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
NSS welcomes plans to safeguard children not in school
Posted: Thu, 3 Feb 2022 14:28
The National Secular Society has welcomed a government announcement that it will create a register for children not in school to help tackle unregistered illegal schools.
The new duty on local authorities to hold a register of children not in school will assist in identifying and supporting where children are not obtaining a suitable education.
The government said the proposed duty, part of broader plans to level up opportunities for every child announced today, will be launched at the "earliest available legislative opportunity".
It is illegal for educational establishments that fit the definition of a 'school' to operate without registering with the Department for Education. Some religious groups may operate unregistered schools in order to prioritise religious inculcation over children's education and welfare needs without scrutiny.
While some local authorities have voluntary registration schemes, they do not have clear records of children who have left or never entered mainstream education, making their safeguarding responsibilities difficult to fulfil. Parents opting for home education are often unaware of, or unable to, access local authority support.
Over 100 unregistered faith 'schools' were investigated in England between January 2016 and August 2019, although there was only one successful prosecution in that time. It is routine for pupils attending such establishments to be claimed to be home schooled.
The NSS has played a critical role in exposing the growing problem of unregistered faith schools and has repeatedly recommended introducing a register for elective home education to help tackle the issue.
It has long worked to raise awareness of some religious groups' use of illegal schools and campaigned to protect the rights of children within them. It supported plans to create a home school register in response to a government consultation in 2019.
NSS comment
NSS head of education Alastair Lichten welcomed the proposals, saying: "Children withdrawn from schools shouldn't be allowed to fall through the cracks into the unregistered sector, where religious inculcation can trump all other concerns."
"Knowing where and how pupils are being officially educated is a reasonable and proportionate measure which will increase safeguarding, prevent abuses and enable more support for genuine home educating families."
Three convicted for running illegal faith school
Posted: Tue, 11 Jan 2022 16:57
Two people and a charity who wanted to operate "under the radar" have pleaded guilty to running an illegal unregistered faith school.
An Ofsted investigation found the Aysha Tuition Centre (ATC) had enrolled up to 28 children full-time, while claiming to be a tuition centre. Deputy Senior District Judge, Tanweer Ikram, found that the defendants in charge "wanted to carry on under the radar without the requirement of regulation".
Settings providing full time education are required to register with the Department for Education (DfE) and adhere to independent school standards.
Some unregistered settings such as tuition centres may be operating illegally due to poor record keeping or ignorance of the law. However, many are ideologically driven to avoid independent school standards which include learning about other religions and beliefs, as well as those with different protected characteristics, and preparing pupils for life in modern Britain.
Chair of trustees Shahjan Yasmin Hussain and manager Dr Shathea Zamzam were sentenced to unpaid work and a community order. The Yorkshire Tuition Centre charitable trust was fined £500.
The ATC operated on the Yorkshire Muslim Academy site, previously home to the Oak Tree High independent Islamic school. The school was deregistered in 2020 for failing the independent school standards, according to Ofsted.
Gathering evidence of settings operating as illegal unregistered schools can be difficult, and Ofsted treat prosecution as a last resort. The inspectorate will normally seek to work with providers to bring unregistered settings into legal compliance first.
Comments
The National Secular Society, which campaigns to protect children's rights in independent and unregistered schools, welcomed the convictions.
Alastair Lichten, head of education at the NSS, said: "After years of inertia, it is welcome to see progress in tackling illegal schools, and those who run them, to the detriment of children's rights. The large number of pupils falling out of the registered education system into unsafe, unregulated, and dogmatic 'schools' is scandalous.
"A joined up, safeguarding led response is necessary to end the menace of unregistered settings operating illegally. Legislation must be strengthened to prevent home education being used as a cover for illegal schools, and to prevent failing registered independent schools re-opening as unregistered settings to avoid scrutiny."
Ofsted Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman said: "This case shows the length some people will go to side-step the law and mislead parents into believing they can provide their children with a good education.
"Many of the children at this illegal school were allegedly being home educated. But in fact they were receiving all of their education at the Centre.
"Cases like this are why I have long called for a register for children who are being home educated – so we can know where they are and that they're getting a good education. We also urgently need legislation to be strengthened so that we can take strong action against illegal schools and close them down."
Notes
- The NSS works to protect children's rights from religious abuses beyond the state education sector including in unregistered, supplemental and independent, faith schools and home education.
- The NSS has played a key role in raising awareness of the problems of unregistered schools, and pushing for improvements in the independent schools standards for registered settings.
- Earlier this month, the Ofsted director charged with clamping down unregistered faith schools warned that the hundreds they know about are only the "tip of the iceberg".
- Last year the NSS welcomed a new government service allowing the public to report unregistered schools.
