Education Secretary Nicky Morgan yesterday said she will "vigorously defend" the drive to instil British values in UK schools, despite controversy over "intrusive" Ofsted questioning.
"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."
Morgan said that though children in some parts of the country may not know anyone of an ethnic minority, it's important that they learn about diversity while they are young. "Surely a key part of our responsibility to those young people in enabling them to succeed in modern Britain is ensuring they understand and respect the differences that make our country unique," she said.
"So I'm unapologetic in saying that no school should be exempt from promoting fundamental British values, just as no school should be exempt from promoting rigorous academic standards."
Morgan's comments come in the wake of faith schools coming under fire for supposedly failing to foster a tolerant environment.
The January 2015 Ofsted report for Grindon Hall, a Christian school in Sunderland, 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 attributed Grindon Hall's downgrading to "inadequate" to inappropriate questioning by Ofsted inspectors.
"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."
He later accused the inspection team of having an "aggressive attitude".
The government's drive to promote British values has been criticised by some for being too narrow in its definitions.
Chief education officer for the Church of England, Nigel Genders, said last year that the Church "wholeheartedly support[s] the idea of schools being required to promote the values of tolerance and respect for those coming at things from a different perspective.
"However, 'British Values' cannot be allowed to become a test or an assessment of whether somebody in a community is 'safe' or 'loyal'," he said.
