KATHARINE BIRBALSINGH DEFENCE FUND

Everyone with an interest in education will now know about Katharine Birbalsingh, the deputy headteacher who spoke the truth about Britain’s ‘broken’ state education system at this year’s Conservative Conference.  Within days she had lost her job at St Michael and All Angels Church of England Academy in London.

As The Sunday Telegraph leader said on 17 October 2010, she is ‘paying the price for honesty’.  Her case with the school is now going to end up in a tribunal. This means that her lawyer’s fees will be hefty. While she is managing to earn a little bit here and there with the writing she is currently doing, it is not enough to live on, let alone pay her lawyer’s fees.

As many of our supporters know, there have been other occasions when honest teachers have been similarly mistreated, so we have set up the Katharine Birbalsingh Defence Fund  to be used entirely for her benefit or as she and her advisers decide.      

If you care about freedom of speech in state education and would like to help,  please send a cheque payable to the Katharine Birbalsingh Defence Fund, c/o Campaign for Real Education, 18 Westlands Grove, York YO31 1EF.   Or, if you prefer, please make an electronic money transfer to the  Katharine Birbalsingh Defence Fund, HSBC Bank, Account Number 04355970, Sort Code 40-47-31.            

Many thanks. We are immensely grateful.

 

‘Broken education’ teacher loses her job, Sunday Telegraph, 17 October 2010 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8068427/Teacher-loses-job-after-exposing-failures-in-our-schools.html

Paying the price for honesty, Sunday Telegraph, 17 October 2010 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/8068618/Paying-the-price-for-honesty.html

I’m still glad I spoke out, says teacher…Daily Mail, 18 October 2010. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1321407/Sacked-teacher-Katharine-Birbalsingh-Im-glad-I-spoke-failing-schools.html

An inspirational teacher is fired. So who will speak the truth now? Daily Mail, 18 October 2010. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1321411/As-teacher-Katharine-Birbalsingh-fired-tell-truth-now.html

 

 

Chairman: Chris McGovern.  Tel: 07757 715145.  Email: [email protected]
Vice-Chairman: Katie Ivens.  Tel: 07990 997215
Treasurer: Dr WAD Freeman. Email: [email protected]
Secretary: Alison McRobb. Email: [email protected]