Pupils at risk from attending unregistered schools, Ofsted warns

The inspectorate has called for greater powers to intervene in these illegal schools after finding more than 800 pupils across 15 different unregistered schools.

Unregulated schools have used loopholes involving home study clubs as a way of avoiding regulation, and many of them were considered faith schools with an emphasis on Islamic and Jewish religious study.

Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw has said that some children were being educated in ‘squalid conditions’, with some segregating the teaching of male and female pupils.

In a letter to Nicky Morgan, Wilshaw has called on the Education Secretary to take urgent action to prevent these schools from operating.

The letter reads: “The fact that these so-called schools are unregistered means that they are hidden from the view of local authorities, the Department for Education (DfE)and Ofsted. It is vital, therefore, that when we do identify such illegal activity, the full force of the law is brought to bear on these institutions to stop them operating without delay.”

Morgan responded by saying that while ‘robust steps to tackle unregistered schools’ had been taken, she agreed with Wilshaw that ‘more needs to be done’.

Labour's shadow Education Secretary, Lucy Powell, said: "It is hard to fathom why arrangements for closing down unregistered schools remain inadequate and swift action on this issue has not been taken.

"With children at risk of being exposed to harm, exploitation or undue influences, more inertia from this government simply isn't good enough."

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