Today’s news review looks at allegations of violence against a headteacher in Oldham and the gender pay gap.
Clarksfield Primary School
On Sunday, 19 February, it was reported that there was a council-led investigation into allegations of an ‘extremist plot’ to take over Clarksfield Primary School in Oldham. There were claims that the school’s headteacher had received death threats and ‘aggressive verbal abuse’ from parents and governors.
These claims were picked up by the Guardian, Telegraph, Times, Mail, Sun and Mirror.
Oldham Council’s own investigation report states that it found no clear links to extremism. However, we take any such allegations very seriously, and we are looking into the claims.
A Department for Education spokesperson said:
We are already aware of the allegations raised in the report and we are working closely with Oldham council.
Gender pay gap
On Sunday, 19 February, the Mail on Sunday reported on the gender pay gap, suggesting that the Government Equalities Office pays its male civil servants on average almost six per cent more than women.
However, it is important to make clear that this gap is lower than the national average and is narrower than the Civil Service average. We have gone further than ever before in tackling the gender pay gap, and we are committed to tackling this issue where it exists, including in the Civil Service.
With the UK’s gender pay gap at a record low – 18.1 per cent – we are pushing further to eliminate it completely, which is why we are introducing requirements for all large employers to publish their gender pay and bonus data from April 2017. This will apply to both private and public organisations, including the Civil Service.
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