Pupils ‘may be exposed to extremist views’
PUPILS at a Birmingham Islamic primary school could be at risk of radicalisation because of safeguarding failings, Ofsted has warned.
Government inspectors have highlighted extremism concerns and criticised management at the independent Birmingham Muslim School (BMS).
The ownership of the Small Heath school was also linked by Ofsted to the headteacher’s husband Ghoma Abdrabba – once named by the US Treasury for allegedly funding terrorism.
He denied the claims and later successfully had his name removed from a sanctions list.
A spokesman for the Birmingham Muslim School said it was giving ‘serious consideration’ to the Ofsted report.
It was in January that inspectors carried out an unannounced visit to the fee-paying school, which caters for around 95 boys and girls, aged from four to 11.
Now a published report has highlighted a ‘weak culture of safeguarding’ at the Golden Hillock Road school, including a lack of alertness by staff to ‘the risks of pupils being radicalised’.
It concluded the school had not met “all of the independent school standards that were checked during this inspection”.
Ofsted said: “Consequently, there is the potential for pupils to be exposed to extremist views through contact with older pupils or adults out of school, such as when on school trips. As a result, the school is not taking all reasonable steps to protect pupils from exposure to partisan political views.”
Positives from the report stated the curriculum did enable pupils to acquire secure reading, writing and numeracy skills. Teachers were also working hard to plan interesting lessons, which pupils enjoyed, while classrooms were said inviting and contained resources.
But inspectors said not a single concern about a child had been logged by staff in the school’s 16-year history – a situation labelled as ‘inconceivable’.
The report added: “Staff have an inconsistent understanding of who to speak to if they have concerns. They show little awareness of the signs of possible abuse, neglect or radicalisation.’’
Ofsted said during the inspection two adults were seen unaccompanied in the school, with their details not entered on a central register. to be useful Pupil admission and attendance registers were examined but found not to be maintained properly.
The report said: “This means pupils are at risk of going missing from education and, as a result, are vulnerable to trafficking, exploitation and abuse.”
Headteacher Janet Laws – also known as Aisha Abdrabba – had told inspectors that the Albayan Education Foundation Ltd, a registered charity, was the proprietor of the school. This was also stated on the school’s website.
But Ofsted said the charity was not registered as the owner of the school. It claimed her husband Ghoma Abdrabba, 59, was named as proprietor with the Department for Education database of schools.
In February 2006, the US Treasury included Mr Abdrabba’s name along with two other men on America’s specially designated nationals list for allegedly funding the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG).
The US claimed the group was engaged in terrorist activity in Libya and was co-operating with Al Qaida worldwide.
Mr Abdrabba and two other men, Taher Nasuf and Al-Bashir Mohammed al-Faqih, were said to be involved with Sanabel Relief Agency Limited, an international charity alleged by the US Treasury to “transfer documents and funds for terrorist activities overseas”.
Mr Abdrabba and the two other men were later named on a United Nation’s Sanctions list and their assets frozen. They denied any connection to terrorism and their names were subsequently removed from the list in June 2011.
Sanabel Relief Agency, which claimed to support people affected by poverty and natural disasters, was struck off Companies House register in 2007.
Ofsted said the husband of the BMS headteacher was not a trustee of the Albayan Education Foundation charity and had “told inspectors he has nothing to do with the school.
“Therefore, the headteacher, as trustee of what is claimed to be the proprietorial body of the school, has not been subject to the additional checks made on proprietors by the Department for Education.”
Ofsted had also criticised the confusion surrounding the school and the Albayan Education Foundation Ltd, of which Ms Laws is a director.
Ofsted added: “The relationship between governors, charity trustees, the headteacher and the directors of the company called ‘The Albayan Educational Foundation Ltd’ is very opaque. It is not clear who the proprietor is and, thus, who is accountable for the work of the school.”
Pupils are at risk of going missing from education and, as a result, are vulnerable to trafficking, exploitation and abuse Ofsted