A former headteacher has been appointed to advise Birmingham Council amid allegations that hard-line Muslims have been attempting to take over the running of schools in the city.
As chief advisor, Ian Kershaw will lead a six-month inquiry into material passed on anonymously in a Trojan Horse letter.
An investigation by the council and police into the alleged Islamist plot to infiltrate the leadership of Birmingham schools has now widened to 25 schools.
Mr Kershaw, managing director of Northern Education – a consultancy that works with schools and local authorities to improve standards – has previously led a number of independent inquiries into the conduct and behaviour of individuals within schools.
The investigation will continue to be led by the Trojan Horse Operational Group, made up of the council, police, Ofsted and the National Association of Head Teachers.
A new review group made up of a wider cross section of local representatives and chaired by Home Office director general Stephen Rimmer will be established this month to oversee both the group’s and Mr Kershaw’s work.
Mr Kershaw will report back to the council’s social cohesion and education scrutiny committees in May.
The council has also commissioned Birmingham’s young people’s parliament to carry out a study into good, inclusive education in Birmingham and what a safe and resilient citizen of the future might look like.
Birmingham City Council leader, Sir Albert Bore, told the BBC that while he didn’t believe there was local plot in place, ‘there are issues we need to look at and look at very carefully’.
