Headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh has quit as Social Mobility Commission chair, saying her controversial opinions 鈥減ut the commission in jeopardy鈥 and it is doing 鈥渕ore harm than good鈥. Birbalsingh 鈥 Britain鈥檚 so-called 鈥渟trictest headteacher鈥 at Michaela Community School in London 鈥 was appointed to lead the commission in November 2021. The outspoken leader has always courted controversy. While social mobility tsar, she was widely criticised after telling a parliamentary committee hearing that low uptake of physics among girls was because they would rather not do 鈥渉ard maths鈥. But her comments about shifting the social mobility focus away from people going to Oxbridge were inaccurately reported by a national newspaper, leading to a correction. Why I’m leaving the social mobility commission Writing exclusively for Schools Week, Birbalsingh said she 鈥渃omes with too much baggage鈥 and is doing the commission 鈥渕ore harm than good鈥. She said: 鈥淥ver this past year, I have become increasingly aware that my propensity to voice opinions that are considered controversial puts the commission in jeopardy.鈥 Birbalsingh cites her inaugural speech in last June, where she said the focus has been too much on those going to Oxbridge or becoming top lawyers. She had hoped her new narrative about 鈥渉ow we too often have too narrow a view of social mobility鈥 might be 鈥渞eceived with interest鈥. But instead she claims 鈥渢he press insisted that I personally believe 鈥榳orking class people should stay in their lane鈥欌. The Telegraph鈥檚 as 鈥渨orking class people should aim 鈥榣ower鈥 than Oxbridge鈥 鈥 but they later issued an apology saying it did not reflect Birbalsingh鈥檚 views. But she said the 鈥渄amage had already been done,鈥 adding: 鈥淚 am still to this day attacked for my apparently abhorrent views on social mobility.鈥 ‘I don’t want to be a politician’ Birbalsingh said she will now 鈥渃arefully craft my utterances to leave no room for misinterpreting me and misrepresenting the commission鈥. 鈥淚nstead of going out there to bat for the team and celebrate our achievements, I am becoming a politician. And I can鈥檛 bear the idea of ever being a politician. It just isn鈥檛 who I am or a skillset I wish to develop. 鈥淎s headmistress at Michaela, my governors can decide whether or not they wish to employ me despite my outspoken nature. So I feel free to comment on society. 鈥淏ut as chair of the commission, people feel I need to be impartial and it irks many that for many years I have been anything but. So in some people鈥檚 minds, I am not right for the job. 鈥淪adly, I have come to agree.鈥 However in April last year, Birbalsingh was widely criticised after her comments on why girls do not take physics. She told MPs: 鈥淚 just think they don鈥檛 like it. There鈥檚 a lot of hard maths in there that I think they would rather not do.鈥 Most recently, the commission pledged to investigate which teaching styles work best to boost outcomes for poorer pupils, with critics questioning whether this would just recommend the approaches employed by Michaela. Michaela has been dubbed the strictest school in the country, with silent corridors and other controversial policies such as ditching SEND labels and giving detentions for failing to have a pen. Birbalsingh said while the commission team have been supportive, 鈥淚 worry that all of our excellent work will be ignored by virtue of my presence鈥. She claimed critics 鈥渃ould not imagine that I might have the integrity to publish unbiased research, whatever conclusions it came to.鈥 鈥淪o my hands are tied. My being chair means no commission analysis of what works in schools will be valued or respected, and education is crucial to social mobility. 鈥淟eaving before key research takes place on schools also allows that work to happen without my perceived influence.鈥 Call for ‘superhero’ deputy to take the lead Birbalsingh now calls for her deputy Alun Francis, principal at Oldham College, to take over the role. 鈥淗e is utterly brilliant 鈥 a social mobility superhero with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject and without doubt the best person for the job. 鈥淚 have learned an enormous amount doing this important work, and I am sad to go, but I look forward to supporting the work of this amazing team from the outside 鈥 where I won鈥檛 hold it back.鈥