:00:00. > :00:18.Back in the classroom. The headteacher who claimed she was
:00:19. > :00:22.forced out because parents and governors were imposing an Islamic
:00:23. > :00:24.agenda. It mustn't be allowed to happen ever again. Unions are
:00:25. > :00:29.looking at 28 cases where teachers looking at 28 cases where teachers
:00:30. > :00:34.have left their positions. A coach carrying children on a day
:00:35. > :00:40.trip to the sea size crashes on the motorway. Six are taken to hospital
:00:41. > :00:49.started to shake and everyone started to shake and everyone
:00:50. > :00:52.started screaming. The Herefordshire man who's
:00:53. > :00:56.swallowed live fish as part of a drinking game.
:00:57. > :00:59.Give us our Hepworth back. Campaigners in Wolverhampton demand
:01:00. > :01:03.to know where this sculpture has gone and whether it will ever
:01:04. > :01:07.return. And the way things are looking, the
:01:08. > :01:12.weekend is our only hope of an improvement. Sunshine and showers
:01:13. > :01:14.until then, and a cooler fealty 's things, not just in the day but in
:01:15. > :01:21.the night. A head teacher who claimed she was
:01:22. > :01:25.forced out because parents and governors were imposing an Islamic
:01:26. > :01:29.agenda, has been reinstated. Bhupinder Kondal,
:01:30. > :01:32.Principal at Oldknow Academy, says the pressures outlined in the Trojan
:01:33. > :01:36.Horse letter are very real and The teacher's union, the NAHT is
:01:37. > :01:43.looking at 28 cases where teachers have left their positions, to see
:01:44. > :01:48.if any of them were due to pressure from hardline Muslims to impose
:01:49. > :02:05.their views on schools Birmingham. Bhupinder Kondal at Oldknow Academy
:02:06. > :02:08.today. She resigned
:02:09. > :02:10.in January claiming she'd been undermined by hard line Islamists
:02:11. > :02:12.on the school's governing body. But they themselves had to
:02:13. > :02:14.resign when the government Now with a new board of trustees,
:02:15. > :02:22.Kondal is happy to be back. I am happy to be able to focus on
:02:23. > :02:24.the children and work with the new governors to welcome everyone for
:02:25. > :02:29.the new term and put all of this behind us.
:02:30. > :02:32.The so called Trojan Horse plot alleged hard line Islamic plans to
:02:33. > :02:35.A government investigation found no evidence of such a plot,
:02:36. > :02:37.but did find there were govenors who espoused extremist views.
:02:38. > :02:54.Bhupinder Kondal said urinals had been removed
:02:55. > :02:58.I felt I was drowning. It was only bad for me. I don't feel those
:02:59. > :03:05.things now. So while Bhupinder Kondal may feel
:03:06. > :03:08.satisfied today, some parents feel she abandoned a school which went
:03:09. > :03:19.from outstanding to being in special She could have done a public meeting
:03:20. > :03:27.with the children and parents, and said I've taken the decision to
:03:28. > :03:32.resign. We wouldn't have felt deserted. For six months, we had
:03:33. > :03:35.meetings at the school. We had to our...
:03:36. > :03:38.There's a lot of work still to do both form Bhupinder Kondal
:03:39. > :03:40.and the new Chairman of the Oldnow trustees Dr Barry Henry.
:03:41. > :03:42.He was happy to pose for photographers today,
:03:43. > :03:46.but didn't want to be interviewed saying it was time for the school to
:03:47. > :03:56.Children return from their summer break in two weeks time. Ofsted will
:03:57. > :04:00.be back in October. It is only then that we will know if the new
:04:01. > :04:01.trustees and the returning principle have been able to turn this school
:04:02. > :04:05.around. Rob Kelsall is from the teachers
:04:06. > :04:09.Union the NAHT, and joins us now. How unusual was this case
:04:10. > :04:22.involving Bhupinder Kondal? It's extremely unusual over the
:04:23. > :04:28.years. Obviously, when we come to the allegations around the so`called
:04:29. > :04:34.Trojan horse case, we found it was quite similar to other cases which
:04:35. > :04:40.are being brought to our attention. You are reviewing 20 other cases?
:04:41. > :04:43.Yes, 28 cases in all which we are reviewing. They are 28 cases which
:04:44. > :04:59.have been concluded the last five years. That review is currently
:05:00. > :05:00.believe are directly related? We believe are directly related? We
:05:01. > :05:17.take a careful look at three of those cases. We think three cases
:05:18. > :05:51.related. We have identified them early on. The teacher said this must
:05:52. > :06:03.We are confident that with the report to the commission in the
:06:04. > :06:06.autumn term, this affair can be put behind us.
:06:07. > :06:08.You're watching Midlands Today, good to have you with us.
:06:09. > :06:26.It is bringing jobs and It is bringing jobs
:06:27. > :06:28.opportunities but also some challenges.
:06:29. > :06:31.One child and five adults were taken to hospital following a coach crash
:06:32. > :06:34.The youngsters from Dudley were on an outing to Weston`super`Mare
:06:35. > :06:36.organised by the charity Action for Children.
:06:37. > :06:40.The coach they were travelling in left the carriageway near
:06:41. > :08:39.It should have been a happy day trip to Weston`super`Mare for more than
:08:40. > :09:28.50 children and adults from the Black Country. Instead, the genie
:09:29. > :09:36.ended with the bus going into a ditch. One child and five adults
:09:37. > :09:37.were injured, none seriously. Police were injured, none seriously. Police
:09:38. > :09:56.said seat belts helped avert what could have been a tragedy.
:09:57. > :09:59.Stupid, irresponsible and ashamed, the words used to describe
:10:00. > :10:01.a 33`year`old man from Herefordshire, who filmed him
:10:02. > :10:03.self drinking a home made cocktail which included four live fish.
:10:04. > :10:07.Paul Wooding from Ross on Wye was taken to court by the animal charity
:10:08. > :10:09.the RSPCA, for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal as well
:10:10. > :10:12.Two men from Wiltshire have been banned
:10:13. > :10:15.from keeping goldfish after drinking them as part of a neck nomination.
:10:16. > :10:18.29`year`old Terry Gallop from Dilton Marsh was filmed by
:10:19. > :10:20.a friend drinking a pint containing larger, tomato ketchup, vinegar,
:10:21. > :10:23.a range of sauces, Jack Daniels, Coke and two guppy type gold fish.
:10:24. > :10:26.The video was recorded in february by 28 year old Jason Williams
:10:27. > :10:28.Westbury for Gallop's birthday, then posted online, where someone saw it
:10:29. > :10:32.The pair appeared before Salisbury magistrates' court, where Gallop
:10:33. > :10:35.admitted not meeting the welfare needs of two guppy type fish.
:10:36. > :10:38.While Williams admitted aiding and abetting Gallop,
:10:39. > :10:40.He's about to do what's called a neknominate.
:10:41. > :10:44.In the film posted on Facebook he adds what he calls his special
:10:45. > :10:47.Then the 33`year`old binman from Ross on Wye in Herefordshire
:10:48. > :10:51.A more sober looking Wooding arrived at Hereford Magistrates court having
:10:52. > :10:52.already admitted two charges of animal cruelty.
:10:53. > :10:55.He told RSPCA investigators he'd been nominated to drink by friends,
:10:56. > :10:57.adding the fish to make it different.
:10:58. > :10:59.Magistrates were shown the film of Wooding's neck nomination and
:11:00. > :11:02.were told that prior to that he'd prior to that he'd already drunk
:11:03. > :11:06.The fish had come from a friend's fish tank.
:11:07. > :11:08.A subsequent vet's report said the fish had been caused pain.
:11:09. > :11:10.Wooding's defence said his client was stupid, irresponsible
:11:11. > :11:13.and ashamed but asked why he'd been prosecuted when cautions had been
:11:14. > :11:17.The neknomate phenomenon is believed to have started
:11:18. > :11:22.Two other men appeared in Wiltshire today on similar charges.
:11:23. > :11:25.Social media commentators say the craze is fuelled by peer pressure.
:11:26. > :11:27.These dares have become more extreme. People have become injured
:11:28. > :11:30.and there have been deaths as well. and there have been deaths as well.
:11:31. > :11:35.The problem really is that it is fuelled by a large alcohol intake.
:11:36. > :11:38.Wooding walked free from court with an 18 month conditional discharge
:11:39. > :11:40.He wasn't disqualified from keeping animals
:11:41. > :11:43.as magistrates said it was unlikely to happen again, which means he gets
:11:44. > :11:47.There's been a boom in planning applications for solar
:11:48. > :11:51.Midlands Today has discovered plans for as many as 30 new farms have
:11:52. > :11:53.been submitted, with Shropshire a particular hot spot.
:11:54. > :11:56.And if they all get the go ahead, they would cover
:11:57. > :11:58.an area equivalent to 630 football pitches, generating power
:11:59. > :12:02.Well, our Environment Correspondent David Gregory`Kumar joins us now
:12:03. > :12:13.from the Midlands' newest solar farm at Willersey near Evesham.
:12:14. > :12:20.We have met an entrepreneur who is setting up the first solar panel
:12:21. > :12:23.factory in the Midlands. He hopes it will become the biggest in the
:12:24. > :12:28.world. This may be a familiar sight in the
:12:29. > :12:34.giant factories of China but in the Black Country, the Midlands first
:12:35. > :12:40.solar panel plant, from a manufacturing dynasty. My father
:12:41. > :12:51.started the business of 45 years ago.
:12:52. > :12:53.Sohal was looking to return to Britain and reinvest in
:12:54. > :12:55.Black Country manufacturing But one of the biggest problems,
:12:56. > :13:04.convincing the banks there's a big opportunity in a solar panel plant.
:13:05. > :13:11.It is something that they cannot compare with anything else, so for
:13:12. > :13:18.them to loan you money against something they have no experience of
:13:19. > :13:21.is very difficult. There is no doubting the demand for the solar
:13:22. > :13:22.panels being produced here and there is no doubting the ambition of the
:13:23. > :13:24.company as well. Indi wants to beat the Chinese
:13:25. > :13:26.and the Germans and Italians. He wants to create the biggest
:13:27. > :13:29.solar panel plant in the world. And he argues there's plenty
:13:30. > :13:41.of demand. Our annual production at this moment
:13:42. > :13:44.in time is not enough for one week's worth of supply and
:13:45. > :13:50.installation for residential in Great Britain. At present, we got
:13:51. > :13:56.approximately 25 people. We are looking, going forward, to increase
:13:57. > :14:00.that to three per day, seven days a week. That will hopefully happen
:14:01. > :14:06.within the next two to three months. In five years' the aim is
:14:07. > :14:23.a new factory. opposition in some areas. For
:14:24. > :14:27.example, this is the campaign in Warwickshire. Campaigners have
:14:28. > :14:31.stopped a local farm, although the company is appealing against that
:14:32. > :14:37.decision. You've also been getting in touch. Richard e`mailed us to say
:14:38. > :14:45.he supports solar panels over wind turbines but they shouldn't be used
:14:46. > :14:52.on farmland. There's talk of a man from a company that constructed this
:14:53. > :14:57.new solar farm. Todd, that is something people say a lot, why not
:14:58. > :15:02.build on Brownfield sites? It is important to focus the mind. We have
:15:03. > :15:07.a really big challenge. Of course we would like to build on Brownfield
:15:08. > :15:13.sites. Unfortunately, they are few and far between. The other problem
:15:14. > :15:17.we have with Brownfield sites is because it is easier to get planning
:15:18. > :15:22.permission for buildings and other planned on Brownfield sites, it
:15:23. > :15:24.makes the rents for such sites is expensive. What about this site? You
:15:25. > :15:28.take on farmland out of production. take on farmland out of production.
:15:29. > :15:33.What we have actually done is we have focused on the lowest possible
:15:34. > :15:37.grade agricultural soil. That is one of the key criteria. The farmer had
:15:38. > :15:43.tried unsuccessfully for several years to make a living out of this
:15:44. > :15:47.crop. We picked up a field which was not being farmed. We spent a great
:15:48. > :15:51.deal of time and attention pulling out lots of plastic from the field.
:15:52. > :15:57.We now have a site which produces enough energy for over 1100 houses
:15:58. > :16:05.over the course of the year for the next 25 years. Also, this company is
:16:06. > :16:07.also creating a bond to drive to get local people to invest in this plant
:16:08. > :16:11.and supported in its running. Reinstated, the head teacher who
:16:12. > :16:16.claimed she was forced out because parents and governors were
:16:17. > :16:18.enforcing an Islamic agenda. Shefali will be along shortly with
:16:19. > :16:24.the weather forecast, also in tonight's programme: tunnel
:16:25. > :16:27.vision, we go into the city centre underpasses to see how the
:16:28. > :16:29.refurbishment work is progressing. And over 300 years of history comes
:16:30. > :16:33.to an end at Warwick Race course, as Campaigners
:16:34. > :16:44.in Wolverhampton are calling for a valuable piece of public art
:16:45. > :16:47.to be returned to the shopping The Barbara Hepworth sculpture was
:16:48. > :16:50.given to The Royal Bank of Scotland,
:16:51. > :16:58.which now owns the centre, says it's to allow refurbishment
:16:59. > :17:01.work to take place, but some local one of the few women ever to achieve
:17:02. > :17:20.worldwide fame through art. She was one of the St Ives set
:17:21. > :17:24.during World War II and it was this Cornish cove, Porthcurno,
:17:25. > :17:26.that inspired her to create this. Rock Form was a still point
:17:27. > :17:29.amid a tide of Wolverhampton So has anyone noticed
:17:30. > :17:44.it's been missing since May? Have you noticed anything missing
:17:45. > :17:46.recently? Half the shops. I've not noticed, sorry. Do you remember
:17:47. > :17:50.that? Yes, it has gone. Not quite what
:17:51. > :17:52.the dame would have hoped to hear, especially since she's said to have
:17:53. > :17:55.sold it to the architect of Mander So what have the centre owners,
:17:56. > :18:04.Royal Bank of Scotland, and a property management firm said
:18:05. > :18:12.about its disappearance? They say they have taken it away for
:18:13. > :18:19.safekeeping before the redevelopment. The problem is, even
:18:20. > :18:23.their architect admits that work will not start for another seven
:18:24. > :18:26.months. The centre is now on sale, minus the sculpture, after 50
:18:27. > :18:31.years. That is what worries us. And cocnern's been fuelled
:18:32. > :18:33.by rock form being apparently airbrushed out of the artists
:18:34. > :18:40.impressions of the new look centre. I assumed it was therefore the
:18:41. > :18:49.people and for visitors to admire Barbara Hepworth calls Mark work.
:18:50. > :18:54.What would you say? Put it back so everybody can enjoy it.
:18:55. > :18:59.What is the latest on this campaign? After months of silence, we finally
:19:00. > :19:02.had a statement from The Royal Bank of Scotland, albeit a brief one.
:19:03. > :19:06.They say they have not decided what to do with the bronze and they were
:19:07. > :19:11.exploring other options, where it could be put on display for people
:19:12. > :19:21.to enjoy. Are the campaigners reassured? It all sounds quite good
:19:22. > :19:24.at first glance that we are not really reassured. We were hoping to
:19:25. > :19:28.hear, and faith had plenty of chances to say this, that they're
:19:29. > :19:35.not going to sell it, no, they've not got rid of it, it is safe and it
:19:36. > :19:39.will be reinstalled. If we had a firm commitments like that, that
:19:40. > :19:44.would be the one option that is worth exploring. The City Council
:19:45. > :19:50.leader has gone as far as accusing them of assets crippling. He has got
:19:51. > :19:55.a point. This is something that has been enjoyed by the people of
:19:56. > :20:00.Wolverhampton for 40 years, that was provided expressly for their
:20:01. > :20:04.enjoyment. It is the best single piece of artwork in the city. It is
:20:05. > :20:08.a piece of quality and now it has gone. The fight goes on. They've
:20:09. > :20:12.already got a couple of hundred signatures on a petition. Some of
:20:13. > :20:17.the interest is quite thought`provoking. One woman has
:20:18. > :20:23.written on their Facebook and said, it's like taking a well loved family
:20:24. > :20:24.member away, not telling you where or why they've gone, nor whether you
:20:25. > :20:29.can see them again. The A38 tunnels under the centre
:20:30. > :20:31.of Birmingham are scheduled to re`open on time
:20:32. > :20:34.after a six week summer closure. That was the promise made today by
:20:35. > :20:36.contractors who've been carrying out the second phase of refurbishment
:20:37. > :20:39.work on the 40`year`old tunnels. Our Transport Correspondent,
:20:40. > :20:41.Peter Plisner was given access into the tunnels to see how
:20:42. > :20:43.the work's progressing. Almost as busy as the streets
:20:44. > :20:45.above the tunnels. This was the scene under Birmingham
:20:46. > :20:48.today as work carries on ahead of One of the biggest changes drivers
:20:49. > :20:55.will noticed will be the 25 new Jet They'll replacing a 40`year`old
:20:56. > :21:07.ventilation system that just Kevan Lamb is the man in charge of
:21:08. > :21:17.the tunnels refurbishment this year. The whole system used to push air
:21:18. > :21:27.into this tunnel dash into the tunnels. The new ones encourage a
:21:28. > :21:32.draft of air. Contractors have also installed these new doors to allow
:21:33. > :21:36.escaping case of fire the tunnel and there are 48 new SOS telephones.
:21:37. > :21:38.To further improve safety for drivers there'll also be 27
:21:39. > :21:41.public address speakers to talk to driver, 21 new CCTV cameras
:21:42. > :21:48.and 32 cameras which can detect vehicles that have stopped.
:21:49. > :21:50.Above ground increased use of public transport has helped keep
:21:51. > :21:53.traffic moving during the closure, but there are concerns
:21:54. > :22:02.about traffic levels as people start returning from holidays.
:22:03. > :22:13.From the middle of last week, we've seen an increase in the length of
:22:14. > :22:17.cues. We are still appealing to people as they return from their
:22:18. > :22:19.summer holidays to help us keep Birmingham moving.
:22:20. > :22:21.Although the tunnels reopen on 1st September, they'll still be
:22:22. > :22:25.a series of overnight closures until the beginning of October.
:22:26. > :22:27.Cricket news, and the Warwickshire captain Jim Troughton has announced
:22:28. > :22:29.his retirement from the game with immediate effect,
:22:30. > :22:35.because of continuing problems with a back injury.
:22:36. > :22:37.The 35`year`old led the Bears to the County Championship title
:22:38. > :22:40.in 2012, and was also part of the title`winning team in 2004.
:22:41. > :22:44.He played six times for England in One`Day games.
:22:45. > :22:46.Over 300 years of racing history will come to
:22:47. > :22:51.Managers at Warwick have been outlining their plans
:22:52. > :22:56.as they prepare to end the tradition of flat`racing and change to jumps.
:22:57. > :23:00.The final flat race meeting is due to be held this bank holiday Monday.
:23:01. > :23:09.Our sports reporter Ian Winter's been finding out more.
:23:10. > :23:15.1707, the birth of racing on the flat at Warwick but the finishing
:23:16. > :23:20.post is in sight for the final time. The future lies exclusively in
:23:21. > :23:26.National Hunt racing, over hurdles and fences. Will be missed? I think
:23:27. > :23:33.they will be. There will be an element that we must. What I would
:23:34. > :23:38.lose our history. What is exciting lose our history. What is exciting
:23:39. > :23:43.is what is ahead of us. Three months ago, flat racing were suspended at
:23:44. > :23:48.Warwick after a horse suffered a fatal injury. The jockeys said they
:23:49. > :23:51.had lost confidence in the track. Remedial work was carried out. A
:23:52. > :23:58.radical change of direction was already on the cards. And they are
:23:59. > :24:02.off for the final time on Monday. 307 years of history comes to an
:24:03. > :24:07.end. These stalls will be redundant because from now on, it is jump
:24:08. > :24:14.racing only, here at Warwick. Only a handful of punters have complained
:24:15. > :24:18.but not Dan Skelton. At his yard, he has 60 horses in training and they
:24:19. > :24:22.are all jumpers, so he is delighted at the prospect of having 18
:24:23. > :24:28.National Hunt meetings a year almost on his doorstep. Play to your
:24:29. > :24:32.strengths. If the flat is not working as well as they had hoped,
:24:33. > :24:38.the jumps will. It is a great track therefore jumpers. The five fences
:24:39. > :24:43.down the back straight as good as anywhere. The ground well
:24:44. > :24:49.maintained. What are the benefits? It means we are using all the ground
:24:50. > :24:55.with God for the one code. We can give more fresh ground for the jumps
:24:56. > :25:00.season. We can make better use of what we have. So, Monday's meeting
:25:01. > :25:03.will mark the end of an era. Farewell, flat racing. It's strictly
:25:04. > :25:06.jumpers only from now on. I heard the word frost mentioned
:25:07. > :25:17.in a forecast today. It all depends upon where you are.
:25:18. > :25:23.If you are in all sports, there could be a trust of ` touch of frost
:25:24. > :25:30.tonight. We have clear skies as well. Generally speaking, it is
:25:31. > :25:35.going to be cool throughout this week and over the weekend. Dryer on
:25:36. > :25:40.Saturday and Sunday and whetted by Monday. It all depends upon an area
:25:41. > :25:44.of rain that is coupled with a deep area of low pressure in the north
:25:45. > :25:48.Atlantic which will be heading our way slowly. We have a ridge of high
:25:49. > :25:56.pressure building which is likely to kill off the showers on Saturday and
:25:57. > :26:01.Sunday. This evening and through the night, we've still got a few showers
:26:02. > :26:04.across the region but it will dry up quite quickly, fairly soon and after
:26:05. > :26:08.that we are looking at largely clear skies which would be the trigger for
:26:09. > :26:13.those temperatures to topple. We are looking in rural sports at values
:26:14. > :26:19.lower than the towns and cities. The towns and cities are around seven to
:26:20. > :26:22.nine Celsius. Towards the end of the night, the crowd will thicken from
:26:23. > :26:26.the West and that will bring in a few showers. For tomorrow, which was
:26:27. > :26:30.originally going to be a dry day, it looks as though it would become
:26:31. > :26:35.wetter. The warning is going to be largely dry with decent spells of
:26:36. > :26:39.sunshine. Gradually, we will see the cloud filtering in from the west and
:26:40. > :26:46.north`west. That will usher in a few showers. Decent spells of dry
:26:47. > :26:50.weather and sunshine in between. Temperatures unfortunately only up
:26:51. > :26:54.to 15 Celsius across parts of Staffordshire. The best we can hope
:26:55. > :26:57.for is a team the best we can hope for is 18 to 17 Celsius around the
:26:58. > :27:01.south`west. The winds will be on the light to moderate side. Again,
:27:02. > :27:05.tomorrow night, see those showers starting to Peter Wright again to
:27:06. > :27:10.leave us with clear skies. Again, a very cold night in prospect with
:27:11. > :27:15.temperatures dropping to a minimum of seven to nine Celsius. For
:27:16. > :27:17.Thursday, it looks as though we are looking at more showers, more in the
:27:18. > :27:21.way of cloud and heavier spells of rain.
:27:22. > :27:24.Rail fares on the rise, most season tickets
:27:25. > :27:32.Back in the classroom, the head teacher who claimed she was forced
:27:33. > :27:35.out because parents and governors were enforcing an Islamic agenda.
:27:36. > :27:40.I'll be back at ten o'clock with your next news,