Heather Bellamy spoke with Simon Calvert from The Christian Institute about the new guidelines, schools being down-graded and children being asked intrusive questions by Ofsted inspectors.

Heather: Is that why these guidelines have been introduced - because of that Trojan horse scandal?

Simon: Yes. Well, I'm saying yes, the Government will tell you that the new laws were introduced in September because of the Trojan horse scandal. As a matter of fact the rules were in the pipeline before the Trojan horse scandal broke. So somewhere in the DSE there were people who already wanted these rules before the Trojan horse, and there are some people that feel the Trojan horse is more of an excuse than a reason. But we are where we are.

Nobody denies that there is a problem with Islamic extremism, but the solution to Islamic extremism is not briefing Ofsted inspectors to go into Christian schools telling them to have non-Christian assemblies. The solution is certainly not telling Ofsted inspectors to go into schools to ask kids about transsexualism and lesbianism, but that is exactly what's happening. I'm citing documented cases that are in the newspapers. How asking a ten year old girl about transsexualism and what lesbians do - which is what happened in this Grindon Hall in Sunderland - how that is a solution to Islamic extremism I think is beyond the ken of most ordinary mortals. It's an overreaction and it's focusing on the wrong target.

I think we really need to encourage Ofsted to get back on target, to focus on making sure schools provide a good education, get good exam results and that they're safe. But the idea that Ofsted inspection teams are equipped theologically and philosophically to be able to go into every school and assess their theology and assess on these very vague concepts, under the new British values rules - I think that's a mistake. I don't think that's their role, I don't think people want them to be doing that and I suspect many Ofsted inspectors don't want to be doing that either.

Heather: So what's Christian Institute planning to do in response to these cases?

Simon: We've certainly been encouraging Christian people to pray. There have been several opportunities that Christians have had to respond, for example to consultations on the rules. It's important that people do contact their members of Parliament. I think we can make a very calm, rational, sensible case that most people reading these news stories about Ofsted inspectors asking kids in Christian schools about transsexualism, about whether they celebrate other religions - most people think that that's wrong and that the Department of Education needs to reign Ofsted in. People can be contacting their MPs, raising this and certainly anybody who's interested in this issue on an ongoing basis, I would encourage them to join The Christian Institute mailing list because we're certainly able to write to people and email them as key opportunities arise.

Heather: What's your website address for that?

Simon: Thank you - its www.christian.org.uk.

Heather: One final question and hopefully this is far in the future, but if things didn't change, do you foresee a time where Christian or Faith schools cease to exist in the same way as Christian adoption agencies had to close because of changes in the law?

Simon: Well you ask a very good question. I don't see that happening in the short-term. The effect on Christian adoption agencies - nobody could foresee that, but I do not see that in the short-term. I do think we have the opportunity now to make the positive case for Christian education and I think it's important that we do that while we have the opportunity. At the end of the day church schools and Christian schools are very popular with parents and they provide a good education. But I do think that we must speak up now while we have the opportunity and make that positive case for the good that Christian schools do. We need to make that positive case for the freedom that Christian parents ought to have, to have their children educated in accordance with their beliefs, and not to have beliefs that are contrary to the Christian faith actively promoted in the minds of their pupils by Ofsted inspectors and by schools under pressure from this secularist agenda.