Trojan Horse schools still at risk from Islamist extremisms, warns Ofsted chief

"Very limited progress" had been made on making changes to protect children from future scandals, Sir Michael Wilshaw has warned.Reuters

Birmingham schools targeted by extremists in the Trojan Horse scandal could still be at risk, the chief inspector of Ofsted told MPs on Wednesday.

Speaking before the Commons education select committee, Sir Michael Wilshaw said children have been "badly let down by those governors and they have been badly let down by the fact that we can't get enough good leaders and teachers in those schools".

"My strong recommendation to the department is that additional funding should be found so that we can recruit good people to those schools very quickly," he said.

"Because unless that happens and we see improvement across the board then those people who have gone to ground but who want to exploit the situation will do so."

According to the Telegraph, Wilshaw also warned that "very limited progress" had been made on making changes to protect children from future scandals.

He also urged faith schools, which he said were integral to promoting tolerance and unity, to teach "British values" and encourage pupils to learn about other religions.

His warning followed criticism from the principal of Grindon Hall, a Christian school in Sunderland, who accused Ofsted inspectors of asking children inappropriate questioning as part of the "British value" drive.

The January 2015 Ofsted report for the school says that the curriculum "does not adequately prepare pupils for life in modern Britain."

"Pupils show a lack of respect and tolerance towards those who belong to different faiths, cultures or communities...Discrimination through racist or homophobic language persists," the report adds.

However, principal Chris Gray accused the inspection team of having an "aggressive attitude".

"The tenor of the inspection was negative and hostile at every stage, as if the data collected had to fit a pre-determined outcome," Gray wrote in a formal letter of complaint.

He said that a ten-year-old girl was asked if she knew what lesbians "did", while other children were asked "intrusive and deeply personal" questions.

"I have also heard reports of primary school children being asked if they knew of any boys or girls who thought they were in the 'wrong body,'" Gray said. "Pupils were embarrassed and surprised to be asked questions about sexuality."

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan on Tuesday said she will "vigorously defend" the drive to instil British values in UK schools, however.

"I'm afraid I have no sympathy for those who say that British values need not apply to them, that this should purely be a special test for schools in predominantly Muslim communities or our inner cities," Morgan said in a speech to think tank Politeia.

"A commitment to British values means that we also hold to account those schools where girls are made to sit at the back of the class, where homophobia goes unchecked, where young people aren't being made aware of the many facets of British culture."