34 Facts About Katharine Birbalsingh

Katharine Moana Birbalsingh was born on 16 September 1973 and is a headteacher and education reform advocate who is the founder and head teacher of Michaela Community School, a free school established in 2014 in Wembley Park, London.

The daughter of an Indo-Guyanese academic and a Jamaican nurse, Birbalsingh was born in New Zealand and raised in Canada until she was 15, when she moved to England.

Katharine Birbalsingh cultivated an interest in education when reading French and philosophy at New College, Oxford and, after graduating, went into teaching at state schools in south London.

Katharine Birbalsingh began writing a blog, To Miss with Love, in 2007 under the name Miss Snuffy, and later offered her support to the education policies of the Conservative Party and the reforms made by Michael Gove as Education Secretary.

Katharine Birbalsingh has said that she holds small-c conservative values.

Katharine Birbalsingh is the author of two books, Singleholic and To Miss with Love, and editor of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Teachers: The Michaela Way and Michaela: The Power of Culture.

Katharine Birbalsingh was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2020 Birthday Honours.

In October 2021, Katharine Birbalsingh was appointed chair of the Social Mobility Commission.

Katharine Birbalsingh is the elder of two daughters of Frank Birbalsingh, an academic of Indo-Guyanese origin, and his wife, Norma, a nurse from Jamaica.

Katharine Birbalsingh grew up mostly in Toronto and was educated at Victoria Park Collegiate Institute, with brief periods in Nigeria and France, and moved to England when she was 15, when her father began lecturing at the University of Warwick.

Katharine Birbalsingh graduated from the University of Oxford after reading French and philosophy at New College.

Katharine Birbalsingh writes that the book "opened [her] eyes" to what was wrong in schools, and argues that education should be about teaching children knowledge, not learning skills.

Katharine Birbalsingh came to national prominence in October 2010 after criticising the British education system at that year's Conservative Party conference, and speaking in support of the party's education policies.

Katharine Birbalsingh subsequently resigned "after being asked to comply with conditions that she did not feel able to comply with", according to The Sunday Telegraph.

Katharine Birbalsingh's first publication was a novel, Singleholic, published under the pseudonym "Katherine Bing".

Katharine Birbalsingh is the editor of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Teachers: The Michaela Way and Michaela: The Power of Culture, which describe the education philosophy of Michaela Community School.

In October 2021 Katharine Birbalsingh was appointed Chair of the Social Mobility Commission in succession to Martina Milburn.

Katharine Birbalsingh will bring that same attitude to the Commission and be a loud champion of equality of opportunity.

Katharine Birbalsingh responded to some of these comments in an article in the Daily Telegraph.

Katharine Birbalsingh resigned the position in January 2023, saying "I want to be able to speak publicly about what I think is right and not worry that I am bringing the SMC into disrepute".

Katharine Birbalsingh argued that her experiences working as a teacher in deprived areas led her to believe that the state education sector encouraged a "culture of excuses and low standards" with regard to discipline and quality.

Katharine Birbalsingh maintains that children of black and ethnic minority backgrounds are not sufficiently taught about British culture or Britishness in schools which has left them feeling "culturally excluded".

Katharine Birbalsingh has argued that teenagers should be prevented from having mobile phones in school as their brains are not developed enough for them to exercise proper self-control.

Katharine Birbalsingh has likewise advocated "digital drop-off" schemes, where children and parents were encouraged to bring in electronic devices to be locked in a school safe for the holidays.

Katharine Birbalsingh has said that children used the "race card" when in disputes with teachers, and warned parents to take their children's claims of "racism" with a pinch of salt when disciplined at school.

Katharine Birbalsingh claimed that young black students were being held back from success in school by teachers who "are scared of being called racist" if they discipline them.

Katharine Birbalsingh has advocated the singing of patriotic songs such as "I Vow To Thee My Country" or "Jerusalem" in school assemblies, saying that they make teenagers feel proud to be British.

Katharine Birbalsingh has argued that the killing of Floyd was unjustified, and that white Britons have avoided serious conversations about racism, and that this in turn has drawn people to BLM.

Katharine Birbalsingh is opposed to teaching children about white privilege in schools and to unconscious bias training for staff or pupils, arguing that such measures encourage racial segregation over constructively solving racism, and distract from the true meaning of education.

Katharine Birbalsingh has maintained that using the term "white privilege" is unhelpful to ethnic minority students, as it creates an exaggerated perception that they are perpetually oppressed by the political establishment, and diminishes incentives to work hard.

Katharine Birbalsingh instead maintains that factors such as the quality of schools, discipline, teaching and parental support at home are more likely to shape the outcome of a pupil's success over race, and that emphasis on race or culture wars distracts politicians from these issues.

In 2017, Katharine Birbalsingh was included by Anthony Seldon in his list of the 20 most influential figures in British education, and in 2019 she was awarded the Contrarian Prize.

Katharine Birbalsingh was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to education.

Katharine Birbalsingh was elected as an honorary fellow of New College, Oxford in 2021.