'Trojan Horse': Park View pupils 'fed diet of Islam'

Akeel Ahmed and Inamulhaq Anwar worked at Park View Academy in Alum Rock

Teachers at the school at the centre of the "Trojan Horse" scandal fed pupils "on a diet of Islam" and isolated them from British society, a panel found.

Akeel Ahmed, 41, and Inamulhaq Anwar, 34, denied stepping up religious influence in education at Park View Academy in Birmingham.

But a professional conduct panel found against them.

However, the panel did conclude there was no evidence of Islamic "extremism" at work in the classrooms.

Its ruling was the first in a series due in relation to an alleged plot to control several schools.

Sex education 'excluded'

The two men, who worked at the academy in Alum Rock, had denied a central allegation they had agreed with others, on or before 31 March last year, to the inclusion of "an undue amount of religious influence in pupils' education".

The National College of Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) panel sitting in Bournville concluded pupils had been "immersed in orthodox Islamic doctrine" through measures including the use of the school loudspeaker system to broadcast a daily call-to-prayer.

It also found while there was no formal agreement to change the character of all the schools involved, there had been a co-ordinated attempt at the state-funded institutions to include "undue religious influence".

The panel found Mr Ahmed organised and delivered assemblies of an overly religious nature with inappropriate content, but found the facts not proven in relation to Mr Anwar.

Along with the broadcast call to prayer, it also ruled Mr Ahmed had encouraged prayer during the school day, through posters and direct reminders to teachers.

The panel found both Mr Ahmed and Mr Anwar "reformed the school curriculum to exclude proper teaching of sex and relationship education, use of contraception and safe sex".

It also found the men's conduct tended to undermine tolerance and respect for the faith and belief of others.

Interim teaching bans

Separately, Mr Anwar was also found to have breached proper recruitment procedures at Park View's sister school Nansen Primary, in hiring a man he knew personally to teach - Razwan Faraz.

Mr Faraz, former deputy head of Nansen, is currently facing allegations in a separate hearing that he breached professional standards of conduct as a teacher.

Thirteen former staff members including ex-head teachers at Park View Educational Trust (PVET) and Oldknow Academy have been facing misconduct hearings.

Mr Ahmed and Mr Anwar are subject to interim teaching bans and will be sanctioned at a later date.

A Department for Education spokesperson said it would be inappropriate to comment while there were a number of related cases ongoing.

Park View Academy was placed in special measures by Ofsted and has since been renamed Rockwood Academy.