Diversity in schools is a good thing. Indeed, one of the weaknesses of education in the UK is that schools are too similar. Secondary schools in particular tend to be uniformly large, with a uniformity of teaching style, when many pupils would benefit from being in smaller groups and from a wider range of teaching methods.

Schools should also offer variety in their culture and value systems, the intangible quality of a school known as its ethos. Most people recognise a strong ethos when they come across it, but struggle to define it. Which may be why governments have so often in the past looked to religious institutions as a way of taking a school ethos off the shelf.

Usually, this is either beneficial or neutral – a Church of England ethos is often close to no ethos at all – but in some cases a religious identity for a school is against the interests of its pupils. That is why there are protections in law against the teaching of creationism as science and against the promulgation of racism, sexism and homophobia.

Unfortunately, the desire of some parents to provide a religious education for their children is so strong that they seek to avoid the laws designed to protect the rights of those children. This is taking diversity too far.

The Independent has led the way recently in reporting the existence of illegal faith schools in Britain, and today we report exclusively estimates by Ofsted, the schools inspectorate, of the extent of the problem, which goes wider than simply religious schools. It suspects that there are at least 170 unregistered schools in England, attended by perhaps 3,000 children.

This is a serious problem that demands an urgent response. Previous investigations by The Independent have reported allegations from former pupils and whistleblowers about children being beaten and teachers working without criminal record checks. These are basic issues of child safety, in addition to the concerns about an unbalanced curriculum in ultra-Orthodox Jewish or fundamentalist Muslim or Christian schools. In light of the findings, the Department for Education and Ofsted announced their own investigations.

As we report today, Ofsted is now preparing a number of court cases against suspected illegal schools. Victor Shafiee, Ofsted’s deputy director of education, said inspectors were “absolutely optimistic” about their ability to shut down illegal schools. “If I thought this was going to take 10 years [to fix] I would be really, really disappointed,” he said. “It’s not. We need to make an impact very, very quickly and act as quickly as we can, together with the DfE and the local authority.”

The most expensive schools in the world Show all 10 1 /10 The most expensive schools in the world The most expensive schools in the world La Rosey, Switzerland This prestigious Swiss boarding school is believed to be the most expensive in the world. Le Rosey hosts pupils from seven to 18 and has been co-educational since 1967. The school takes in pupils from more than 60 countries, but allows no more than 10 per cent of its students to come from any one country in order to prevent a single nationality dominating. The school has two campuses – winter is spent in Gstaad, where pupils can make use of the ski slopes after their morning lessons. Come spring, the whole school will uproot to the Chataeau du Rosey in the village of Rolle by Lake Geneva. Le Rosey also boats a 1,000 seat concert hall, equestrian centre and 38-foot yacht. Notable alumni: Shah of Iran, Prince Rainier of Monaco and King Farouk of Egypt. Sir Roger Moore and Elizabeth Taylor also send their children here, along with John Lennon’s son Sean and Winston Churchill’s grandson. Fees: approx. £86,657 pa The most expensive schools in the world Aiglon College, Switzerland With a view of Mont Blanc, this high altitude school lends itself to outdoor pursuits. The school caters for boys and girls aged nine to 18 and is modelled on the traditional British Boarding school. Unlike most schools, however, the whole school body comes together for 20 minutes of meditation on three mornings each week. Notable alumni: Actor Michel Gill, Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark, Sheherazade Goldsmith Fees: up to £80,810 per year (upper school boarding) The most expensive schools in the world Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil Founded in 1910, Beau Soleil is one of the oldest private boarding schools in Switzerland. It is positioned 1,350 metres above sea level on the Swiss Alps and hosts pupils from more than 40 different nationalities aged 11-18. The curriculum is taught in both French and English and focuses on outdoor sports, with a ski slope and ice skating rink on site. Notable alumni: Racing driver Jacques Villeneuve, Princess Marie of Denmark, Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg Fees: £79,528 Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil The most expensive schools in the world Collège du Léman International School, Switzerland Taking in children from as young as one year old, College du Leman teaches a bilingual programme of French and English up to age 18. The school campus stretches out across eight hectares and offers access to both Geneva city and the mountains. Pupils from more than 100 nationalities attend. Noteable alumni: Anna Ovcharova, Swiss, Russian figure skater Fees: £68,960 pa The most expensive schools in the world Leysin American School, Switzerland Another high-profile Swiss school, popular for its exclusive ski and snowboard facilities. LAS Students are allowed to spend Tuesday and Thursday afternoons on the mountain for sports. Despite its name, around 12 per cent of students are from the US. Notable alumni: According to Bloomberg, alumni include members of Saudi Arabia’s royal family, the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts. Fees: Approx £66,700 per year Leysin American School The most expensive schools in the world Institut auf dem Rosenberg With just 260 boarding pupils from over 40 countries, emphasis is placed on one-on-one time at the Institut auf dem Rosenberg. The school has a staff to student ratio of 1:4 and average class sizes of 8 students. Pupils can choose fromn one of five curricula, including British A level,s German Abitur and the Swiss Matura program. Notable alumni: Countless politicians and business leaders as well as international royalty – the school operates a strict privacy policy but most studenrts come from entrepreneurial families or are heirs to large businesses. Fees: £66,160 pa The most expensive schools in the world Think Global School The world’s first “travelling high school” takes pupils to four different countries each year – allowing pupils to experience subjects out in the field. The school has one teacher for every three students and has a 100 per cent pass rate for the International Baccalaureate qualification. Notable alumni: The school is only seven years old, but will no doubt become a popular choice with the next generation of rock stars’ children. Fees: £63,980. Sliding-scale scholarships offered. The most expensive schools in the world The American school in Switzerland (TASIS) The first US boarding school to be set up in Europe, TASIS lies on the Dollina d’Oro in the Swiss mountains. Fine art is central to the school curriculum and TASIS hosts its own Spring Arts Festival which attracts a number of famous artists and musicians each year. Notable alumni: American mountain climber Francys Arsentiev, Performer Jeanie Cunningham and Italian-American film director Francesca Gregorini Fees: £63,561 pa The most expensive schools in the world Brillantmont, Switzerland A family-run, traditional Swiss school for 130 years, Brillantmont overlooks Lake Geneva and sits just a five-minute walk away from Lausanne. Brillantmont boasts that 100 per cent of its students continue their studies to higher education. Notable alumni: kept suspiciously on the down-low Fees: £52,010 - £59,680 pa Brillantmont, Switzerland The most expensive schools in the world Hurtwood house, Surrey Hurtwood house, surrey Several of the best UK boarding schools top their fees around this mark. Set in an Edwardian mansion with 200 acres of grounds, Hurtwood House is one of the most unique. The school hosts just 340 pupils and is known for its focus on creativity and the arts – a recent school production of Chicago cost £75,000 to stage, according to Tatler. Notable alumni: Emily Blunt, Jack Huston, Hans Zimmer Fees: £39,555 pa

This is an encouraging response. No one wants to see heavy-handed surveillance of children, such as the ContactPoint database started in England by the Labour government in 2005 but abolished by the coalition in 2010, or the Named Person scheme currently being disputed in Scotland. But it should be possible to monitor unregistered schools without an intrusive database of all children.