Excerpt:
The headmistress at a leading Church of England school where nine out of ten pupils are Muslim has criticised the chief of Ofsted for claiming that pupils face the threat of “indoctrination” by extremists.
In February Amanda Spielman, head of Ofsted, said that religious fundamentalists were trying to pervert the education system by putting pressure on schools over policies. She made the comments as she supported a primary school in London that banned girls from wearing the hijab to the anger of some in the local Muslim community.
Debbie Westwood, headmistress of Christ Church in Birmingham, a Church of England school nominated for primary of the year, said that Ms Spielman’s comments were unhelpful, especially for schools such as hers in areas with large Muslim communities where staff have worked successfully with parents to promote cohesion.