A private school in East London has allegedly been the site of Islamic extremism according to Ofsted.

Sir John Cass Red Coat School has been the latest of six schools where children are at risk of being exposed to extremist views and radicalisation. The secondary school is one of six recently sent into special measures in the Tower Hamlets area alone, including Ebrahim Academy, the East London Islamic School, Jamiatul Ummah boys’ school and Mazahirul Uloom, and two affiliated with the East London Mosque: London East Academy and the Al-Mizan primary school.

Sir Michael Wilshaw, the Chief Inspector of Schools, had called for more frequent inspections in October following the Trojan Horse Scandal in Birmingham. Meanwhile Education Secretary Nicky Morgan called for independent and faith schools to ‘actively promote’ British values, which seems to be where the confusion lies.

They included the respect for the law, democracy, equality and tolerance of different faiths, religions and beliefs.

However, according to the BBC, inspectors found that the heavy focus on Islamic teachings made children incapable of differentiating between British and Sharia Law. Art, drama and music was not on the curriculum and a ‘narrow view’ of women was encouraged as inspectors were informed, ‘Women stay at home and clean and look after the children. They cook and pray and wait for us to come back from school with homework’.

The schools under scrutiny have criticised the time constraints given to adapt to new policies imposed in September after the affairs in the West Midlands. Representatives claim that there was insufficient guidance on the British values that they were instructed to implement.

Nicky Morgan has insisted that the schools in question will be closed down if no changes are made and they are expected to produce an action plan as a solution to the issue.

Picture: ARC