Thousands of children are languishing in unregistered faith schools.
These schools prioritise fundamentalist religion over the education and welfare of children.
The scandal of unregistered schools must be addressed.
Some religious institutions operate schools which are not registered with the Department for Education, despite this being a legal requirement.
Schools are left unregistered to avoid regulations and inspections, so they can teach a very narrow, religion-based curriculum without oversight. This severely limits children's future options, as children leave these schools with very poor literacy, no formal qualifications and no skills or experience for life in modern Britain.
The lack of scrutiny also presents major safeguarding concerns. Children have been taught in unsafe conditions and subjected to physical punishment in these schools. The curriculum may also teach extremist, regressive and discriminatory dogma.
In 2019, Ofsted estimated as many as 6,000 children were being educated in unregistered settings. But the number could be even higher. Approximately 86,300 children and young people were electively home educated nationally during the year 2019/20. There is little regulation of home education, so many of these children could in fact be attending an unregistered school.
Some unregistered schools exploit loopholes in the law to avoid registration and operate at the margins of the law as an "out of school educational setting". Although many out of school settings, including tuition centres and supplementary schools, provide an excellence service, a minority put children's welfare at risk.
We are working to end the harms caused by unregistered schools by campaigning for greater powers for Ofsted tackle these settings, the elimination of loopholes to force more schools to register, and improved regulation of elective home education.
Take action!
1. Suspect an unregistered school? Report it!
Unregistered schools are illegal and pose a serious threat to children's wellbeing. If you think you know of a possible unregistered school, please report it to the schools inspectorate Ofsted.
If you are aware of children in imminent danger, please call 999 and inform the police.
2. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
3. Join us
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
Extremists exploit lax home schooling laws, police study finds
Posted: Sun, 4 Mar 2018 09:04
Half of 70 known extremists in London removed their children from state schools to educate them at home, according to a Metropolitan Police study.
Details of the study emerged following Friday's conviction of an unqualified teacher, Umar Haque, for plotting up to 30 terrorist attacks in London, the Sunday Times has reported.
As the National Secular Society has previously reported, Umar Haque brainwashed young boys attending the Ripple Road mosque in Barking and made them carry out role-playing sessions where some took the part of police officers and others were jihadists. In one exercise they used imaginary knives to sever a head. Haque also taught at a private Islamic school in Leyton called Lantern of Knowledge.
The Met Police study appears to back up a previous warning from Neil Basu, deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police, that "segregated, isolated communities, unregulated education and home schooling are a breeding ground for future terrorists".
Pressure is growing on the government to tighten lax home education laws. Campaigners, including the NSS, have warned that they are being exploited by religious communities to educate their children in unregistered schools. Illegal schools have been found in Birmingham, Luton and a number of London boroughs. Some have links to extremist organisations, and many have almost no secular or English education. There is also evidence of children being exposed to hate-filled homophobic and misogynistic teaching material in them.
The NSS is supporting a new private member's bill to safeguard children's rights by better regulating home schooling. The Home Education (Duty of Local Authorities) Bill, moved by NSS honorary associate Lord Soley, would institute a duty for local authorities to monitor the educational, physical and emotional development of children receiving home education in England and Wales. It would also require parents to register home-educated children with the local authority. It is due to be debated next month.
The NSS is also calling on the government to better regulate out of school educational settings, such as madrassas and yeshivas, that provide "intensive tuition, instruction or training" where children attend over six hours per week.
A government proposal for a system of registration and inspection of supplementary schools was recently shelved following opposition from the Church of England, which feared the registration of its Sunday schools, despite the fact they would be largely unaffected by the proposals.
At least 350 unregistered schools have been set up across Britain, according to Ofsted, which is calling for strengthened powers to tackle them. Warning notices have been issued to 50 suspected unregistered schools, 38 have closed or ceased to operate illegally and 12 are under criminal investigation. So far no proprietors of illegal schools have been prosecuted.
Robert Halfon MP, chair of the Commons education committee, has said there should be no "grey areas" and is worried about the lack of regulation concerning unregistered schools.
Stephen Evans, National Secular Society chief executive, said: "After years of campaigning, we are finally seeing wide recognition that it is completely unacceptable for British children to be left to languish in unregistered settings where they are indoctrinated by fundamentalists and left exposed to harm.
"There is a balance to be struck between the rights of parents to home educate and the rights of the child to a proper education. But that balance must be struck in order to protect child rights.
"The denial of secular education and the teaching of intolerance and violence in unregistered schools has the clear potential to damage to the minds of young people and cause harm to wider society. The government can no longer look the other way."
Ofsted head: school leaders should promote “muscular liberalism”
Posted: Thu, 1 Feb 2018 13:09
The National Secular Society has welcomed a call from the head of education watchdog Ofsted for head teachers to confront religious extremists who "indoctrinate impressionable minds".
In a speech at the Church of England Foundation for Education Leadership, Amanda Spielman told heads they had a responsibility to "tackle those who actively undermine fundamental British values or equalities law".
Ms Spielman said school leaders should promote "a muscular liberalism" which "holds no truck for ideologies that want to close minds or narrow opportunity". She contrasted this with "a passive liberalism that says 'anything goes' for fear of causing offence".
She said she was concerned that some schools were being used to espouse "extremist ideology" and Ofsted inspectors were increasingly encountering "those who want to actively pervert the purpose of education".
"Under the pretext of religious belief, they use education institutions, legal and illegal, to narrow young people's horizons, to isolate and segregate, and in the worst cases to indoctrinate impressionable minds with extremist ideology."
She added that leaders should not assume "the most conservative voices in a particular faith speak for everyone".
Ms Spielman also put on record her support for the school leaders at St Stephen's primary school in Newham. Last month they were forced to back down from their policy of restricting hijabs and fasting for young children amid a campaign of intimidation.
"Schools must have the right to set school uniform policies as they see fit, in order to promote cohesion. It is a matter of deep regret that this outstanding school has been subject to a campaign of abuse by those who want to undermine the school's position.
"Ofsted will always back heads who take tough decisions in the interests of their pupils."
Ms Spielman also called for "changes to legislation" to give Ofsted more power to regulate out-of-school provision and criticised the Church of England for resisting such changes.
"Some out-of-school settings… operate as illegal schools [and] use the opportunity to… put poison in the minds, hatred in hearts of young people.
"It is a matter of regret that the Church has resisted changes in the law to allow Ofsted to inspect these settings. This is not about infringing religious freedom: no one is proposing a troop of inspectors turning up at Sunday schools. Instead, it is about ensuring that the small minority of settings that promote extremism are not able to evade scrutiny."
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans described Ms Spielman's speech as "a welcome intervention".
"Religious extremists are using schools to narrow children's horizons and indoctrinate them. It is incumbent upon those who set education policy and run schools to resist them.
"We welcome Amanda Spielman's commitment to tackling this problem where it exists and Ofsted's willingness to support school leaders who stand up to fundamentalism. We are also pleased to see her willingness to rebuke the Church of England for its resistance to laws which would help to protect young people in out-of-school settings.
"Fear of offending religious sensibilities is not a good enough reason to let down children."
