Sammy Wilson: It is right to exempt Sunday Schools from inspection

I had been contacted by many constituents who are involved in church work with young people and who were concerned that the government were now going to attempt to restrict what churches could teach young people.

Under the nationwide registration of out of school education provision all registered organisations would have been subjected to inspections to ensure that young people were not being brainwashed.

The new rules were designed to deal with problems being caused by Muslim schools where it was feared extremist teachers were encouraging children to become Jihadists.

The Head of OFSTED the school inspection body insisted that in order to take an even handed approach Christian organisations would also have to be included even though there was no suggestion that there were any problems with what was being taught in churches.

Indeed Sunday schools etc are a source to moral guidance and good direction for children teaching them that their faith should make them good citizens and neighbours.

The declaration by OFSTED was yet another example of political correctness and a cowardly way of avoiding recognition that the problem of violent extremist teaching was one which affected some parts of the Muslim community.

Rather than admit this everyone was to be labelled in the same way.

The minister gave the assurance that this was not the government’s intention, the Head of OFSTED had got it wrong and church teaching activities would not be included.

It is important that we protect our liberties. OFSTED have a reputation for left leaning, secular bias.

One can only imagine what would happen if they were given free rein to interfere in the teaching which takes place within churches.

Sammy Wilson, DUP MP East Antrim