theguardian: by Richard Adams —

Hasan Sajad is a year-11 student at Park View academy in Birmingham. He should be thinking about sitting his GCSEs shortly, but his school’s emergence at the centre of a political furore about alleged Islamist takeovers has given him something else to worry about: his future.

“There’s a chance we may be sidelined due to what’s come up in the news. People may say, oh they are from Park View, they’ve been part of the whole Trojan horse scandal, so let’s not give them a place in a sixth form or university later on. That could be a possibility,” Sajad said.

A few months ago that would not have been a concern for Sajad or his classmates. Park View was warmly praised by Ofsted’s head, Sir Michael Wilshaw, and its inspectors for achieving academic results well above the national average, all the more remarkable given its location in Alum Rock, a deprived mini-suburb of Birmingham and its high proportion – 70% – of pupils eligible for free school meals.

But that changed in February with the emergence of the now-infamous Trojan horse document alleging a citywide Islamist plot to hijack state schools in the area, catapulting it into the media glare. Claims of outside meddling, indoctrination and bullying of non-Muslim staff have engulfed it and other schools in Birmingham, and different parts of the country including Bradford and Manchester.

A new report from Ofsted, ordered by the education secretary, Michael Gove, is expected to severely downgrade its rating and criticise the school for entangling elements of religion with education.

Kabir Khan, a bright year-10 pupil who wants to study medicine, has no doubts about the explanation for why Park View has found itself in the eye of the storm. “Because it’s an outstanding school in Alum Rock,” he says bluntly.

Halima Sahdia, a year-11 pupil at the school, explains Khan’s point: “Because Park View is an outstanding school, and the area’s really deprived, people think, how can it become an outstanding school? I think that’s what’s really surprised many people – and maybe that’s one of the main causes.”

The Guardian was allowed access to Park View to interview governors, staff, and pupils past and present, and air the allegations against it. There was no immediate evidence of undue emphasis on religion, aside from what might be expected in a school where the pupils are 98% Muslim, drawn from a catchment area where the population has a similar makeup.

Most girls wore a hijab but not all. Girls and boys sat mixed together in the classes that the Guardian was given access to.

The only obvious formal segregation occurred during PE, with the girls out playing cricket on the inner-city school’s tiny sports ground while the boys sat inside taking another class. In short, on the evidence of a single day and chaperoned by school officials, it looked and felt much like any other state school in England or Wales.

None of the staff or students said they believed there was any substance to the allegations of extremist Islam within the school. Sajad said his parents were shocked when they first heard of the claims. “They don’t believe any of this stuff takes places or that any of it’s true,” he said. The school’s excellent results mean that it was oversubscribed, and despite the unwanted attention the waiting list remains long.

More:  http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/may/14/inside-park-view-academy-religion-row-school-victim-of-success