Letter from Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Home Secretary,
to the Chair of the Committee, 24 June 2014

I am responding to your letter to me of 6 June regarding, among other things, counter-terrorism in schools and your letter dated 9 June to the Permanent Secretary regarding the Home Office website. I also refer you to my statement in the House and the statement made by the Prime Minister's official spokesman on 7 June which answer a number of your questions.

Counter Terrorism policy in schools

1. Do you have any evidence of terrorism links within schools, apart from the letter sent by the former Head Teacher regarding the schools in Birmingham?

2. If so, how many schools are affected?

3. Are the schools affected just based in the Birmingham area or are there other parts of the UK which you have concerns about?

The Ofsted inspections raised concerns over governors' inappropriate influence on the running of several schools in Birmingham, a failure to encourage children to develop tolerant attitudes to other faiths, and a failure to prepare children for life in this country. They also highlighted a failure by Birmingham City Council to support a number of schools in their efforts to safeguard pupils from the potential risks of radicalisation and extremism. The inspections did not uncover any evidence of terrorist-related activity. But the Government is committed to fighting extremism and promoting integration. And the purpose of the Government's Prevent Strategy is to deal with both violent and non-violent extremism because extremism can create an environment conducive to terrorism.

Turning to your specific questions of terrorism links within schools, in our revised strategy we noted that at least three separate AI Qaida related operations in this country, in 2003, 2005 and 2006, have involved people who, to varying extents, became involved in extremism while they were at school. Between 11 September 2001 and 31 March 2013, out of a total of 330 convictions for terrorism related offences, 10 individuals (3%) were under 18 years old. A further 31 (9.4%) were aged between 18 and 20.[1]

As the committee is aware we run a programme to support people of all ages who are at risk of radicalisation. This is known as Channel. In the revised Prevent Strategy (2011) we noted that between April 2007 and December 2010 there were 290 referrals of people under the age of 16 and 55 referrals of people under the age of 12. As you would expect, not all of the people referred were accepted onto the programme. In the period since, of people referred to Channel, 506 individuals or 18%, are under 16. Of people accepted onto the Channel programme, 105, or 23%, are under 16.

Channel referrals and people who have been convicted of terrorism-related offences have studied at schools across the country, not just Birmingham. The Government is specifically concerned with schools in Prevent priority areas: priority areas are identified on the basis of a range of factors including policing indicators of terrorist activity.

As you are aware, the Education Secretary commissioned Peter Clarke to investigate allegations of terrorism links and extremist influences in Birmingham schools. He is due to report back to the Education Secretary in July. As we noted in the Prevent Strategy (2011) the Preventing Extremism Unit in DfE 'is expected to become a centre of excellence of its kind for due diligence on individuals and groups who may use education as their route into radicalisation'.

4. When did you first know about these links? In evidence to the Select Committee we note that no reference was made specifically to concerns over schools in Birmingham.

As we have set out above we have been aware for many years that people of school age have been vulnerable to radicalisation and terrorism and have designed programmes accordingly.

5. How many schools in the UK deliver the Home Office's Prevent Strategy?

All schools are required by law to teach a broad and balanced curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral and cultural development of pupils and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life. Protecting children from extremist influence is part of safeguarding, in the same way that schools help to safeguard children from drugs or gang violence, for example.

In Prevent priority areas, local authority Prevent coordinators funded by the Home Office work closely with schools, and many provide awareness training to teachers, to help them recognise a child at risk of radicalisation and ensure they know what to do. All of the Birmingham schools investigated by OFSTED have received safeguarding training which includes an awareness of Prevent and focuses on the support staff can provide on extremism issues.

The Home Office has approved funding for over 50 projects in the education sector- about 30% of all Prevent projects in local areas. These initiatives help teachers to enable young people to explore issues like terrorism and extremism in a considered way; equip pupils to challenge extremist ideas; and respond to risks in specific areas or to broader issues, such as safety online.

6. Have you, your Ministers, or your officials spoken to Sir Albert Bore, the current leader of Birmingham City Council, or any previous leaders of Birmingham Council regarding the situation in Birmingham?

Home Office officials have been in regular contact with DfE regarding issues in Birmingham since the so called Trojan Horse allegations were first made. The Home Office has also been in regular contact with the police. Birmingham has a CONTEST Board, comprising local authority officials, policing and elected councillors. The Home Office also attends this board. The Board has also discussed the Trojan Horse allegations.

Communication with the Department of Education and Fiona Cunningham

7. Have you written to Mr Gove to express concerns about extremism in schools prior to the letter of last week? If so, what was the date of this correspondence and please can you provide the committee with a copy?

8. Can you please provide the committee with a copy of the letter to Mr Gove dated 3June 2014?

9. Have you received a written response from Mr Gove to your letter of last week and specifically to the four questions?

10. Can you provide a copy of any such correspondence?

11. Why did you feel it necessary to write to Michael Gove regarding extremist schools in Birmingham?

12. Prior to your letter being sent when did you last speak to Mr Gove about these issues?

Mr Gove and I are members of this Government's Extremism Taskforce and as such we have met and corresponded on a number of occasions. As per the Ministerial Code (section 2) these discussions and correspondence are private.

13. Who gives authority for letters to be placed on the Home Office website?

14. Who specifically authorised the publication of your letter to Mr Gove of last week?

15. What is the process for authorisation for publication of letter on the website?

16. Why has the letter been subsequently removed from the Home Office Website?

17. Why has your Special Adviser, Fiona Cunningham, resigned?

18. When exactly did Ms Cunningham resign and to whom did she make the resignation?

(and further questions from your 6 June letter to the Permanent Secretary):

3. Who decides when letters are to be removed?

4. When are you informed of letters that have been uploaded and removed from the website?

5. When is the Home Secretary informed of letters that have been uploaded and removed from the website?

The same processes are followed in regard to uploading letters to the website as are followed in regard to the release of other Home Office content. The content of publications are cleared by Ministers and Special Advisers. The act of publishing reports and uploading them to website is for the Civil Service.

Letters are not routinely published on the Home Office website. In respect to the publication of my letter to Mr Gave and other related matters the Cabinet Secretary undertook a review. That review has concluded. In relation to the letter's removal, the Permanent Secretary asked for the letter to the Education Secretary to be removed from our website and this was completed on Thursday 4 June.

In relation to Home Office website content, departmental publicity is ordinarily approved by Ministers while content is then uploaded by a civil servant.

As I have said in the House, in relation to comments to The Times, my Special Adviser, Fiona Cunningham, has resigned.

THE RT HON THERESA MAY MP

24 June 2014