Inside the Trojan Horse

28 April 2014 Last updated at 14:14 The most high-profile of the schools caught up in the claims, Park View, has rejected the allegations Right now, there are four investigations going on into Birmingham schools, following on from the so-called "Trojan Horse" letter. That document claimed to outline a plot by Muslim hardliners to take over some Birmingham schools.

Ofsted, the Department for Education (DfE), West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council are, between them, looking at 25 schools. Reports from those investigations are starting to seep out. But it is worth quickly recapping where we now are:

• The focus is not on a "conspiracy". The "Trojan Horse" letter is now widely assumed to be a forgery, and appears to have been written to alarm people. (If the document is genuine, the plotters are not competent). Even so, it highlighted real concerns.

• There is worry - principally among some local liberal Muslims - about the influence of some religious conservatives in schools. In Birmingham, the majority of Muslims are from the relatively relaxed Barelvi grouping. The conservatives attend mosques that are described as Salafi, Wahabi and Deobandi.

• There is also a particular focus on one clique of friends. The chair of governors and head teacher at Park View School are the core of a group of about a dozen people who are local governors and teachers. Inspections will need to deal with claims of nepotism (NB - teachers always think there is nepotism going on).

• Some of the schools are definitely now socially conservative. There is, however, parental support for that attitude. You can see that in how heavily subscribed Park View School is, for example.

• Lots of non-Muslims in the city support the schools. For some, such as their fans at the council, it is because they want schools to cater to what parents want. For others, including some who work in the schools, it is because they think the ethos helps drive up results. And Park View, in particular, gets spectacularly strong results.

• But hardline religious conservatism alone can cause problems. If a school's centre of gravity is far off-centre, it may attract staff with rather odd, extreme views. Newsnight has revealed how some teachers at Park View School had - contrary to school policy - taught creationism as science and that wives had no right to refuse sex to their husbands.

Chris Cook speaks to teachers from Park View School

• There is also concern that hard-line conservatism can create the underpinnings for radicalisation. Newsnight has also revealed that three people at Birmingham schools - two at Park View - were reported to the authorities in 2010 for having crossed into extremism.

• That potential for crossover is also why the authorities do not treat Islam as it does other religions. The past few weeks has reaffirmed that. Recent examples of Jewish creationism, for example, have not fostered the same concerns. They are dealt with in a very different way.

• The government spends a lot of money in the West Midlands on counter-extremism. This machinery has been monitoring some of the people involved in this story for years. That explains part of why there is hostility among officials to Peter Clarke, the DfE's investigator into the issue. He's stepping on a lot of toes. The fact that his background is in counter-terrorism has annoyed local Muslims, too, who see this as an issue about the role of religion in schools.

It is worth pointing out a few other things:

• This is turning into another argument about academies. Labour wants to point out that academies - all 3,849 of them - are monitored from Whitehall. And the DfE is struggling with this role. Some of the schools being investigated, however, are under LA oversight.

• The events in Birmingham highlight a dilemma for school choice advocates. Setting aside the more extreme stuff, the atmosphere at some of these schools is what some parents are after. There is strong demand for a traditional moral core to local schools.

• Parental choice goes beyond the state sector. Some local parents wouldn't trust more liberal schools. This would affect girls, in particular. Blunt secularisation might lead to more pupils going to one of the nine private Muslim girls' schools in Birmingham - which are less liberal.

• The English school system is quite weird. In some cases, what is alleged to be happening would be acceptable or expected in faith state schools, but not in a normal school. In those cases, some of these worries might feel more like legal pedantry than a grand scandal.

View the original article here

Good Catteries Mies Know Cats Inside And Out

Good Catteries Know Cats Inside and Out

Cat boarding services Mies and cat kennels, when in tune with the inherent nature of cats, know that boredom isn’t just a bothersome side effect of a cat staying at home alone; it’s a medium for greater problems to develop.

A good cat kennel Mies also knows that cat fights are facts of feline life, and should be avoided without exception; or serious mental and physical health effects will result.

When a cat boarding kennel offers services that adhere to what a cat’s nature demands, a happy cat and a satisfied cat owner are the most prominent side effects.

When considering what to do with your cat when you’re away, your feline friend’s needs should be taken into account:

· Interaction: a cat needs social contact. If a cat is left alone at home, he or she might partake in troublesome behavior, like spraying, or refusing to eat or drink.

Because the cat will feel stressed and lonely, he or she might take to doing things that aren’t typical; like turning on faucets, getting tangled in electrical wires, chewing on poisonous plants, getting stuck in small spaces, ingesting chemicals, or otherwise destroying the home that you love.

· Fighting: cats don’t mingle well. They’re not pack animals. This is made evident by their lack of desire to please any beings but themselves. Their independent nature makes them somewhat tolerant of other cats, but the introductions have to be orchestrated perfectly, and can take weeks or months.

Cats don’t generally fight for dominance, but will fight for territory. In the wild, they will most often choose to avoid confrontation, but when two cats are forced to share a small space together, the result is often ugly, bloody, and scarring. Even if your cat has been socialized at home, you can’t account for what kinds of cats or situations he or she might encounter at a questionable cat kennel. Additionally, when surroundings are unfamiliar, the chances of territorial brawls multiply, along with chances of bite wounds, disease transmission, severe eye injuries, and stress resulting from bullying.

· Mind exercise: cats need to be mentally stimulated. When a cat is confined to a small space, he or she will begin to long for mental stimulation. In the wild, cats use mental prowess to stalk prey. That’s why they can capture miniscule movements with their eyes and focus on them for long periods of time. That’s also why cats are so captivated and engaged while in front of a window. They enjoy watching movement outside; it’s therapeutic for them.

· Physical exercise: cats need to move. If a cat is confined to a small space for too long, he or she will begin to long for the ability to move freely. Unlike us, who often need an outside catalyst to motivate us to exercise, cats do so because it’s part of their nature. They naturally climb, stalk, run, and jump; and without the freedom to do these things for a portion of the day, they can become depressed.

· Health: cats need medical supervision. When your cat is alone, or boarded in a cat kennel that isn’t professionally astute, health changes can go unnoticed. Note, too, that depression and loneliness can lead to feline health complications.

Now that you know a bit about a cat’s nature, you can make better decisions about luxury pet boarding Mies. Leaving a cat at home alone for an extended period of time is never a good idea. Employing the services of cat boarders that don’t take your cat’s innate needs into consideration can be just as detrimental.

Search for a cat resort that has professional medical supervision onsite; provides weight checks, brushing, and visual inspections; gives human interaction several times every day; offers a private enclosure for each cat; and orchestrates playtime out of enclosures, in a private room with windows.

Cat boarding in a conscientious cat kennel is your best choice for fighting cat fights, boredom, and poor health. When searching, remember that catteries Mies and cat kennels that are well-equipped and considerate of feline nature will know lots about your cat, even if they’ve never met your best friend.

View the original article here

Good Catteries Know Cats Inside and Out

Cat boarding services Morges and cat kennels, when in tune with the inherent nature of cats, know that boredom isn’t just a bothersome side effect of a cat staying at home alone; it’s a medium for greater problems to develop.

A good cat kennel Morges also knows that cat fights are facts of feline life, and should be avoided without exception; or serious mental and physical health effects will result.

When a cat boarding kennel offers services that adhere to what a cat’s nature demands, a happy cat and a satisfied cat owner are the most prominent side effects.

When considering what to do with your cat when you’re away, your feline friend’s needs should be taken into account:

· Interaction: a cat needs social contact. If a cat is left alone at home, he or she might partake in troublesome behavior, like spraying, or refusing to eat or drink.

Because the cat will feel stressed and lonely, he or she might take to doing things that aren’t typical; like turning on faucets, getting tangled in electrical wires, chewing on poisonous plants, getting stuck in small spaces, ingesting chemicals, or otherwise destroying the home that you love.

· Fighting: cats don’t mingle well. They’re not pack animals. This is made evident by their lack of desire to please any beings but themselves. Their independent nature makes them somewhat tolerant of other cats, but the introductions have to be orchestrated perfectly, and can take weeks or months.

Cats don’t generally fight for dominance, but will fight for territory. In the wild, they will most often choose to avoid confrontation, but when two cats are forced to share a small space together, the result is often ugly, bloody, and scarring. Even if your cat has been socialized at home, you can’t account for what kinds of cats or situations he or she might encounter at a questionable cat kennel. Additionally, when surroundings are unfamiliar, the chances of territorial brawls multiply, along with chances of bite wounds, disease transmission, severe eye injuries, and stress resulting from bullying.

· Mind exercise: cats need to be mentally stimulated. When a cat is confined to a small space, he or she will begin to long for mental stimulation. In the wild, cats use mental prowess to stalk prey. That’s why they can capture miniscule movements with their eyes and focus on them for long periods of time. That’s also why cats are so captivated and engaged while in front of a window. They enjoy watching movement outside; it’s therapeutic for them.

· Physical exercise: cats need to move. If a cat is confined to a small space for too long, he or she will begin to long for the ability to move freely. Unlike us, who often need an outside catalyst to motivate us to exercise, cats do so because it’s part of their nature. They naturally climb, stalk, run, and jump; and without the freedom to do these things for a portion of the day, they can become depressed.

· Health: cats need medical supervision. When your cat is alone, or boarded in a cat kennel that isn’t professionally astute, health changes can go unnoticed. Note, too, that depression and loneliness can lead to feline health complications.

Now that you know a bit about a cat’s nature, you can make better decisions about luxury pet boarding Morges. Leaving a cat at home alone for an extended period of time is never a good idea. Employing the services of cat boarders that don’t take your cat’s innate needs into consideration can be just as detrimental.

Search for a cat resort that has professional medical supervision onsite; provides weight checks, brushing, and visual inspections; gives human interaction several times every day; offers a private enclosure for each cat; and orchestrates playtime out of enclosures, in a private room with windows.

Cat boarding in a conscientious cat kennel is your best choice for fighting cat fights, boredom, and poor health. When searching, remember that catteries Morges and cat kennels that are well-equipped and considerate of feline nature will know lots about your cat, even if they’ve never met your best friend.

View the original article here

Good Catteries Know Cats Inside and Out

Cat boarding services Morges and cat kennels, when in tune with the inherent nature of cats, know that boredom isn’t just a bothersome side effect of a cat staying at home alone; it’s a medium for greater problems to develop.

A good cat kennel Morges also knows that cat fights are facts of feline life, and should be avoided without exception; or serious mental and physical health effects will result.

When a cat boarding kennel offers services that adhere to what a cat’s nature demands, a happy cat and a satisfied cat owner are the most prominent side effects.

When considering what to do with your cat when you’re away, your feline friend’s needs should be taken into account:

· Interaction: a cat needs social contact. If a cat is left alone at home, he or she might partake in troublesome behavior, like spraying, or refusing to eat or drink.

Because the cat will feel stressed and lonely, he or she might take to doing things that aren’t typical; like turning on faucets, getting tangled in electrical wires, chewing on poisonous plants, getting stuck in small spaces, ingesting chemicals, or otherwise destroying the home that you love.

· Fighting: cats don’t mingle well. They’re not pack animals. This is made evident by their lack of desire to please any beings but themselves. Their independent nature makes them somewhat tolerant of other cats, but the introductions have to be orchestrated perfectly, and can take weeks or months.

Cats don’t generally fight for dominance, but will fight for territory. In the wild, they will most often choose to avoid confrontation, but when two cats are forced to share a small space together, the result is often ugly, bloody, and scarring. Even if your cat has been socialized at home, you can’t account for what kinds of cats or situations he or she might encounter at a questionable cat kennel. Additionally, when surroundings are unfamiliar, the chances of territorial brawls multiply, along with chances of bite wounds, disease transmission, severe eye injuries, and stress resulting from bullying.

· Mind exercise: cats need to be mentally stimulated. When a cat is confined to a small space, he or she will begin to long for mental stimulation. In the wild, cats use mental prowess to stalk prey. That’s why they can capture miniscule movements with their eyes and focus on them for long periods of time. That’s also why cats are so captivated and engaged while in front of a window. They enjoy watching movement outside; it’s therapeutic for them.

· Physical exercise: cats need to move. If a cat is confined to a small space for too long, he or she will begin to long for the ability to move freely. Unlike us, who often need an outside catalyst to motivate us to exercise, cats do so because it’s part of their nature. They naturally climb, stalk, run, and jump; and without the freedom to do these things for a portion of the day, they can become depressed.

· Health: cats need medical supervision. When your cat is alone, or boarded in a cat kennel that isn’t professionally astute, health changes can go unnoticed. Note, too, that depression and loneliness can lead to feline health complications.

Now that you know a bit about a cat’s nature, you can make better decisions about luxury pet boarding Morges. Leaving a cat at home alone for an extended period of time is never a good idea. Employing the services of cat boarders that don’t take your cat’s innate needs into consideration can be just as detrimental.

Search for a cat resort that has professional medical supervision onsite; provides weight checks, brushing, and visual inspections; gives human interaction several times every day; offers a private enclosure for each cat; and orchestrates playtime out of enclosures, in a private room with windows.

Cat boarding in a conscientious cat kennel is your best choice for fighting cat fights, boredom, and poor health. When searching, remember that catteries Morges and cat kennels that are well-equipped and considerate of feline nature will know lots about your cat, even if they’ve never met your best friend.

View the original article here