At the outset, we were a lone voice, raising the alarm about the thousands of children trapped in illegal faith schools across England. These establishments – which often masquerade as centres for ‘part-time’ tuition – operate full-time, offer little beyond the endless rote learning of scripture in cramped and unsanitary conditions, and tragically, put children at risk of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. We said their neglect was a national scandal, and things must change. 

We supported whistle-blowers to bring their stories to public attention, including one former member of the Charedi Jewish community who described his illegal, unregistered school as having ‘crippled its students by denying them the education which they had a right to receive and preventing them from flourishing into active members of society’ and a member of the Jehovah’s Witness community who said ‘I was left totally unprepared for the real world… and my choices were severely limited’.

Over the years, the campaign secured repeated, high-profile media attention on the issue, from Newsnight to the broadsheet front pages, and prompted the establishment of Ofsted’s unregistered schools team, as well as a council enquiry into unregistered schools in Hackney. In 2022, as a result of our campaign, the Government proposed to legislate to close the legal loopholes that enable illegal schools to operate, and grant Ofsted greater powers to investigate and close them down. Following the change in Government in the autumn of 2022 however, the Schools Bill was dropped, and so these legislative plans were once again up in the air.

Now the new Government is stepping up to the challenge. For the children who are denied a proper education and a brighter future, the King’s Speech this week marked a monumental turning point. The Children’s Wellbeing Bill includes measures to introduce a ‘Children Not in School Register’ and finally grants Ofsted the power it needs to shut down illegal faith schools for good. It’s fantastic news and gratifying to see, after decades of whistle-blowing, our concerns so clearly addressed, and our policies reflected, in the King’s Speech.

Every child, regardless of their background, deserves to learn and grow alongside their peers, develop critical thinking skills, explore their own beliefs freely, and to respectfully learn about the diverse perspectives of their friends and neighbours, too. We are committed to working with the Government to develop and implement these proposals.