The head of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman has warned that religious extremists are “preventing” by using schools to not let children broaden their horizons as well as isolating them from wider society.
Amanda Spielman suggested that community leaders and some parents allegedly see schools as a platform to “indoctrinate impressionable minds with extremist ideology”.
She has also called on headteachers to “tackle those who actively undermine fundamental British values”.
Recently, the headteacher of the top primary school in England, Neena Lall was compared to Adolf Hitler in a video on social media, circulated by community leaders and parents. This is due to the head of St Stephen's primary school in East London, Neena Lall's decision to ban girls under the age of 8 wearing the hijab on school premises. This caused an outrage among some parents and Muslim community leaders. Councillors had also protested against the ban, and accused Neena Lall of undermining the freedom to practice their religion, while also stressing that it was up to parents how they decide to dress and raise their children. Ultimately, the ban was removed due to the fury.
In a move that may seem rather unusual, Ofsted inspectors arrived at the top primary school to check on the welfare of staff and pupils, as well as to show solidarity with Neena Lall.
In her speech at a Church of England schools conference, Amanda Spielman stated that it was a matter of “deep regret, that St Stephen's was subjected to “a campaign of abuse by some elements within the community”. She also stated that headteachers must have a right to decide the school's uniform policy.
She said, “Rather than adopting a passive liberalism, that says 'anything goes' for fear of causing offence, school leaders should be promoting a muscular liberalism. It means not assuming that the most conservative voices in a particular faith speak for everyone – imagine if people thought the Christian Institute were the sole voice of Anglicanism. And it means schools must not be afraid to call out practices, whatever their justification, that limit young people's experiences and learning.”
