher here.”
Ahson Mohammed was appointed the interim head teacher at Saltley after Mr Bains quit and has reportedly denied any suggestion the resignation was a result of pressure from Muslim extremists.
He reportedly said: “The leadership team of the school has been appointed by the ... same governing body which has been here for a long time,” he said. “The previous head teacher was also non-Muslim. Balwant Bains was also non-Muslim.
“So in reality whether they were Muslim or non-Muslim is obviously not the issue. What they want is quality leadership, not what faith or what race you are from.”
Tina Ireland was previously the headteacher of Regents Park Community Primary School. But both she and her deputy, Michelle McCusker, resigned last October after education chiefs scrapped the school’s SATs results following cheating allegations.
The Department for Education announced the results had been “annulled” in a move which affected 58 children. The Standards and Testing Agency added the step had been taken because of “doubt over the validity of results”.
Mrs Ireland had been Regents Park head for 15 years, while Mrs McCusker had taught there for 25 years.
Under Mrs Ireland, the school had gained a reputation for excellence and had been praised for its racial equality scheme.
It was rated ‘outstanding’ during a 2011 Ofsted inspection which stated: “The headteacher and all of the staff work very hard to make it an excellent place to learn.”
Last month it was revealed Park View Academy was facing an investigation by education chiefs over claims non-Muslim staff were being discriminated against.
In a statement, the school said: “Park View strictly complies with its recruitment policy which is fully compliant with legal requirements and is observant of fairness and meritocracy in process and practice.
‘Our intake is multicultural, with the vast majority of our pupils being of the Islamic faith background. Over many years the academy has worked hard to respect and serve its pupils, its parents and the local community with a relentless focus on improving educational standards.
“Staff at Park View share in the passion for excellence and are committed to the success of all the children and families we serve. This commitment includes striving to ensure that all our policies and practices meet all required legislation and statutory guidance at all levels.”
The Trojan Horse document talks about fundamentalists targeting Salafi parents to help with campaigns against a targeted school.
It states: “Identify any Salafi parents within the school community. They are always the most committed to the faith and are hardliners in that regard and once charged up they keep going for longer.
“When the parents have been identified, we start to turn them against the head teacher 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 4 parents to disrupt the whole school, to send in complaints to question their child’s education and to contact their MP and local authority.”
The Mail Says
The claim that Islamic fundamentalists are seeking to take over the running of several city schools, imposing their primitive world-view, will cause massive alarm.
We make no judgment on the truth – or otherwise – of these very serious allegations.
But it is clear that they need thorough investigation, that the inquiry must be transparent and that appropriate action must be taken if the claims are proved.
However, it is also clear that this situation shines a spotlight on the risks of giving our schools greater independence.
By doing so, they are potentially at the mercy of all sorts of groups with hidden agendas.
Are there adequate safeguards against this?