Last week I updated a post referring to a Muslim scholar’s warning to defend our British values. This was to note a possible reaction to the ‘Trojan Horse’ scandal of ‘Islamising’ state schools, by downgrading a school not complying with a new norm of ‘tolerance’.

I’ve now read a lot more about this skullduggery from Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education. Its quasi-autonomous role in national government enables it to report direct to Parliament and is supposedly independent and impartial. Its function is the inspection and regulation of services that care for and provide education and skills for children and young people.

Today, the influential blog on ‘God & Politics: Christianity & Conservatism’ – Archbishop Cranmer – speaks out most strongly against the increasingly fascist stance of that ‘Non-ministerial Department’.

This reminds me of the arrogant political interference in the NHS of prosecuting nurses who prayed for the sick, as mentioned here, and attempts by the Advertising Standards Authority to prohibit praying for the sick in public spaces. These were high-profile issues I often wrote against only months after launching this blog (ASA tag refers).

Back to the matter in hand – for anyone who missed it here’s the post in full.:

On Monday 13th October I referred to the scholar known under the pen-name ‘Ibn Warraq’ and related his warning to Western intellectuals, “to cherish and defend their Western values and freedom”, to that day’s House of Commons motion in support of Palestinian aspirations of statehood.

There was also another directly connected item. It was mentioned in closing, as copied below, but is now in need of updating in view of a suspiciously related development.:

“By the way, let’s not overlook Islamist infiltration in British schools, as revealed by former police counter-terror chief Peter Clarke in Trojan Horse ‘just tip of the iceberg’!“

UPDATE:  “Christian group warns ‘British values’ rules imposed after ‘Trojan Horse’ scandal leading to schools with a religious ethos being marked down by inspectors for failing to promote ‘tolerance’.”

That strap-line opens John Bingham’s (Telegraph’s Religious Affairs Editor) article, Christian school downgraded for failing to invite an imam to school assembly.

I hope the only connection may be my over-active imagination – but it’s certainly ‘fishy’! Does it smell to you?

Now the latest:

UPDATE 2 

OFSTED go on the offensive against faith schools by Gillan Scott (deputy editor, Archbishop Cranmer blog) plus latest of 3 items this weekend from Adrian Warnock, Has UK government breached Human Rights Act in recent school regulations?

The latter makes a most crucial point about freedom in quoting the opinion of Queen’s Counsellor John Bowers:

In terms very reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984, Bowers argues these regulations have as their goal “how children are to think and express themselves and how teachers should encourage them to do so.”

This is the root of why inspectors have been asking children questions about their own personal beliefs as a way of catching out schools. Schools should not be judged on what a random selection of their children privately think and believe.  It seems outward demonstrations of love and respect towards others we disagree with is no longer enough. Children, and their teachers must toe the line and believe whatever the government tells us we should believe. There is nothing tolerant about that.

Be sure to read Adrian’s post in full, as well as UK Independent Christian school releases details of government closure threat posted on Saturday and this from Friday, Is UK government body harassing Jewish and Christian schools?

Hence, the great danger of Britain being steered into becoming a fascist state!

In his conclusion, teacher Gillan hits the nail right on the head:

This is not setting out the promotion of British values at all: it is bloody-minded, religiously-illiterate and insensitive bureaucrats forcing their ideas of how religion should bend to the will of an intolerant form of equality upon schools, the vast majority of which do an outstanding job of teaching their pupils to respect all people irrespective of race or beliefs. (Emphasis RB)

This news sheds light on the deep woes Ofsted caused a friend who was a diligent and highly respected governor of an excellent local Co’E primary school in Berkshire.