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
Ofsted to prepare prosecution cases against staff of unregistered religious schools
Posted: Mon, 14 Dec 2015 14:30
Ofsted is preparing prosecution cases against the founders of unregulated religious schools after warning the Government of a "serious and growing threat" to children's safety.
The head of Ofsted had called for a much tougher response to the growth of unregistered religious schools, which he said posed a threat to children's safety and undermine the drive to promote British values in schools, and the Department for Education has confirmed that prosecutions will go ahead for those found to be running illegal religious schools.
In a letter to the education secretary on 11 December, Sir Michael Wilshaw, the head of Ofsted, wrote that there was a threat to children's safety for "hundreds of children in several English regions."
Sir Michael warned that the number of children studying in illegal schools which are not registered was "far higher than is currently known."
Work to ensure that "all maintained and independent schools promote British values" is being "seriously undermined" by the proliferation of unregistered religious schools, Sir Michael said.
In response to the concerns a new team of inspectors has now been commissioned by Ofsted to "focus exclusively on identifying, investigating and supporting the prosecution of those found to be operating unregistered schools."
NSS campaigns manager Stephen Evans commented: "We are very pleased to see the Government taking these concerns from Ofsted seriously. These are issues we have been raising for a very long time.
"Children are being denied a well-rounded and balanced education on a large scale, and it is time their independent interests became everyone's primary consideration.
"The problem is not just one of extremism. Children have a right to education; but instead they are being failed and left to languish in appalling conditions in these so called 'schools' which teach narrow curricula based almost exclusively on religious dogma."
In November three unregistered schools in Birmingham were closed after inspectors carried out no-notice inspections and found a "narrow Islamic-focused curriculum", and "inappropriate books and other texts including misogynistic, homophobic and anti-Semitic material".
As well as concerns about the curricula taught at the sites, Ofsted inspectors found "serious fire hazards, including a blocked fire escape and obstructed exits", "unhygienic and filthy conditions" in one school and that staff were not checked or cleared to work with children.
The three schools were still operating on 30 November and inspectors remained on the sites until "they were satisfied that the settings had ceased operating and alternative arrangements, in registered schools, had been made for all of the children."
Sir Michael blamed Nicky Morgan's officials for providing "confusing and unhelpful advice to the proprietors" of the three unregistered schools which led them to believe that the "could continue to operate, without registration, while their respective applications were submitted and considered."
Further investigations of the schools were announced to "support the prosecutions of the individuals suspected of operating unregistered schools" and the Secretary of State has now tasked Ofsted with preparing prosecutions in eighteen cases.
Cameron announces plans to regulate religious supplementary schools
Posted: Thu, 8 Oct 2015 11:07
Prime Minister David Cameron has announced plans for Ofsted to inspect madrassas and other supplementary religious schools and to close down those that preach "hate".
Delivering his speech to the Conservative Party Conference, Mr Cameron expressed his concern that some supplementary schools are helping to "incubate divisions" within society and announced that if a supplementary school is teaching children for more than eight hours a week then it will be required to register with the Department for Education.
Around 250,000 students attend religious supplementary schools in England alone, and there are thought to be up to 2000 madrasas.
The Prime Minister said, "in some madrasas we've got children being taught that they shouldn't mix with people of other religions; being beaten; swallowing conspiracy theories about Jewish people. These children should be having their minds opened; their horizons broadened, not having their heads filled with poison and their hearts filled with hate."
Some Muslim 'leaders' complained about the allegations and claimed that a "securitised approach" would "feed into a grievance narrative".
The Muslim Council of Britain said: "We would hope that these serious allegations can be substantiated and the evidence brought forward, so that appropriate action can be taken."
The National Secular Society, which has long called for registration and regulation of supplementary schools, cautiously welcomed the Prime Minister's words and said the proposal, if properly and fairly implemented, would be good news for anyone who wants to see a better integrated Britain.
Stephen Evans, NSS campaigns manager, said: "There is clearly a danger in allowing madrassas and other supplementary schools to operate unchecked. There's no good reason why children and young people attending religious educational institutions shouldn't receive the same level of protection as those attending mainstream nurseries and after school clubs.
"Even in religious schools already inspected by Ofsted we've seen numerous examples of narrow hard-line teaching and extremism, including children from Muslim backgrounds being banned for 'socialising with outsiders'.
"There are ample warning signs to indicate that young people attending supplementary schools need to be safeguarded and protected from all forms of harm, including the kind of separatist and intolerant teaching that risks poisoning young minds and causing lasting damage to the fabric of British society."
The move to better regulate supplementary schools, which will include madrassas, Sunday schools and Jewish yeshivas represents a change of heart from the Government, which in 2012 rejected calls from the NSS for better regulation. The then Children & Families Minister, Tim Loughton MP, told the NSS that he was not convinced of any need to regulate such 'schools', despite clear evidence of abuse.
Undercover filming of some madrassas in 2011 revealed the teaching of intolerance towards non-Muslims, criticism of more moderate Muslims, ridicule of other religions and violence against pupils.
Also in 2011, a BBC investigation revealed that over 400 allegations of physical abuse (and 30 of sexual abuse) were made at madrassas in Britain in the preceding three years. A senior prosecutor told the BBC that these figures were likely to represent only the 'tip of an iceberg'. Nazir Afzal, the chief crown prosecutor for the North West of England, said the figures were "a significant underestimate".
In his speech to Conference the Prime Minister insisted that there would be no more "passive tolerance". He said such an approach had turned Britain into a less integrated country and "put our children in danger". He said he wanted people who organise forced marriages to be prosecuted and parents who take their children to have their genitals mutilated to be arrested.
Mr Cameron also used his speech to reiterate his vision of turning every school an academy. However, the National Secular Society warned that plans to take every school in the country out of local authority control was likely to result in religious organisations gaining much greater control of publicly funded education with insufficient accountability.
