Saturday, September 5, 2015
What do Michael Gove's new rules on 'British values' mean for schools?
The Department for Education has introduced new rules that give Michael Gove the power to close free schools and academies with governors who do not demonstrate "fundamental British values".
The Muslim Council of Britain said that the new clauses inserted into the model funding agreement with free schools would make it very difficult for conservative Muslims to become governors. It warned that the change would hand the education secretary the power to interpret "British values" as he sees fit.
The document sets out a written definition for the first time of the "British values" Gove is saying must be promoted by schools, in response to the "Trojan horse" allegations that academies in Birmingham were under the influence of Muslim extremists.
It stipulates that the education secretary can close a school or dismiss a governor if he or she is "unsuitable" due to conduct "aimed at undermining the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs".
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