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UnHerd's Freddie Sayers meets Katharine Birbalsingh, 'Britain's strictest headteacher'.
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Katharine Birbalsingh is the founder and head teacher of Michaela Community School, a free school in London. Since opening in 2014 Michaela has become a lightning rod for the culture war around education, and Birbalsingh has replaced the “student-centred” approach of modern teaching with a no-tolerance code of behaviour.
And as it turns out, “the strictest school in Britain” seems to work. Michaela is rated by Ofsted as “outstanding” and rivals the top-ranking private schools in England for exam results. But this week, it was announced that Birbalsingh would have to defend Michaela’s ethos at the High Court, after she banned prayer at the school. A Muslim pupil claimed that the ban was discriminatory, and is seeking to have it overturned.
The case speaks to a wider battle in Britain over social cohesion and multiculturalism. In an exclusive interview, Katharine Birbalsingh joined UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers to talk about it.
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// TIMECODES //
00:00 - 01:18 - Introduction
01:18 - 07:41 - Katharine Birbalsingh explains the Michaela Community School
07:41 - 14:45 - Why kids need boundaries and discipline
14:45 - 19:32 - Understanding the court case against the Michaela school and prayer
19:32 - 21:59 - Why are more kids and teens praying at school?
21:59 - 29:33 - Delving deeper into the court case
29:33 - 30:51 - Is this a specially Muslim issue?
30:51 - 34:23 - Everyone must sacrifice for multiculturalism to succeed
34:23 - 37:01 - Is Katharine Birbalsingh optimistic about the case?
37:01 - 37:36 - Concluding thoughts
#UnHerd #KatharineBirbalsingh #MichaelaSchool
