Ofsted has made it harder to tackle radicalisation by alienating law-abiding people of faith, according to a report published tonight.

The think tank Policy Exchange has also accused the inspectorate of displaying a secularist bias and looking to develop its own educational policy.

A new report, backed by former education secretary Nicky Morgan, says the inspectorate has strayed from its brief on both curriculum inspections and faith.

Read: Ofsted ‘straying from its brief’ in new inspections

Background: Faith schools on collision course with Ofsted

Inspection: School claims it has been hit by ‘secularist plot’

Spielman: Ofsted chief denies pursuing an anti-faith agenda

It says that, although Ofsted intends to act impartially “towards those of all faiths and of none”, there have been “too many occasions when a secularist bias has been displayed”.

The report recommends that the inspectorate takes a “risk-based approach to safeguarding students from extremism and radicalisation by demonstrating that it is focusing its efforts on addressing genuine extremism, particularly in unregistered schools, while being sensitive to peaceful cultural differences”. 

In a foreword to the report, Ms Morgan says: “The report makes important recommendations about the relationship between Ofsted and faith schools.

“This is a tricky area which requires empathy, calm reflection and constant dialogue. We must never confuse those who wish to wish to overthrow our way of life or to incite violence towards others with those who are simply different.”

The report adds: “We commend Ofsted’s readiness to act to tackle genuine extremism, as well as for its determination to tackle radicalisation in unregistered schools.

“However, by damaging its relationship with the faith communities it has made this important task more difficult…by alienating peaceful, law-abiding people of faith Ofsted makes it harder to work with these communities to tackle radicalisation.”

The report also says Ofsted’s stance of LGBT+ teaching has gone further than the Department for Education on what is mandatory to be taught in schools.

It says: “Where the Department for Education policy is explicit about a matter, such as the fact that teaching explicitly about LGBT+ matters is mandatory for secondary schools but not for primary schools, Ofsted should ensure its own guidance and the practice of its inspectors reflects this.”

However the report praises some of Ofsted’s work and says it remains “a highly effective organisation” adding: “It occupies an essential role in our school system and it is important that this role is not diminished”.

An Ofsted spokesperson said: “We want schools to achieve good results by doing the right things. This report underlines Ofsted’s critical role as ‘the guardian of standards, [and] the champion of pupils’. We welcome its support for our new inspection framework and its backing for our strong stance against schools that game the system.

“We’ll continue to celebrate excellence in all types of school and to recognise academies and faith schools for exercising their freedoms in the best interests of their pupils. We’ll also continue to listen carefully to feedback on our work.”

Last year, chief inspector Amanda Spielman told MPs that Ofsted was not anti-faith and did not inspect faith schools “in a different way or with a different intensity to any others”.

She said that there were significant tensions between people who had a strong interest in different protected characteristics.