Ofsted’s chief inspector has vowed to tackle extremism with “zeal and passion” in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in London and Manchester.

Amanda Spielman also pledged to expand Ofsted’s research remit, ensuring that its conclusions are based not “on personal prejudices or hobby horses, but on proper evidence from the ground”.

Speaking today at the annual Festival of Education, held at Wellington College in Berkshire, Ms Spielman said: “One area where there is room to improve is the active promotion of fundamental British values in our schools. Recent attacks in Westminster, London Bridge, Manchester and Finsbury Park have brought into start relief the threats we face.

“When it comes to tackling extremism through inspection, I have exactly the same zeal and passion as my predecessor.”

Ms Spielman’s predecessor as chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, came under criticism from MPs in the wake of the 2013 Trojan Horse scandal, during which it was alleged that extremist Muslim groups wanted to take over some schools in Birmingham and run them according to strict Islamic principles.

In a report into the scandal, the Commons Education Select Committee said the affair had revealed less about extremism than about “the ability of local and central agencies to respond to whistle-blowers and to correct abuses of power within schools.”

The MPs’ report was particularly critical of the way in which Ofsted and the Department for Education responded to the controversy.

It said that confidence in Ofsted had been “undermined” and that the inspectorate’s “inability to identify problems at some Birmingham schools on first inspection, when they were found shortly afterwards to be failing, raises questions about the appropriateness of the framework and the reliability and robustness of Ofsted’s judgements and how they are reached”.

‘What really matters in education’

In her speech today, Ms Spielman also said that she would extend Ofsted’s research function.

“We’re going to be looking at the validity and reliability of our inspections, making sure we look at what really matters in education, and that our judgements are consistent and reliable,” she said.

“And, more generally, we are thinking about how evidence is used across the whole of Ofsted.”

And she said that boosting the watchdog’s research work would allow it to play a much greater role in informing government policy.

“I also want us to have a much greater engagement with the wider research community,” she said. “My hope is that, by sharing and analysing more of what we find, we can play a larger role in informing education policy. Not a role that is based on personal prejudices or hobby horses, but on proper evidence from the ground.”

Ms Spielman also used the speech to reiterate her commitment to focusing on the substance of the curriculum, as reported in Tes last week. She repeated her desire to make sure that there is more to education than simply preparing for exams.

But she added: “It is here that I believe we can do more. Our inspection framework doesn’t yet fully capture the substance of education.”

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