undoubtedly true and in schools encouraging husbands to beat – books we’ve found displayed their wives are a sorry testament to this that there are segments of particular faiths who are – determined to use our schools to promote beliefs and practices that are an anathema to British values. If we are to tackle this practice effectively, we will require changes to legislation to give us better powers. In both state and independent schools, we are supported by the Equality Act and school one of our greatest areas of concern is what is happening ‘Independent standards’. But, under the radar in so-called out-of-school provision. Out-of-school provision is a mainstay of the work of the church; indeed it is hard to think of a more British institution than a Sunday school. Similar positive activity groups exist in other faiths, providing extra-curricular activities, language training and spiritual instruction. I have no doubt they provide an enriching experience to the young people who attend them. But some other out-of-school settings operate less benignly. These institutions, some of which operate as illegal schools, use the opportunity to in the words – of the former Prime Minister put in the minds, hatred in of young people. They – ‘poison hearts’ need to be tackled. That is why I am afraid to say 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. If we are to protect many of the tenets that the Church holds dear, we need the power to tackle those trying to use education to undermine them. None of that should detract from what I started this speech by recognising, and that is the major and very positive contribution that church schools play in our educational landscape. A contribution that looks set to continue through your investment in creating the next generation of empowered leaders through the Leadership Foundation. I very much look forward to seeing how it evolves in the years to come, and perhaps seeing a future occupant of my office who has passed through your leadership training schemes. All that remains for me to say is to keep it up and to wish you well for a successful conference. Published 1 February 2018
undoubtedly true – and books we’ve found displayed in schools encouraging husbands to beat their wives are a sorry testament to this – that there are segments of particular faiths who are determined to use our schools to promote beliefs and practices that are an anathema to British values. If we are to tackle this practice effectively, we will require changes to legislation to give us better powers. In both state and independent schools, we are supported by the Equality Act and ‘Independent school standards’. But, one of our greatest areas of concern is what is happening under the radar in so-called out-of-school provision. Out-of-school provision is a mainstay of the work of the church; indeed it is hard to think of a more British institution than a Sunday school. Similar positive activity groups exist in other faiths, providing extra-curricular activities, language training and spiritual instruction. I have no doubt they provide an enriching experience to the young people who attend them. But some other out-of-school settings operate less benignly. These institutions, some of which operate as illegal schools, use the opportunity to – in the words of the former Prime Minister – put ‘poison in the minds, hatred in hearts’ of young people. They need to be tackled. That is why I am afraid to say 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. If we are to protect many of the tenets that the Church holds dear, we need the power to tackle those trying to use education to undermine them. None of that should detract from what I started this speech by recognising, and that is the major and very positive contribution that church schools play in our educational landscape. A contribution that looks set to continue through your investment in creating the next generation of empowered leaders through the Leadership Foundation. I very much look forward to seeing how it evolves in the years to come, and perhaps seeing a future occupant of my office who has passed through your leadership training schemes. All that remains for me to say is to keep it up and to wish you well for a successful conference. Published 1 February 2018
hm_chief_inspector_amanda_spielman_discusses_diversity.docx