Illegal faith schools a ‘growing menace’ in England

Some schools ‘actively working against British values,’ says education watchdog

LONDON: Children being educated illegally in unregistered faith schools are left “unprepared for life in modern Britain,” according to a report published this week by England education watchdog Ofsted.

The findings highlight a need for greater powers to tackle the creation of illegal schools operating off the radar and protect “young people who are being exposed to extreme views,” said Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector.

Faith settings account for the majority of illegal schools in the UK, according to the report. “Tensions between belief systems and British values create a motivation for some communities to try avoiding the educational and safeguarding standards that are expected of schools,” it said.

Speaking to Arab News, Ofsted regional director for London Mike Sheridan said that while the vast majority of faith schools provide a good education, some of those inspected fell short of new education standards introduced in recent years.

“These tend to be the religiously conservative and ultra-conservative schools struggling to separate their religious beliefs and practices from British values and requirements under the British equalities act,” he said.

Then there are others operating illegally, which “are not only ignoring but actively working against British values,” Sheridan added.

Sheridan described “worrying findings” in some unregulated institutions, where students are “not being prepared to live in British society and not being taught a curriculum that prepares them for their future.”

Classes are often focused purely on religious doctrine, he continued, adding that some of the teachers are “people you wouldn’t want to be teaching your children.” In addition, building standards sometimes fall short, with inspectors reporting “squalid” conditions.

Stephen Evans, chief executive of the National Secular Society said that unregistered and illegal schools are an “endemic problem” and “a growing menace.”

“All schools in all sectors should prepare pupils for life in modern Britain by giving them a good understanding of the basic values that underpin a free, equal and tolerant society,” he said.

“Too many religious schools are failing their pupils by shielding them from the social realities of modern life and preparing them only for life in insular religious communities.”

The report described a sharp decline in standards for independent faith schools, with almost half of those inspected considered less than good and more than a quarter deemed inadequate.

This decline was partly attributed to schools failing to meet new standards introduced by the Department of Education in 2014 and 2015, as well as an increase in the number of faith schools inspected by Ofsted, which covers schools in England.

“We’re not asking people to change their religious beliefs; what we’re asking people to do is have a tolerant understanding of different ways of living that are acceptable in Great Britain,” Sheridan said.

A significant variation between faith groups was noted, with six percent of the 140 Muslim schools inspected rated as outstanding, 35 percent as good, 30 percent as requiring improvement and 28 percent as inadequate.

Among the 110 Christian schools surveyed, the scores were 14 percent, 52 percent, 15 percent and 18 percent respectively, while 60 Jewish schools averaged 2 percent, 45 percent 16 percent and 38 percent respectively.