ITV investigation exposes thousands of children at risk in illegal religious schools

Humanists UK has responded to a major ITV News investigation exposing the scale of illegal religious schools in England, warning that thousands of children are still being denied their right to a safe, broad, and balanced education.

Humanists UK supported ITV News throughout its investigation, which was broadcast and published yesterday. It found that children were being taught in unsafe and unsanitary conditions, by unqualified staff, in settings operating beyond proper safeguarding oversight. ITV identified more than 20 suspected illegal schools in London, Leicester, and Manchester, and heard from former pupils who described children leaving these settings unable to properly read, write, or do basic maths.

For over a decade, Humanists UK has led the national campaign for action on illegal faith schools, working closely with former pupils, whistleblowers, current members of closed religious communities, Parliamentarians, Ofsted, and journalists to expose the harm caused by unregistered settings and press for legal reform.

Many illegal religious schools serve a variety of different religious communities, including Muslim, Jewish, and Christian – many of which tend to be fundamentalist, extreme, or isolationist in their outlook. They often exploit loopholes in the law by claiming not to provide full-time education, or by presenting themselves as supplementary religious instruction while in practice providing the only education children receive. Children in these settings can be denied English, maths, science, relationships and sex education, safeguarding protections, and access to wider society.

ITV reported that Ofsted has carried out 1,839 investigations into suspected illegal schools over the last decade, but has secured only a small number of prosecutions. Former Ofsted officials warned that the problem remains far larger than the authorities have been able to uncover, with estimates ranging from 6,000 children in illegal schools to tens of thousands.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act, which became law in April, includes long-awaited measures to strengthen Ofsted’s powers to investigate and close illegal schools, widen the definition of regulated education settings, and create a Children Not in School Register. Humanists UK supported these reforms as they went through Parliament and welcomed their passage into law.

Commenting on the investigation, Humanists UK’s Policy and Campaigns Manager Lewis Young said:

‘This powerful ITV investigation lays bare the appalling reality of illegal religious schools in England. Children in these settings are hidden from view, denied a proper education, and in some cases placed in dangerous and unsanitary conditions.

‘We’re proud to have supported ITV’s investigation. For more than a decade, we have worked with former pupils, Ofsted, and Parliamentarians to warn that loopholes in the law have allowed illegal religious schools to operate with little fear of inspection or prosecution.

‘The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act is a major step forward, and its new powers are the culmination of years of campaigning. Every young person deserves a broad, balanced, and safe education, and – although there remain some questions about how regulations will be applied – the measures agreed by Parliament are important steps toward making sure this becomes a reality.’