Sentences with phrase «unregistered schools»

Thousands of children are being taught in unregistered schools across England, many more than previously thought, Ofsted's chief inspector has said.

«We always support Ofsted, local authorities and the police in tackling unregistered schools, which are illegal and unsafe.»

The letter said: «The evidence they have gathered so far during this short period firmly reinforces my belief that there are many more children hidden away from the view of the authorities in unregistered schools across the country than previously thought.»

Last September Ofsted launched an investigation into unregistered schools at the request of the Department for Education (DfE).

«We are devoting quite a bit of resource to prosecuting and closing down unregistered school settings where there are at least five pupils or one child with SEN and it's essentially full time education,» said Gibb.

«A small minority of unregistered schools seek to evade regulation altogether and operate unlawfully.

Powell commented: «Ministers have a basic responsibility to ensure that children are kept safe, and yet despite warning after warning, they have dragged their feet on this very serious issue, leaving children in unregistered schools where they could be in harm's way.

Spielman said she was determined to continue investigating unregistered schools and added: «We will do everything we can to make sure they comply with the law or are closed.»

Ofsted has warned that a number of young people are at «significant risk of harm» from attending unregistered schools across the country.

Ofsted has been closing unregistered schools while councils have called for powers to enter houses and other premises

Ms Morgan has already announced a crackdown on unregistered schools and «weekend madrassas» after some were found to be promoting extremist ideology.

Ofsted said it is currently working on 152 cases of suspected unregistered schools.

The Charity Commission has played down rumours it is taking a stronger stance on safeguarding at private and unregistered schools after opening more investigations in the past four...

In the past month alone, seven unregistered schools with more than 400 children had been identified, Sir Michael told BBC Radio 4's PM programme.

Spielman is due to face questions about unregistered schools from MPs when she appears in front of the parliamentary education committee this morning.

«As a result, many children are dropping off the radar or ending up in illegal, unregistered schools for months or years, where they are at risk of being exposed to harm, exploitation, or the influence of extremist ideologies.»

Inspectors over the past 18 months have identified 286 seemingly unregistered schools across England.

The inspectorate has called for greater powers to intervene in these illegal schools after finding more than 800 pupils across 15 different unregistered schools.

Labour's shadow Education Secretary, Lucy Powell, said: «It is hard to fathom why arrangements for closing down unregistered schools remain inadequate and swift action on this issue has not been taken.

I will continue to do all that I can to identify and inspect unregistered schools.»

«I have now asked Ofsted to prepare cases for prosecution against unregistered schools it has identified.

In a letter to education secretary Nicky Morgan, the Ofsted chief inspector outlined how the inspectorate had uncovered 15 unregistered schools serving 800 pupils since September last year, but no individual had ever been prosecuted for running such an institution.

Morgan responded by saying that while «robust steps to tackle unregistered schools» had been taken, she agreed with Wilshaw that «more needs to be done».

A spokesperson for the DfE claimed that steps were already being taken to crack down on such institutions, including an escalation of Ofsted investigations into unregistered schools, additional specialist inspectors, tougher prosecution measures and teaming up with local authorities to identify any settings of concern.

When asked what role unregistered provision should play in the education system, Gibb said it was important to distinguish between an «unlawful» unregistered school setting and an out - of - school setting, like a garage where a child goes one day a week to learn a vocational skill.

A Department for Education spokesman said: «We have given new resources to Ofsted to investigate unregistered schools, and to prepare case files for prosecution by the CPS.

Controversies regarding ultra-orthodox Jewish schools have also been rife, with the government called to act on the up to 1,500 boys currently estimated to attend unregistered schools.

But Sir Michael is calling on the education secretary for greater urgency in closing unregistered schools and in the response of councils and the Department for Education.

Government failure to legislate on unregistered schools «baffling», says Hackney council report

In a letter to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, Sir Michael said his team of seven experienced inspectors, working closely with DfE officials, had identified more than 100 suspected unregistered schools across the country since January.

The Charity Commission has played down rumours it is taking a stronger stance on safeguarding at private and unregistered schools after opening more investigations in the past four months than in the last two years combined.

Lucy Powell, Labour's shadow education secretary, commenting on the investigations, said: «Ministers have a basic responsibility to ensure that children are kept safe, and yet despite warning after warning, they have dragged their feet on this very serious issue, leaving children in unregistered schools where they could be in harm's way.

He said DfE staff had recently requested «further support» from Ofsted for building the «necessary legal case» to prosecute operators of unregistered schools, and pledged his «full support», adding: «All schools must be registered or closed down.»

Shadow education secretary Lucy Powell added: «Ministers have a basic responsibility to ensure that children are kept safe, and yet despite warning after warning, they have dragged their feet on this very serious issue, leaving children in unregistered schools where they could be in harm's way.

«The evidence they have gathered so far during this short period firmly reinforces my belief that there are many more children hidden away from the view of the authorities in unregistered schools across the country than previously thought,» he said.

In a letter to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, Wilshaw outlined that a team of seven experienced Ofsted inspectors working closely with DfE officials had identified over 100 unregistered schools.

Many are charging parents thousands of pounds to send their children to these unregistered schools.»

The news comes after Wilshaw announced a crackdown on illegal and unregistered schools, with the investigation revealing the majority of such schools were Islamic or Jewish.

The push for tougher legal action comes as three unregistered schools were discovered in Birmingham in recent weeks.

Any establishment offering more than 20 hours a week of teaching is legally obliged to be registered as a school, and now anyone running an unregistered school could face up to 51 weeks in prison.

Morgan has directed Ofsted to draw up a legal cases for all 18 unregistered schools it has discovered, setting a precedent for future cases, in bid for tighter regulation.

Anyone found running an unregistered school in England is to face prosecution, with a possible prison sentence, according to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan.

He also suggested that some of these pupils will have left mainstream state schools and become pupils in unregistered schools.

The news comes following Ofsted's warning that more pupils were being taught in unregistered schools, which were not inspected or vetted by any formal accountability.

Although Timpson maintained that «robust steps» were being taken to tackle unregistered schools, Labour MP and Shadow Education Secretary Lucy Powell has accused ministers of «dragging their feet».

«All these institutions have been warned that it is a criminal offence to operate as an unregistered school.

We have taken robust steps to tackle unregistered schools and improve safeguarding which includes being clear it is a criminal offence to operate an unregistered independent school.

A spokesperson for the DfE said: «Unregistered schools are illegal and unsafe — and we are taking unprecedented and direct action against them across the board to protect children, inform parents and support teachers.