Nesrine Malik’s otherwise excellent analysis pays too little attention to the motivation behind Michael Gove’s demonisation of local engagement in school leadership (Muslims still bear the stigma of the ‘Trojan horse’ scandal. Maybe that’s what was intended, 28 February). Twenty years ago, I was working with a number of ethnic minority communities around England, supporting them in setting up supplementary schools to compensate for the often poor public schooling available to them after 18 years of Conservative government. In a Birmingham suburb with a significant majority of people of Bangladeshi origin, the local primary school had not a single Muslim governor.
When asked, the headteacher claimed that “these parents are not interested in education – they don’t even come to parents’ evenings”. “When do you hold your parents’ meetings?” we asked. “In the evenings, of course.” We pointed out that the main occupation of many Bangladeshi men was in catering, and that many women would not leave their homes unescorted at night. We promised to demonstrate our point and packed the school hall for a social gathering, food and music included. By the end of the night, we had three new school governors. The seeds had been sown of a school that could understand and serve the needs of its community.
