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UK News

MP calls for Ofsted chief to be sacked over Sunday school inspections

by Antony Bushfield

It comes after Sir Michael warned every Sunday school would be at risk of inspection.

In a radio interview last week the chief inspector appeared to contradict the government when he said all Sunday schools would have to register.

He said Ofsted would have to be "even handed" in the way it treated the new inspections, which are designed to tackle extremism.

Now Sir Gerald Howarth is calling on him to be sacked, saying Ofsted should focus on Islamic institutions.

"You cannot be even handed about people who present no threat to this country at all and people who present a very real and present threat", he told the Telegraph.

"It will be Sir Michael and his officials who will decide whether to engage in regulation of Sunday schools which is absurd.

"Unless Sir Michael publicly renounces an intention to investigate Sunday schools, the minsters must sack him - he must go.

"We cannot have an Ofsted inspector behaving in this high handed and draconian fashion."

A debate on the proposed new laws will be held on Wednesday.

An Ofsted spokesman said: "Ofsted has absolutely no intention of intervening in Sunday school teaching.

"The government's consultation on plans for the registration and inspection of out-of-school settings ended last week. Ofsted will act according to whatever criteria are set down by Parliament once any legislation that follows this consultation exercise is enacted.

"We have no current powers to inspect these type of settings unless we have cause to believe they are operating illegally as unregistered schools. Nor are we seeking any additional powers other than those that Parliament may decide to give us.

"In responding to a question on this matter during a live radio phone-in, Chief Inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw was simply seeking to make clear that Ofsted would apply any new rules on the registration and inspection of supplementary schools in a consistent and proportionate way.

"Sir Michael looks forward to the opportunity to give this reassurance next week when he meets the Members of Parliament and the Secretary of State."

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