Ofsted pulls extremism report

A REPORT that criticised a Catholic secondary school for failing to make pupils aware of the dangers of radicalism has been withdrawn by Ofsted, writes?Joanna Moorhead.

The report was the result of a surprise inspection at St Benedict’s in Bury St Edmunds that appears to have been prompted by new policies introduced following Birmingham’s Trojan Horse affair, in which extremists were said to have infiltrated the governing body.

St Benedict’s head Hugh O’Neill said he believed the school had been targeted for the inspection as its website lacked a statement on citizenship, but was surprised when the report said the school failed to make students aware of the dangers of extremism and radicalism. Two thirds of pupils at St Benedict’s are Catholic, and around 75 per cent are white British.

In a statement Ofsted said inspectors are required to take account of the context of the school and the communities they serve. “In this instance, the regional director was concerned that insufficient account had been taken of the school’s context,” it added.
St Benedict’s was due to be reinspected at the end of this week.