Schools watchdog chief denies Ofsted has anti-Christian agenda

The chief inspector of schools has been forced to deny that Ofsted had a political agenda against Christian schools after he came under fire from MPs following damning reports by inspectors for two free schools.

MPs on the Commons education select committee said they had been inundated with emails from parents who were furious about Ofsted’s findings and inspectors’ questioning of children.

Labour MP Alex Cunningham said one parent claimed her daughter had been asked whether she was a virgin. The headteacher of one of the schools has also accused Ofsted of asking inappropriate questions regarding lesbianism and transexuality.

“Some parents are claiming there seems to be a political agenda – that Ofsted have got it in for Christian schools,” said Cunningham.

The hearing followed education secretary Nicky Morgan’s announcement to parliament last week that Durham free school, which has a Christian ethos, would have its funding terminated after it was ranked inadequate by Ofsted. A day later, Grindon Hall Christian school in Sunderland was branded inadequate and put into special measures after Ofsted accused the school’s leadership of not adequately safeguarding pupils and failing to tackle “prejudice-based bullying”.

Wilshaw, who was headteacher at a Catholic school, vehemently denied that Ofsted had an anti-Christian agenda. “Absolutely not. We’re going into schools in Birmingham, Bradford, Luton, Tower Hamlets with children from predominantly Asian heritage, predominantly Muslim. We’re failing those schools and putting them into special measures. We’re saying tough things because they’re not promoting British values, they’re narrowing the curriculum. We’re going to apply exactly those principles to all schools.”

Wilshaw denied inspectors had used inappropriate language or terminology when talking to children. “We found no evidence to suggest that inspectors used inappropriate language or terminology to these children,” he said. “These two schools are doing badly. Parents deserve better.”

Parents at Grindon Hall say Ofsted’s findings are inaccurate. Their children will visit parliament next week to hand in letters in support of the school. “Parents always try to support their school,” Wilshaw told the committee.

The MPs heard that Ofsted received 412 complaints about school inspections last year, and 26 inspection grades were changed as a result.

The chief inspector was also asked about lessons learned from the Trojan horse affair, which involved allegations that hardline Muslims tried to gain control of a number of schools in Birmingham. Wilshaw said intelligence about what was happening on the ground was better, but schools affected were struggling to recruit staff. Without better leadership and staffing, problems could re-emerge.

“Additional funding should be found so we can recruit good people to those schools very quickly,” he said. “Unless that happens, those people who have gone to ground, who want to exploit the situation, will do so.”

Wilshaw said inspecting how British values were taught was “one of the most important things we are doing at the moment. Schools, particularly in monocultural areas, are on the frontline in terms of helping our society to become a cohesive one.”