Shimon Cohen represented the Torah Education Committee (TEC) at a Parliamentary forum on the new RSE Guidance this week. The event was hosted by the Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society.

Speaking in front of MPs, Ofsted’s head of Corporate Strategy, school leaders and other community and faith groups, Mr. Cohen expressed continued concern about Ofsted’s aggressive and adversarial approach to inspecting schools within Charedi communities.

TEC emphasised the need for inspectors to understand the distinctive aspects of Charedi education and acknowledge how schools in our sector are making efforts to comply with statutory requirements within the parameters of our faith, as interpreted by our Rabbinic authority.

Mr. Cohen said, “In our Jewish communities, we hold fast to the principle that educating children is the primary duty of parents. This is especially true when it comes to teaching about personal and sensitive matters. The new guidelines about RSE will present challenges for our schools, but there is a strong emphasis in the Guidance on respecting the religious background of children and on listening to what parents consider appropriate. The crucial point now is whether Ofsted itself will respect these points and stop seeking to impose secular attitudes on our children and schools. This will require an urgent change in Ofsted’s current direction”.