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
NSS urges ‘no more faith schools’ as it launches national campaign
Posted: Wed, 18 Apr 2018 07:00
The National Secular Society has launched a new national campaign dedicated to ending state-funded faith schools, with backers including historian Dan Snow and the politician and former actor Lord Cashman.
The No More Faith Schools campaign will highlight the widespread concerns and myths that surround faith schools of all types and urge the creation of an inclusive, secular education system.
The NSS will use the campaign to demonstrate the problems associated with faith schools. These include the enabling of religious groups to use public money to evangelise to children, the undermining of social cohesion, the segregation of children on social, ethnic and religious lines and the undermining of freedom and equality.
The campaign's website and social media channels will encourage supporters to petition the government and write to MPs in favour of "an open and inclusive education system, free from religious discrimination". Supporters will also be able to share their stories and reasons for backing the campaign and get free campaign posters.
The NSS has produced a short launch video for the campaign.
Stephen Evans, the NSS's CEO, said faith schools "build division into society" and "segregate children on outdated lines of faith".
"Our campaign highlights the inequity they cause in our society. At the National Secular Society we ardently believe that no one should be marginalised or segregated on the basis of faith. We are proud to campaign for a fair and inclusive education system that creates a fair and inclusive society."
Renowned historian and broadcaster Dan Snow praised the campaign.
"In today's society, it is more important than ever that our children can enjoy a diverse and fair education, and have the chance to learn from each other's differences. The National Secular Society's No More Faith Schools campaign is an important step in this direction and provides a platform for those who want an inclusive education to show their support for that."
Politician and former actor Lord Michael Cashman CBE said: "There is too much segregation in life. As we live together so we grow through sharing and understanding, not by reinforcing a faith or belief or one set of values. Children from all faith and belief backgrounds should be educated together and allowed to develop their own beliefs independently and within the rich communities in which we all have to live."
A spokesperson for the campaign said: "This campaign is a platform to let people opposed to faith schools know they can do something about it. It will also serve to build bridges with those that might be ambivalent or supportive of faith schools, by busting the myths and highlighting the inequity they create in our society."
No More Faith Schools has been launched as the education secretary, Damian Hinds, is widely expected to relax admissions rules to facilitate a new wave of fully religiously selective faith schools. Under current rules new faith schools may not admit more than 50% of their pupils based on the religion of their parents. The NSS has vigorously campaigned against the plans.
Faith schools account for around a third of publicly-funded schools in England and Wales, while many Scottish and Northern Irish schools are divided along sectarian lines.
NSS criticises admissions policies that push parents into church
Posted: Tue, 17 Apr 2018 13:57
The National Secular Society has criticised policies that require parents to attend church to get their children in to local schools after a poll showed public disapproval of 'cheating' the system.
A YouGov survey revealed that 56% of people in the UK believe it is 'unacceptable' for parents to attend a church in order to get their child into a faith school. Only 22% think it is 'acceptable'.
Those most likely to find the practice 'unacceptable' are the elderly, with 70% of those over 65 disapproving compared with 18% finding it 'acceptable'.
In contrast, only 37% of people aged 18-25 think it was wrong. Twenty-four per cent said it was acceptable and 39% said they didn't know.
Conservative and UKIP voters were slightly more likely to condemn the practice than others.
The figures are a blow to government plans to allow new faith schools to select 100% of their pupils based on the religion of the parents.
In 2013 the Sutton Trust found six per cent of all parents with a child at a state school admitted to attending church services specifically to get their child into a faith school, with wealthier families more likely to do this.
Most parents do not consider religious instruction to be a priority when selecting a school for their children. In 2013 a YouGov survey found that 70% would choose a school on the basis of its academic standard; 23% would choose on the basis of ethical standards; five per cent would choose on the basis of giving a 'grounding in faith tradition'; and only three per cent for 'transmission of belief about God'.
The NSS is campaigning to end faith-based discrimination at state schools, where surveys show that the majority of the public oppose faith-based selection. According to a survey by Populus, 72% of voters oppose state faith schools being allowed to discriminate against pupils on religious grounds in their admissions policy, including 68% of Christians.
Alastair Lichten, the NSS's education and schools officer, said: "No parent should be pushed into a church simply to get access to their local schools. We see a lot of this in our casework and need to empathise with those who feel pushed into this position.
"That more affluent families are more likely to do this helps explain the social and economic discrimination which comes along with religious discrimination in school admissions. At every turn, faith based admissions simply create confusion, consternation and inequity."
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)
