Mick Hartley

A number of faith schools – Muslim and Christian – are to have their own inspectorate, independent of Ofsted:

The government has approved the setting up of a new independent inspectorate which will mean the schools involved will not be checked by Ofsted.

The body – called The Bridge Schools Inspectorate – will check 110 schools in the Christian Schools Trust and in the Association of Muslim Schools.

The government says the new service will contribute to community cohesion.

From the Telegraph:

The decision comes despite concerns some private Muslim schools are already failing to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.

Barry Sheerman, the chairman of the Commons schools select committee, told MPs last month local councils were finding it “difficult to know what is going on in some faith schools – particularly Muslim schools”.

But religious leaders defended the move, saying the curriculum and religious traditions in faith schools demand specialist knowledge.

There’s concern about “what is going on in some faith schools – particularly Muslim schools”. So – the obvious solution – we abandon independent inspections and let them get on with it, in the name of “community cohesion”.

This is not a good idea.