Ofsted has today published detailed figures revealing the scale
of the problem with suspected illegal schools in England.
The data, which has never been published before, shows that
Ofsted has investigated 521 settings, and inspected 259 since
January 2016.
Ofsted estimates that as many as 6,000 children are being
educated in the unregistered settings it has inspected to date.
These children are potentially at risk because there is no formal
external oversight of safeguarding, health and safety or the
quality of education provided.
Almost a quarter (23%) of the settings investigated are in
London, with the rest spread fairly evenly across the country.
Alternative provision is the most common type of setting (28%).
Around a quarter (26%) of the settings are general education
providers, and a fifth (21%) are places of religious instruction.
In total, 71 settings have been issued with a warning notice by
inspectors. Today’s data shows that 15 of those settings have
since closed, while 39 have changed the way they operate in order
to comply with the law, and nine have registered as independent
schools.
An unregistered school is defined as a setting that is operating
as an independent school, without registration. It is a criminal
offence to operate an unregistered independent school in
England.
Ofsted’s Deputy Director in charge of the unregistered schools
taskforce, Victor Shafiee, said:
“We continue to have serious concerns about unregistered schools.
As today’s data shows, this is not simply an issue with faith
settings, nor is it limited to certain areas of the country.
Unregistered schools come in many shapes and sizes, and not all
of them are run with malicious intent. But, all children deserve
the best. These settings deny children a proper education and can
leave them at risk of harm.
“The problem here is first and foremost about safeguarding. Many
of these places are unsafe – with poor facilities and hygiene,
badly trained or untrained staff, who may not have had any
employment checks made on them, and little care for children’s
health and well-being.
“We need to make sure children are safe and receiving a good
education that prepares them for life in modern Britain. Ofsted
will continue to do everything we can to investigate and inspect
unregistered schools, and where necessary we will seek to
prosecute those running them.”
To be required to register as a school, a setting must be
providing full-time education to at least five children of
compulsory school age, or one child who is looked after by the
local authority or has an education, health and care plan. The
setting must operate from a building, and must offer a curriculum
that includes maths and English.
There is currently no legal definition of ‘full-time education’.
The Department for Education (DfE) has issued guidance to say
that 18 hours or more a week is likely to constitute full-time
education. However, some providers circumvent the requirement to
register by operating for 17 hours and 50 minutes per week. By
doing this, they are able operate on the cusp of the law and
avoid scrutiny.
Settings that offer only religious instruction are also able to
evade registration, even though they operate full time and their
pupils do not receive an education anywhere else.
The DfE’s proposal for a register of children not in school is a
welcome first step to help identify and tackle unregistered
schools. However, Ofsted will continue to call for the
legislation to be strengthened, and for additional powers that
would allow inspectors to collect evidence they find in
unregistered schools.
Ofsted’s unregistered school’s taskforce was established in
January 2016 to investigate and inspect suspected illegal
schools. The team receives £1 million of annual funding from the
Department for Education.
