Teacher tried to raise jihadi army at school rated as ‘outstanding’

In today’s Saturday Telegraph Your unmissable weekend package

OFSTED judged a fee-paying Islamic school “outstanding” while one of its teachers was trying to raise an army of jihadi children, it can be revealed.

Umar Haque, 25, has already been convicted of plotting to attack British landmarks such as Big Ben and Heathrow Airport.

But police have said he was also aiming to recruit children from the two schools and the mosque where he taught in east London to carry out jihad in the UK.

Haque was employed as an administrator and religious education teacher at the private Lantern of Knowledge secondary school in Leyton, between September 2015 and September 2016. During his time at the school, it received glowing Ofsted reports, with inspectors praising its “strong sense of community, harmony and respect”.

Following the conviction, Ofsted said its ability to confront extremism was “hampered” by limits on its powers. A spokesman for the school inspection body called for “greater powers” to inspect out-of-school settings in order to prevent radicalisation.

Haque also worked at the Ripple Road mosque in Barking – attended by Khuram Butt, the London Bridge terrorist – and at Hafs Academy, Newham.

Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “He abused his position at those venues. And he tried – and he did, we believe – radicalise vulnerable children. His plan was to create an army of children to assist with multiple terrorist attacks throughout London.” Mr Haydon added: “He was a very dangerous man. He shouldn’t have been teaching – he’s not a qualified teacher.”

Haque had access to 250 children aged between 11 and 14 and tried to radicalise more than 100 of them by showing extremist videos including beheadings.

He warned them they would meet a similar fate if they told anyone about his plans for their “martyrdom”.

Some 35 children are now receiving long-term safeguarding support.

The court was played a recording of a police interview with a young boy who said: “He is teaching us terrorism, like how to fight. If you fight for the sake of Allah, on Judgment Day, when you get judged for your good deeds and bad deeds, fighting is good. He wants a group of 300 men. He’s training us now so by the time I’m in Year 10 we will be physically strong enough to fight.”

A statement from the Lantern of Knowledge’s board of trustees said “safety and welfare” were of the “utmost importance”. It added that it regularly reviewed its policies, ensuring they were “robust and legally compliant” while working closely with “third party organisations to maintain the safety of pupils” and assisted with any “lawful inquiries made by relevant authorities”.