Faith schools undermine equality, choice and social cohesion.
Let's build an inclusive education system today, to ensure an inclusive society tomorrow.
Our education system should be open and welcoming to all. That's why we want publicly funded faith schools phased out and an end to religiously selective school admissions.
Around a third of publicly funded schools in England and Wales are faith schools – schools with a religious character. Scottish and Northern Irish schools are still divided along sectarian lines.
Separating children according to religion is divisive and leads to religious, ethnic and socio-economic segregation.
To make matters worse, many faith schools can discriminate against pupils and teachers who do not share the religion of the school.
Parents are entitled to raise their children within a faith tradition, but they are not entitled to enlist the help of the state to do so. The state should not allow the schools it funds to inculcate children into a particular religion.
Faith schools seriously limit choice for parents who do not want a religious education for their children, or do not share the faith of the local school. Our research has found that 18,000 families were assigned faith schools against their wishes in England in 2017 alone.
Despite a consistent and dramatic decline in church attendance, and a growing majority of non-religious citizens, successive governments have paved the way for ever greater religious involvement in education, often to the detriment of inclusive community schools.
A secular approach to education would ensure publicly funded schools are equally welcoming to all children, regardless of their backgrounds.
Take action!
1. Write to your MP
Please call on your MP to support a secular, inclusive education system for all.
2. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
3. Join us
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
Faith schools significantly limit choice for many parents, NSS finds
Posted: Sat, 8 Dec 2018 20:23
Almost three in ten families in England live in areas where most or all of the local primary schools are faith-based, National Secular Society research has revealed.
The NSS's report The Choice Delusion, published today and featured exclusively in The Sunday Times, highlights a severe lack of reasonably accessible religiously-neutral schools for those that want them.
The report reveals:
- Between 111,000 and 136,000 applicant families lived in areas where the availability of secular schools was highly restricted in September 2018.
- A further 45,000 to 60,000 lived in areas where it was extremely restricted.
- More than one in five families who missed out on their first choice of a non-faith primary school were assigned a faith school.
- This includes 1,398 families who had made all their preferences (typically five) for a non-faith school.
- Families in rural areas were most affected by the restrictions, as 53% of all rural primary schools are faith based.
- The analysis found high or extreme restrictions on secular schooling in 43.4% of rural areas.
A common complaint from rural families who the NSS spoke to was that a faith school was the only school in their village.
The NSS based its findings on a study of the three closest schools for hypothetical parents in 520 representative, randomly-selected English postcodes.
In response to the findings the NSS has written to the Department for Education (DfE) to urge it to monitor faith-based restrictions on school choice and suitability and ensure that all parents have reasonable access to a non-faith-based school.
The government has made no estimate of the number of people living in areas where the only reasonably available state schools are faith-based.
The society has also said the problem identified in the report is likely to increase if the DfE fails to act, as the proportion of faith schools is rising. This trend defies a long-term move away from religious affiliation among British people, particularly among the young.
The NSS's report also highlights several case studies where parents have effectively been left with no option other than to send their children to faith schools against their wishes.
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said the report "seriously undermines the claim" that "faith schools expand parents' choices".
"Our findings demonstrate that not only are thousands of families being denied access to appropriate schools for their children, but the Department for Education is failing to act to remedy the situation.
"In our case work we've assisted Christian parents allocated Sikh schools, atheist parents allocated Christian schools and even a Muslim parent allocated a place for her son in an Orthodox Jewish School.
"The best way to solve this would be to roll back faith schools so all state schools are free from religious affiliation and open to all children. While faith schools persist, the government must monitor the ways in which they impose on school choice and ensure all families can access a secular and properly inclusive education for their child."
Two councils may cut preferential transport to faith schools
Posted: Wed, 5 Dec 2018 16:28
Councils in north Wales and Greater Manchester are considering cutting public funding for transport schemes which give preferential treatment to children who attend faith schools.
Wrexham Council has held a consultation over proposals to stop providing discretionary free travel for children who live more than two or three miles from faith schools. The council currently provides this even when children have non-faith schools nearer to their homes.
Meanwhile Stockport Council is considering cuts to a free bus pass scheme which gives extra help to families who send their children to faith schools.
The councils would still be required to provide free transport in a way that gives children at faith schools preferential treatment. Statutory school transport arrangements entitle low-income children to free travel over longer distances if they attend faith schools.
Local authorities are legally allowed to discriminate on the grounds of religion and belief when providing school transport as a result of exemptions contained in the Equality Act 2010.
Wrexham Council currently provides its service to 17 faith schools. The council estimates that this costs £302,000 and benefits 406 children.
The council is reviewing the provision of some of its services in a bid to save £9m more than it has already budgeted for in 2019-20. Its review is also considering the future of services such as local libraries and fortnightly bin collections. It has proposed a six per cent increase in council tax.
It has said it has "no choice but to consider reviewing a large number of services" because of the "current financial challenge is it facing".
Stockport Council is considering revoking free bus passes from children who do not receive free school meals or the maximum working tax credit. One effect of this would be to cut free travel which is specifically designed to help families send their children to faith schools.
The council has issued 374 free bus passes to transport children to faith schools this year, 37 of whom travelled from outside the faith schools' catchment areas. The council issued 1,226 free bus passes in total.
National Secular Society education and schools officer Alastair Lichten said council spending on school transport "should not be determined by parents' religious preferences".
"Councils should not give families who send their children to faith schools special treatment.
"Taxpayers may reasonably be expected to fund services which serve everyone equally or which provide for those with particular social disadvantages. It is not reasonable to expect them to fund services which give some parents a particular chance to send their children to schools which suit their ideological preferences.
"When councils are facing significant cuts in other services or raising taxes substantially these preferential schemes become particularly indefensible. They could provide more free or subsidised transport for poor children if they didn't spend money on families who choose to send their children long distances to faith schools.
"And ultimately this requires change at the national level so taxpayers are not expected to fund other people's religious preferences."
In recent years several councils have reviewed their provision of discriminatory transport to faith schools. They include Reading Borough Council in Berkshire, Telford and Wrekin Council in the West Midlands and Lancashire County Council.
In 2015 a judge ruled that the state was not obliged to subsidise transport to and from faith schools, despite ruling in favour of a Catholic school in a case over subsidised school transport.
Over 3,000 people contributed to Wrexham's review. Its budget is due to be signed off by the full council in February.
In its consultation documents the council said it would "need to ensure that any changes made as a result of this review and consultation would be implemented at an appropriate time".
More information
Protect relationships and sex education
Age-appropriate relationships and sex education should be every child’s right.
Remove religious appointees from Scottish councils
Religion shouldn’t grant people privileged places in local democracy.
Research and reports
The faith schools research bank
The choice delusion: how faith schools restrict school choice
Three in ten families across England live in areas where most or all of the closest primary schools are faith schools and thousands are being assigned faith schools against their wishes.
Power grab: Academisation and the threat to secular education
Academisation has enabled faith groups to increase their influence over all schools, including those with no religious character. With little public debate, religious governance has increased, while secular oversight has diminished.
Religiosity inspections: the case against faith-based reviews of state schools
Faith based inspections of state schools are an unnecessary drain on public finds, frame widely held values as exclusive, and promote biased religious education.
Faith-shaped holes: How religious privilege is undermining equality law (PDF, 1.3 Mb)
