Keith Townsend
On 2nd June 2014, BBC Radio 4 reported that Keith Townsend had been invited to sit in on about 12 meetings held by governors at a Birmingham school in 2007, with the aim of joining the board. In another report, Keith Townsend claimed that a small group of new members had been "infiltrated" into a governing body and put the headteacher under huge pressure...at least three of the governors demanded religious assemblies and regular time out of class for worship while the non-Muslim headteacher's life was turned into a nightmare.
Keith Townsend does not mention which school it is nor does he state exactly how many of the invited meetings he actually attended.
According to minutes of Moseley School governing body meetings held in 2007, a member of the public called Keith Townsend attended a full governing body meeting on:
- Wednesday 18 April 2007 and is recorded as being in attendance but not assigned any official position. He is not recorded as having said anything at the meeting.
- Wednesday 14 November 2007 at Moseley School and is recorded as being present. He is not recorded as having said anything at the meeting.
There were six full governing body meetings in 2007. A member of the public called Keith Townsend attended two of them but it is not clear in what capacity he attended these meetings. There is nothing in the 2007 minutes to support any of the lurid allegations made by Keith Townsend. If anyone had infiltrated the Moseley School Governing Body, it was Keith Townsend. No wonder Birmingham City Council ignored him.
According to minutes of Moseley School governing body meetings held in 2008, a member of the public called Keith Townsend attended a full governing body meeting on:
- 16 January 2008 and is recorded as shadowing a member of the Moseleians Association. Although the minutes do not record him saying anything governors do recall Keith Townsend - quite rightly - criticising NuLabour's proposed new Diploma qualification.
- 25 June 2008 and is recorded as shadowing a member of the Moseleians Association. The school cottage was a formal agenda item and the minutes record Keith Townsend saying:
- The Moseleians Association would like to establish a fund to help to pay for the refurbishments required. The costs would be approximately £30,000.
Immediately after the minutes say: One of the new governors has offered to provide the materials required and the School is very grateful for this help.
Now which governor might that be then?
- 15 October 2008
By 15th October 2008 concerned governors had clocked on there was an all-male group of several governors who were members of the Moseleians Association - euphemistically called the Moseleians Association Brotherhood (MAB) on the Moseley School governing body including the then President of the Moseleians Association! Keith Townsend turned up to vote at the first meeting of the academic year claiming to represent the Moseleians Association. But he wasn't the only member of the Moseleians Association on the governing body! They were friends of the school rather than critical friends of the school.
At the meeting the governing body invited Keith Townsend to leave because he was not a legally appointed, co-opted or elected governor of the Moseley School governing body and there was no record of him ever being appointed, co-opted or elected onto the governing body. This is England where due process has to be followed to prevent Trojan Horse style infiltration onto school governing bodies.
If anyone had infiltrated the Moseley School governing body, it was Keith Townsend who was so desperate to join his buddies in the Moseleians Association Brotherhood (MAB) on the governing body. No wonder Birmingham City Council ignored him. For some reason Keith Townsend thought he had a divine right to be on the Moseley School governing body.
