Tory party conference teacher accused of causing school closure

The teacher who exposed the chaos in Britains classrooms in a speech to the Tory Party conference is at the centre of a row over the closure of her old school.

12:19AM GMT 30 Jan 2011

Katharine Birbalsingh, who received a standing ovation for her attack on the broken education system, is being blamed for the sudden closure of the inner-city academy where she was deputy head.

St Michael and All Angels in Southwark, south London, has been declared non-viable after applications fell dramatically in the wake of Ms Birbalsinghs remarks.

Canon Peter Clark, the chairman of the schools governors, said that her attack on incapable teachers blinded by Leftist ideology had dealt a fatal blow to the school. The publicity that she generated was very unhelpful, which certainly didnt help in terms of pupil recruitment, said Canon Clark.

He added that an inspection of the school held shortly before Christmas had shown that nothing that she said was right.

Southwark Council also delivered a veiled attack on Ms Birbalsingh, declaring that the school was being shut because despite everyones hard work, local perceptions have not caught up with the schools achievements.