January 2005
Faith schools’ fury at Ofsted heritage row

Recorder, Thursday, January 27, 2005 www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk

SCHOOLS and Islamic groups have fiercely rejected claims by an Ofsted chief that independent faith schools do little to promote a "common heritage".

The comments, made by David Bell, the chief inspector for schools in England, were shunned by the Ilford branch of the Islamic Society of Britain as "highly irresponsible".

Mr Bell’s speech outlined a need for citizenship lessons in all schools with an emphasis on independent faith schools, saying: "I worry that many young people are being educated in faith-based schools, with little appreciation of their wider responsibilities and obligations to British society".

Someera Butt, headteacher of independent Muslim School, Al-Noor, Green Lane, Goodmayes, appealed for Mr Bell to visit her school.

She said: "I’m really very surprised and deeply upset by his comments, which I feel are very unhelpful, unfair and untrue. I would invite Mr Bell to visit our school to see for himself what we are achieving. I’m proud of what we are doing here to produce responsible, rounded individuals who fulfil their wider social obligations as part and parcel of being good Muslims.

"I would strongly argue that it is precisely because faith-based schools produce more responsible citizens that parents choose to send their children to us.

"We work hard to prepare our children for the world.

"We work with other schools and have speakers in regularly, such as from the police service, to highlight and teach social norms and duties." Ofsted said it would welcome a request in writing to Mr Bell, who would try to fit Al-Noor into his busy schedule.

Inayat Bunglawala, Redbridge spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "Only three per cent of Muslim children attend Muslim faith schools so to be singled out as a threat to ‘our coherence as a nation’ is highly irresponsible.

"State-funded Muslim schools and many independents are now outperforming the state sector. We acknowledge a problem with poorly resourced schools but this is a problem for many schools regardless of faith." Roz Levin, headteacher at the Ilford Jewish Primary School, Carlton Drive, Barkingside, said: "We teach the respect of other cultures as well as the fact that they are British citizens.

Citizenship lessons are a very important part of our curriculum. I think Mr Bell’s comments were totally wrong." Mark Poulter, deputy head at St Aidan’s Catholic Primary School, Benton Road, Ilford, said: "Catholic schools have traditionally had an excellent record of teaching, academically and socially. We try very hard to educate children about tolerance for different cultural and religious beliefs. I completely disagree with David Bell’s comments."