Source: Times Online
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article5877732.ece
Independent faith schools are to be investigated by Ofsted over government concerns that some do not teach children how to fit in with British society.
The review will examine the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils at small religious schools. It will look at whether children are learning to distinguish right from wrong, and are being taught to respect the law.
The anouncement by Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, yesterday is thought to be a response to recent criticism of some Muslim schools, or madrassas.
A report from the right-wing think-tank Civitas claimed last month that some Muslim children were being prepared to live in “Muslim enclaves”, distinct from the rest of society.
Mr Balls said: “Some concerns have been raised recently about practice in a small minority of independent faith schools and whether they are effectively preparing pupils for life in wider British society.”
A statement from the Department for Children, Schools and Families said that schools must “provide pupils with a broad general knowledge of public institutions and services in England” and “assist pupils to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures in a way that promotes tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions”.