Ofsted faced widespread criticism on Saturday after training notes for inspectors said children and young people with autism "are at increased risk of being susceptible to extremism" because they may be more likely to develop special interests, experience social isolation and use the internet to find friends.
The guidance — which also said that pupils who cause concern should be referred to the government’s Prevent anti-radicalisation programme — was described by campaigners and public figures as "absurd", "dangerous" and discriminatory, and they urged the education watchdog to amend or withdraw the wording.
Comedian Paul Whitehouse, who co-hosts a podcast with his wife on neurodiversity, said the wording was "extraordinary and false" and urged Bridget Phillipson, an education secretary hopeful, to intervene. His wife, Mine Conkbayir, an education campaigner, said the guidance was both "absurd as it is unfounded" and "irrefutably discriminatory". They called on Ofsted to amend the content "before it is too late."
Former Conservative MP Sir Jake Berry, who recently joined Reform, said as a father of an autistic son he found the suggestion that autistic young people were more likely to become extremists "absurd" and "deeply offensive and discriminatory." The training notes were published on Saturday.
An Ofsted spokesman defended the material, saying it was not intended to label or target children but to help inspectors better spot risks and protect pupils from harm. "Keeping children safe from the threat posed by extremists is always our top priority," the spokesman said. The spokesman added that the guidance was about protection rather than stereotyping.
The notes say that, because some autistic children may have social communication needs and develop focused or intense interests, they could use the internet to seek connections and be more trusting of information and online acquaintances — factors the document ties to possible vulnerability. It instructs teachers and other staff that concerns should be referred promptly to Prevent, the UK government’s programme aimed at preventing people being drawn into radicalisation.
Campaigners, families and some politicians have argued that linking autism to a higher risk of extremism risks stigmatizing a community already seeking greater understanding and support in education and social care. More than 1.4 million children in the UK have been diagnosed with autism, the critics noted.
The row adds to ongoing debates about how schools and inspectors balance safeguarding duties with protecting pupils’ rights and avoiding discrimination. The Prevent programme imposes duties on specified professionals to refer individuals they consider vulnerable to radicalisation, a requirement that has at times prompted controversy among educators and civil liberties groups.
Ofsted did not say on Saturday whether it would amend the training notes. Campaigners and some MPs have called for an urgent review of the language used in the guidance and for clearer safeguards to ensure autistic pupils are not unfairly targeted in safeguarding processes.