Ofsted does not want to inspect Sunday schools, but will do it if the government asks, the head of the education watchdog has told MPs.
A visibly uneasy Sir Michael Wilshaw told the Education Select Committee in mid-June that he ‘no longer stood by’ his previous comment that Sunday schools should be registered and inspected.
He also sidestepped a question about how Ofsted could train inspectors to have a detailed understanding of every religion. The government has consulted on giving Ofsted legal power to investigate any setting in England that provides instruction to children for more than six to eight hours in any week.
Appearing before MPs on the Education Select Committee, Sir Michael said about Ofsted: ‘We inspect enough. We don’t want to inspect more.’
Questioned in detail
He was questioned in detail by Michelle Donelan, the MP for Chippenham, about whether he stood by comments he made in January on LBC radio. At the time, he gave his support for registering and inspecting Sunday schools. Appearing embarrassed by the situation, the Ofsted chief said: ‘I don’t stand by that comment. It was something I said on a radio programme.’
The government had consulted on giving Ofsted legal power to investigate any setting in England that provides instruction to children for more than six hours in any week. The consultation closed in January, but the government has not yet responded.
The Times reported a ‘senior Whitehall source’ as saying that while the requirement to register has been dropped, it still means that Ofsted can go in if there is reasonable cause.
