Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education, commenting on reports that unregistered schools have been given council funding, said:

“Ensuring our children are safe and getting an education should be one of government’s most basic duties, but this report raises serious concerns over whether this is actually the case in England today.

“The Tories have slashed funding for both Ofsted and local government, and there is no body with the necessary powers to ensure the pupils in these schools are safe. Ministers also have to answer why they have failed to regulate alternative providers, which serve many of the most vulnerable pupils.

“The Government must do more to ensure our children are safe and there is proper oversight of all schools.”