Since the implementation of the Prevent strategy, 400 Muslim children under the age of 10 have been referred to the ‘anti-radicalisation’ programme
Earlier this week, Ofsted head Michael Wilshaw confirmed that inspectors can downgrade schools if they feel that the wearing of the niqab – by either teachers or pupils – is impairing learning. Phrased like this, it seems a reasonable policy.
In reality, however, opening the door to penalising the wearing of Islamic dress in this way is deeply worrying.
For a start, it’s unclear exactly why the niqab might be an obstacle to learning. Muslims have been teaching, learning and otherwise communicating wearing the full-face veil for centuries in Islamic countries all around the world.
It’s also unclear why Wilshaw feels the need to single out the niqab: if inspectors feel that learning is being impaired in any way, by any item of dress or obstacle to communication, surely they are able to reflect that in their report without the niqab being specified as a potential reason for an ‘inadequate’ rating.
But this policy is particularly concerning given that it follows a trend in recent weeks and months that has seen the practise, expression or even discussion of Islam in schools as suspicious.
Since the implementation of the ‘Prevent’ strategy, 400 Muslim children under the age of 10 have been referred to the ‘anti-radicalisation’ programme, and new E-safety legislation is forcing schools to install software which tracks the use of words such as ‘Pakistan’, ‘Islam’ and ‘Quran’.
Launching a new ‘Educate against Hate’ website this week which encourages teachers to look out for ‘warning signs’ of radicalisation such as rapid conversion to religion, Education secretary Nicky Morgan admitted that conversion to Christianity ‘of course’ doesn’t count as one such warning sign – showing the clear disparity between the treatment of Christians and Muslims in this country.
When we make young Muslim children feel monitored, isolated and demonised for practising their religion in our schools, we damage irreparably community cohesion, trust and mutual respect. We lose the potential for discussion of difficult but important topics – and opportunities for truly valuable learning. Children in this country are at risk of radicalisation – but we need to tackle this through education, not demonisation.
Indeed, if Michael Wilshaw wants to eliminate barriers to learning in schools, he should perhaps look to the overassessment, rigid focus on examinations and targets, and back-breaking teacher workload which now characterise our education system. Allowing both teachers and pupils to teach, learn – and wear – what they like would do children a world of good.
Sophie van der Ham is co-chair of the Young Greens
95 Responses to “Comment: Ofsted – not the niqab – is impairing learning in schools”
Graham Coupe
I do not agree with you. Israel is no better if not worse than countries like Saudi Arabia.
Dave
Oh dear. The Conservatives have found Labour’s kryptonite.
Labour has to continue to support the Muslims because 25% of their votes come from Muslims. Without those votes Labour is finished for all time. Problem is that 75% of the population detest Muslims. The Conservatives only need to be moderately anti-Islam and it forces Labour to be strongly pro-Islam. This puts Labour on the wrong side of the argument as far as the voters are concerned. The Tories get almost zero votes from Muslims, so there is nothing for them to lose. If they give fundamentalist Muslims a kicking now and then it won’t do them much harm but it will make Corbyn’s obsessive pro-Muslim pro-migrant pro-Palestinian pro-Middle-East stance ever more obvious. All the time that Labour is obsessing over issues that don’t win more votes, they are not spending time on issues that could win votes.
Expect Labour’s vote share to drop well below 25% in 2020. Their white working class vote will drop close to zero.
Fasdunkle
“Muslims have been teaching, learning and otherwise communicating wearing the full-face veil for centuries in Islamic countries all around the world”
I just looked around me, I can’t see anything invented or built by a muslim
Selohesra
You are forgetting the postal votes – they will save Labour’s bacon if you pardon the expression
Stay Puft
Didn’t help them in 2015. Even that won’t help them anymore. Tee-hee!