Sir Michael Wilshaw says Michael Gove risks damaging standards by undermining his authority and attacking Ofsted ideology

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

The chief inspector of schools has said he is "spitting blood" over rightwing attacks on Ofsted.

Sir Michael Wilshaw told the Sunday Times that the education secretary, Michael Gove, risked damaging school standards by undermining his authority and attacking Ofsted's ideology.

It comes after reports that a rightwing thinktank, Civitas, has urged the government to create a new body to inspect free schools and academies.

Meanwhile the Policy Exchange thinktank, which Gove set up in 2002, is calling for evidence from schools about whether the school inspection body is "fit for purpose".

Asked if he wanted Gove to call off the attack, Wilshaw said: "Absolutely. It does nothing for his drive or our drive to raise standards in schools.

"I am spitting blood over this and I want it to stop. I was never intimidated as a headteacher and I do not intend to be intimidated as a chief inspector."

He added that he had received "unjust" criticism from both the left and the right since Gove appointed him to the post in 2011.

He also insisted that Ofsted would not be frightened into softening its inspections on free schools, the government's flagship education policy.

Recent inspections on free schools have led to the closure of Discovery new school in West Sussex, while the troubled Al-Madinah school in Derby was labelled inadequate.

"If I see things going wrong in an academy chain I will say so," Wilshaw told the newspaper.

"If people tied to the free-school movement think I will not do that they have another think coming.

"As long as we exist and have the job of raising standards we will do the job fairly without fear or favour."