This article was commissioned by GB News on 19th April 2024.
I recently wrote about how to bring back respect to our schools. As I put pen to paper, the person that sprang to mind as an exemplar of this was Katharine Birbalsingh of the Ofsted-rated ‘outstanding’, Michaela Community School in Wembley Park, London.
The Michaela, set up ten years ago under the Conservative’s Free Schools Scheme, now regularly tops the league tables and in 2021, 82% of its pupils got into Russell Group Universities. Quite a feat.
Birbalsingh, or ‘Britain’s Strictest Head’ as she is sometimes known, is someone who has the courage of her convictions and is not afraid to run her school in a way that she believes, will get the very best out of each and every one of her pupils who are drawn from one of the most deprived catchment areas in the country.
She’s also someone who regularly winds up those intolerants on the Left who pay lip service to boosting the life chances of children from impoverished or multi-racial backgrounds, but react with horror when someone like Birbalsingh actually does it.
The fact that Birbalsingh’s rich ethnic make-up (Indo-Guyanese-Jamaican) strips her opponents of the chance to call her a racist, must be infuriating as well. How they must have (briefly) rejoiced at the opportunity to brand her an Islamophobe instead!
When Birbalsingh, whose focus is on cohesion, equality and togetherness, forbade a Muslim pupil from praying in the playground at lunchtime, she was taken to court by the girl’s family. The school received bomb threats and teachers were verbally abused. Security guards had to be hired. When the case became public, Birbalsingh received death threats, pile-on’s of abuse and of course, accusations of Islamophobia.
Birbalsingh’s rationale for banning the praying – which had quickly mushroomed to more than 20 pupils - was simple: Firstly, Michaela is a secular school with no religious connection or affiliation. Secondly it has limited outside space and precious little inside space meaning that giving over an area dedicated to Muslim prayers was not practical. And thirdly and most importantly, Michaela thrives because it is truly inclusive and team-focused.
The ‘me me me’ culture is left at the school gates, as is religion. The children are encouraged to put others before themselves and to display respect for their teachers at all times.
This makes for a cohesive and harmonious learning environment where pupils take personal responsibility for their conduct, their successes as well as their failures. They learn that ultimately you get out what you put in. Not one of Birbalsingh’s 700-plus pupils is allowed to buck the trend and this is why it works and why her pupils consistently do so well.
The whole school sings the National Anthem daily and the overriding culture embodies those bygone British values of patriotism, self-sacrifice, helping others and behaving in such a way that the whole team benefits. It reminds me of a time when our country knew what it stood for and was unashamed in displaying it.
Another thing that feeds into the school’s success is that the pupils at Michaela know who is in charge and it definitely isn’t them. Children need good strong adults to show them how to get on in life and how to succeed. Children suffer without such guidance and it’s disastrous if they feel they’ve got one over on their teachers as they would have done if this court judgement had gone the other way.
Too much autonomy frightens children and puts them in a position for which they’re simply not equipped at such a young age. It’s no wonder that rudderless children act up and behave badly. They’re often just crying out for a firm and guiding hand.
Katharine Birbalsingh’s court victory is testament to her guiding hand and strong values. Michaela will now continue to grow and provide life-changing opportunities for those children whose one shot at escaping poverty might be a decent education.
