Ofsted chief Michael Wilshaw has called on the government to reinstate key stage 3 exams, claiming abolition of tests had allowed standards to drop and has widened the gap between the rich and poor.

The government is set to propose new laws to protect children from attending illegal faith schools in the UK, The Independent has reported.

Exams regulator Ofqual has warned that there is an increasing number of scams taking place in schools by individuals posing as exams officers in order to obtain unseen test papers.

The Charity Commission has launched an inquiry into an Independent Islamic school in Luton run by the Rabia Educational Trust.

Ofsted has admitted that one of its inspectors was wrong to decide not to speak to pupils at a private Muslim girls’ school on the basis that the children were celebrating the religious festival of Eid.

Michael Wilshaw, chief inspector of Ofsted, has warned that investigations have found over 100 illegal schools operating in England, more than previously thought.

According to a review carried out by the Scottish government, new qualifications in the country have resulted in a significant amount of pressure on teachers and pupils.