Private faith schools far more likely to fail basic standards

New figures from Ofsted show that more than one in four private faith schools in England are failing to meet basic legal standards – almost double the rate of other types of private school. In response to the findings, Humanists UK has called for stronger oversight of private faith schools to make sure every pupil receives a good quality of education regardless of the character of the school. 

The figures from Ofsted’s latest report on non-association independent schools (which are inspected by Ofsted rather than the Independent Schools Inspectorate), reveal that 27% of independent faith schools do not meet all of the Independent School Standards (ISS) compared to 15% of other independent schools. The report, which covers the period between 1 September 2024 and 30 September 2025, also found that only 74% of independent faith schools meet standards on quality of education, compared with 87% of other independent schools.

Humanists UK campaigns for stronger regulation and inspection of private schools so as to bring their standards in line with the state sector and guarantee every child’s basic rights to a full and factual education. 

Commenting on the report, Humanists UK Education Campaigns Manager Lewis Young said:

‘It is completely unacceptable that more than one in four independent faith schools are failing to meet the basic legal standards required of them. The fact that faith schools are the weakest performers on the curriculum should ring alarm bells for government ministers and officials.

‘We need stronger oversight, greater transparency, and a firm expectation that all schools – whether of a religious character or not – meet the same robust standards. No school should be able to hide poor education or poor safeguarding behind a religious label.’