Ofsted's Chief Inspector has backtracked on comments which revealed plans for government regulation of Sunday schools.
Sir Michael Wilshaw told LBC radio, in January, that: "The government… wants Sunday schools, and wants Madrassas and after-school clubs to be registered…. We will not be inspecting every one of them – but we will know that they exist.".
Sir Michael went on: "If there are concerns… if whistle-blowers do tell us that there’s an issue, then we will go in and inspect."
But in a Parliamentary session on Multi-Academy Trusts, Sir Michael has now said he no longer stands by those comments.
In response to a question by Conservative MP Michelle Donelan, Sir Michael Wilshaw said: "Well... ummm..... no, I don’t stand by that comm (laughter) comment. It... it was something I said on a radio programme..."
He added: "...It just seemed to me that if there was a concern about supplementary schools and after school settings, then one could not identify one particular religious group for that. It’s an, it’s an issue for the nation is that – how you.. uuh.. deal with this in an even-handed and fair way."
Ms Donelan pressed the Ofsted chief further, saying that the registration and inspection of settings such as Sunday schools would be problematic and require significant resources.
"You would have to be training inspectors to have a detailed understanding of each religion", she said.
Sir Michael Wilshaw will be replaced as Ofsted’s Chief Inspector by Amanda Spielman when his tenure comes to a close later this year.
Worrying implications
As part of its broader ‘Counter-Extremism Strategy’, the government had proposed that 'out-of-school education settings' that provide "intensive education" for more than six to eight hours in a week will be required to register and undergo regular inspection.
Ministers had insisted that these measures would not target Christian youth activities such as Sunday schools. However, while it is unclear what ‘out-of-school settings’ the government has in mind it is not impossible to imagine that this could be extended to include Sunday schools, after-school clubs or residential events.
Christian Concern has assembled a free resource which takes a brief look at some of the fundamental problems with the government’s ‘Counter-Extremism Strategy’ and identifies a number of worrying implications, especially for Christian freedoms.
Strong opposition from Christian groups
Christian groups CARE, Christian Concern, Evangelical Alliance, Lawyers' Christian Fellowship and The Christian Institute have issued joint statements over both English and the more recent Welsh government proposals to register and inspect church youth work.
Opposition from MPs
MPs have also highlighted their opposition to the proposals. In January a number of prominent Conservative MPs, including Fiona Bruce and David Burrowes, wrote to the Daily Telegraph, highlighting the risk to Christian teaching in the UK:
"This would be an intolerable but very real possibility given the clear desire of the Department for Education to investigate what it calls 'prohibitive activities', such as 'undesirable teaching…which undermines or is incompatible with fundamental British values'. This could challenge established Christian teaching.
"Threats to British values originate overwhelmingly from certain strains of Islam. It is at least disproportionate, if not absurd, to impose intrusive burdens on all other religious groups under the pretence that attempts at radicalisation could be discovered in any organisation."
During a parliamentary debate on the proposed regulation of ‘out-of-school settings’ several representatives raised concerns over the plans, describing the scheme as "illiberal" and "statist".
Related Links:
Christian charities urge opposition to government plans for registration and inspection of church youth work
Watch Sir Michael Wilshaw backtrack on plans to regulate Sunday schools
Schools could be banned for Biblical teaching of marriage say MPs
Ofsted chief should resign says senior MP