Sir Michael Wilshaw, head of British education standards body Ofsted, has denied that it has an anti-Christian agenda after he faced criticism from MPs on the House of Commons select committee on education.
MPs on the committee said they had been inundated with emails from parents who were furious after Ofsted issued damning reports on two schools with a Christian ethos, saying that they failed to uphold British values and to “prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.”
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Labour MP Alex Cunningham said one parent claimed her daughter had been asked whether she was a virgin. The headteacher of one of the schools has also accused Ofsted of asking inappropriate questions regarding lesbianism and transexuality.
“Some parents are claiming there seems to be a political agenda – that Ofsted have got it in for Christian schools,” said Cunningham.
The hearing followed education secretary Nicky Morgan’s announcement to parliament last week that Durham free school, which has a Christian ethos, would have its funding terminated after it was ranked inadequate by Ofsted. A day later, Grindon Hall Christian school in Sunderland was branded inadequate and put into special measures after Ofsted accused the school’s leadership of not adequately safeguarding pupils and failing to tackle “prejudice-based bullying”.
Grindon Hall was strongly criticised by the Ofsted Report on its academic performance as well as for failing to conform to new regulations on British values. But the release of the exam league tables showed that the school achieved the best A Level results of any school in the Sunderland area.
In a formal complaint to Ofsted, Grindon Hall School Principal Chris Gray said that inspectors had sought to discredit the school because of its Christian ethos.
In a statement, Mr Gray drew attention to a paragraph in the draft report which is missing from the final version.
It read: “The Christian ethos of the school permeates much of the school’s provision. This has restricted the development of a broad and balanced approach to the curriculum.”
According to Mr Gray this statement reveals “unwarranted skepticism on the part of the inspection team” about the school’s Christian ethos.
He also said: “The questioning by inspectors makes clear that their idea of a balanced curriculum is for us to force pupils to celebrate non-Christian religious festivals. This would breach our Christian foundation which stipulates that we are a Christian school. It would certainly offend against the consciences of many of our staff, pupils and parents. No one should be told by a government official to celebrate any religion. Learn about it, yes. Celebrate its festivals, no.”
Colin Hart, Director of The Christian Institute, responded to Mr Gray’s statement saying: “For Ofsted to give the best performing state school in the area its worst possible rating defies common sense.
“Removing a statement slamming the school’s Christian ethos from their final report tells us all we need to know about what is really behind the downgrading of the school.”
Sir Michael denied the allegations. “We found no evidence to suggest that inspectors used inappropriate language or terminology to these children,” he said. “These two schools are doing badly. Parents deserve better.”
But parents at Grindon Hall have also pushed back on Ofsted’s claim that the school allowed discrimination and bullying.
Speaking to the BBC after a meeting where hundreds of parents discussed the Oftsted report, one mother said that Ofsted’s claims of racism and homophobia were “just incredible”.
She spoke of a parent who stood up at the meeting and described how their child had been bullied in five different schools because they were thought to be gay.
She added: “They’ve come to our school and it’s the only school they’ve never been bullied at for being gay.”
The Christian Institute also reports that Rabbi Nathaniel Lieberman, an Ofsted Inspector since 2009, told a meeting of Jewish primary school teachers that the schools’ regulator has “an agenda to knock down our schools”.