UK: 'Trojan horse' head teacher in Birmingham banned from teaching indefinitely

A Birmingham head teacher, found guilty of misconduct in the wake of the so-called "Trojan Horse" scandal, has been "prohibited from teaching indefinitely". Jahangir Akbar was acting head of Oldknow Academy in Small Heath which was one of 21 schools in Birmingham inspected by Ofsted amid allegations that hard-line Muslim extremists were attempting to take them over.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) found Akbar guilty in December of "misconduct of a serious nature" but despite the indefinite ban, he can apply in five years to practice again. The panel found that the 38-year-old "failed to uphold public trust in the profession and maintain high standards of ethics and behaviours".

The Department for Education say Akbar is the first teacher in the UK to be sanctioned for allowing an "undue amount of religious influence" on pupils' studies. He was found to have restricted the range of religious education and "cultural events", including downplaying Christmas celebrations and cancelling "non-Islamic" events.

The professional conduct panel added Akbar "tended to undermine tolerance" and "respect for the faith and beliefs of others" and they heard that when challenged by a parent he shouted and "reacted inappropriately".

Oldknow academy, now renamed Ark Chamberlain Primary Academy, was a previously an "outstanding" school but was sent into special measures by Ofsted following a snap inspection in April 2014. After the allegations five schools in the Birmingham area placed in special measures after pledging to convert pupils and staff to Islam.

These were Golden Hillock School, Nansen Primary School, Park View School – all run by the Park View Educational Trust – Oldknow Academy and Saltley School. A leaked document claimed dirty tricks were being used to oust non-Muslim staff in the so-called Trojan Horse operation.

But despite finding Akbar guilty on a number of claims, the panel found that accusations that he was not promoting "religious extremism" from the school and that he did not exclude the proper teaching of sex education, music and art. They also found that he was not "reforming the school curriculum to include greater emphasis on religion", according to the BBC.