UK principal raises extremist plot alarm at her school

A principal of a UK school that has a majority of Pakistani-origin pupils has raised fears of an extremist ideology plot.

A so-called "Trojan Horse" plot had hit the headlines in 2015 around claims that hard-line Muslims had tried to gain control of school governing bodies in Birmingham.

Now Trish O'Donnell, head of Clarksfield Primary School in Oldham since 2006,has said in an email to the local governing council that she fears a similar Trojan Horse agenda at play at her school.

According to 'The Sunday Times', the email sent in December last year, O'Donnell said she had "very strong reasons to believe that ... A Trojan Horse agenda (is) being played out" and that her position was becoming untenable.
 

O'Donnell's problems began in 2013 after Ofsted inspectors criticised levels of attainment at the school, where most of the pupils are of Pakistani origin.

A confidential report on Clarksfield by Oldham council this month, seen by the newspaper, said O'Donnell had reported that she had been subjected to a long campaign involving "death threats", "threats to blow up her car" and "aggressive verbal abuse".

She had even been physically attacked by one parent, the report said.

The council report refers to the activities of a Nasim Ashraf, who was a parent governor at the time, hosting "Islamic teaching sessions" on Clarksfield school premises.

His wife, Hafizan Zaman, "made remarks to Asian staff members that they should, as Muslim women, be wearing a veil and covering their heads".

However, the report concluded this did not constitute a Trojan Horse-style plot and that Ashraf was not an extremist and "not part of any wider conspiracy" Schools watchdog Ofsted has since ranked Clarksfield as "good" and praises O'Donnell's leadership.

"We take any allegations about our schools very seriously. The report into an Oldham primary school found no basis to the 'Trojan Horse' allegations," Oldham council's cabinet member for education, Amanda Chadderton, said.