MPs on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill Committee debated and passed the clauses that would enable the inspection and closing of illegal faith schools. MPs heard how an expanded list of offences, granting Ofsted increased powers of entry, and new mechanisms to access warrants to investigate unregistered schools would enable illegal faith schools to be identified and criminal cases brought against them.
These new powers and legislative clauses are the culmination of Humanists UK’s decade-long campaign to close illegal faith schools. Now confirmed in the Bill at Committee Stage, they will form part of the Bill that goes forward to Report Stage and then, if passed, onto the House of Lords for further scrutiny.
The Minister for Early Education, Stephen Morgan, explained how the Bill will tackle the issue of unregistered schools and those who run them:
‘The measures strike the correct balance of ensuring that Ofsted can fulfil its statutory function of identifying criminal behaviour in connection with illegal, unregistered schools and so better protect children who may be attending unsafe settings, while providing oversight and scrutiny of the use of the most intrusive powers.
‘Clause 32 contains the criminal sentences available against those who are found to be running an unregistered school. Clause 36 will make it easier to identify such people and build a prosecution against them. Those who have conducted an unregistered school have demonstrated their unsuitability for future roles overseeing children’s education. Clause 32 provides the court with a power to prevent such people from holding that responsibility in future.’
Lizzi Collinge MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group (APPHG), set out her support for the measures:
‘Illegal settings have been the scene of widespread neglect and abuse—sometimes serious sexual abuse—and the powers of entry and for a court to prevent someone who has been convicted of running an illegal school from ever doing it again are very important.’
But she also raised an important point about defining independent educational institutions as providing full-time education in legislation:
‘I worry that we might create a situation in which illegal schools could get around the legislation by going part-time. Will the Minister consider that and perhaps whether, once this legislation has settled in, there may be a need for action on part-time settings?’
The Minister responded saying he would write to Lizzi Collinge on the issues she raised.
Commenting on the debate, Humanists UK’s Education Campaigns Manager Kieran Aldred said:
‘The support of MPs on the Committee to close illegal faith schools is very welcome. The increased powers for Ofsted to inspect and build a criminal case against these dangerous and dogmatic settings are vital for keeping children safe.
‘We particularly welcome Lizzi Collinge raising a potential loophole that illegal faith schools could exploit by going “part-time” to avoid inspection. We hope that the Government will consider this risk seriously and work to ensure that no illegal faith school can slip by undetected.’
Notes
For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 0203 675 0959.
Read more about our work on illegal faith schools.
Read the Committee sitting transcript.
Read the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
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