Ofsted chief ’s warning of extremism risk to schools

SCHOOLS must not allow minority groups with a “sense of religious or cultural entitlement” to dictate their policies on the wearing of hijabs or what is taught to pupils, the head of Ofsted will warn today.

Amanda Spielman believes a “worrying” trend has seen head teachers put under pressure by groups who expect their views to be decisive in how the school operates, “whether or not that members of that group constitute the majority of a school’s intake”.

The chief inspector of Ofsted urges head teachers to take control by stepping up their efforts to promote British values so that children learn the values of democracy and civil society, rather than allowing extremist groups to fill the vacuum.

Ms Spielman will use a speech to the Policy Exchange think tank to say that as society becomes more fragmented, schools have a crucial role to play in teaching children what it means to be a British citizen. She will say that for

some children, “school may be the only time in their lives that they spend time every day with people from outside their immediate ethnic or religious group, or at least where the values of people outside their own group can be explained and openly discussed”.

She will add that: “Islamist extremists – particularly fuelled by the online

‘School may be the only time they spend with people from outside their immediate ethnic or religious group’

propaganda of Daesh and others – prey on a sense of isolation and alienation in some minority communities.”

British schoolchildren have run away to join Islamic State fighters in Syria, including several teenage girls who have become “jihadi brides”.

She will argue that is absolutely right that Ofsted addresses these concerns, and to warn against ducking difficult debates.