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.
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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 asks DfE to clarify Oasis schools’ faith status
Posted: Mon, 13 Nov 2017 16:39
The National Secular Society has asked the Government to "clear up the confusion" over a group of academies with a religious ethos which are not officially classified as faith schools.
In a letter to Sir Theodore Agnew, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System, the NSS said the current classifications of Oasis Academies on the Department for Education (DfE)'s register for schools was "misleading".
NSS research has found that every Oasis Academy website makes a direct reference to the Christian ethos of the schools. But the DfE's register currently says just 23% of Oasis Academies have a Christian 'religious character' or 'religious ethos'. For the rest, the sections say 'none' or 'does not apply'.
The NSS has asked the DfE to "address the inconsistencies" between its records and the statements on Oasis's websites.
There are currently 48 Oasis Academies in England, all run by Oasis Community Learning Multi-Academy Trust. Oasis Community Learning has a Christian ethos, "inspired by the life, message and example of Jesus Christ".
The NSS found that this is repeated on every Oasis Academy website, as is the statement "The academies are 'schools of religious character'" on each website's FAQ page. Its research was prompted by a report by investigative journalist Warwick Mansell on 'faith schools by stealth'.
Other references to the schools' Christian ethos can be found in other details on the sites. Many of the sites include an 'Education Charter', in which the word 'Christ' appears 16 times. This Charter includes the following passage:
"The following statements represent a few examples of Oasis' core beliefs:
- Each individual is made in the image of the God who created all of us, making us all equal and different.
- God is love. Love is not simply one of God's attributes, but rather the very essence of his nature. This love pervades the universe and is unconditional rather than earned.
- God became human in the person of Jesus Christ. He came to where we are. He shared our experience of life. He felt joy and pain. He engages with us and understands us.
- Jesus served others rather than expecting to be served and willingly sacrificed his life through the cross.
- Jesus rose from the dead. Death is not the end. There is resurrection and hope."
A number of Oasis Academy websites mention the school's link with local churches, including Christian assemblies delivered by members of the church. Several had posted specifications for a chaplaincy role in the school, which said there is an occupational requirement for applicants to "actively embrace the Christian ethos and values of Oasis".
The importance of the Christian ethos was also stated in a number of other job specifications for Oasis Academies, from teaching staff to receptionists, including a specification for volunteers which required applicants to respond to the question: "As an organisation motivated by our Christian faith, our ethos and values are important to us. Do you feel happy to agree to demonstrate these in your work?"
In the letter, NSS campaigns director Stephen Evans wrote: "As every Oasis Academy is clearly and openly Christian in its ethos, to classify them as 'none' or 'does not apply' rather than 'Christian' under 'religious character' or 'religious ethos' in the DfE's register is misleading.
"This inconsistency is detrimental to the rights of parents to choose a non-religious school for their children, as they are not receiving the accurate information they need to make an informed choice. Additionally, it results in inaccurate statistics regarding the number of faith-ethos schools in England, and the diversity of school choice within specific areas."
The NSS has also raised concerns over the admissions policy of Oasis Academy Skinner Street in Medway. The policy states that the school welcomes applications from "Christian families, and those of other faiths or none". The NSS questioned why the policy appeared to contain a hierarchy of preference in an ostensibly secular school.
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NSS urges clampdown on creationist faith school
Posted: Tue, 31 Oct 2017 18:15
The National Secular Society has urged the Government to investigate a faith school that insists the universe is 5,778 years old and forbids any discussion of "personal relationships".
The NSS expressed concern after its research exclusively revealed the educational policies and codes of conduct at Beis Yaakov Primary School in Barnet. Beis Yaakov is a state-funded school for girls "from strictly orthodox Jewish families".
According to the voluntary aided school's visitors' guide, creationism is taught as fact, evolution is not discussed and pupils are taught that "the age of the universe is accepted as 5778 years old". (Since the publication of this piece the visitors' guide has been removed and replaced with a different version).
In a letter to the schools minister, Sir Theodore Agnew, the NSS says that "given evolution is now a part of primary science curriculum, the school's refusal to teach or discuss evolution in any form clearly indicates the school is in breach of its legal obligation and should face sanction."
The programme of study for the new National Curriculum in Science includes the statutory teaching of the theory of evolution to primary school pupils both in year 4 (age 8-9) and year 6 (age 10-11).
And in 2014 Edward Timpson, then parliamentary under-secretary for education, told parliament state-funded schools should avoid teaching creationism as scientific theory. "Outside of science lessons, it is permissible for schools to cover creationism as part of religious education lessons, providing that this does not undermine the teaching of established scientific theory," he said.
The visitors' guide gives an insight into the sheltered existence at the school. "Parents choose this school because our ethos closely mirrors the values and life styles of their homes," it says.
"The society in which our girls live is a very protected one. They do not watch television and many do not have access to national newspapers or libraries. Pop culture is unknown and exposure to other religious experiences very limited." For this reason, "all references to TV programmes and the internet should be avoided".
The school also has a highly restrictive code of personal conduct and dress code. The guide says "men and women may not shake hands nor touch in any other manner". Men must also avoid walking between two women and vice versa.
Skull caps or hats are compulsory for men, and women are forbidden to wear trousers. Women must wear tops that cover the collar bone and elbows and stockings or tights. Married Jewish women "must cover their hair".
The school also insists "personal relationships must not be discussed at all". The NSS says such a prohibition could place children at risk by denying them the knowledge and life skills needed to stay safe and develop healthy relationships.
The Society is now calling on the Department for Education to instruct inspectors to investigate whether this school "meets the requirements to receive public funding or even be registered as a school at all". Despite its failings, the school was rated "Good" by Ofsted in 2015.
Stephen Evans, NSS campaigns director, said: "The schools we all pay for should educate and open young minds, not indoctrinate them. Having an official policy stating that the age of the universe is 5778 years old clearly undermines the teaching of established scientific theory.
"Religious demands and parental preferences must no longer provide cover for the state to ignore children's independent rights. All young people should be entitled to the highest standards of education, regardless of their background.
"Any school that promotes creationist beliefs as fact, shields its pupils from modern technology and media, and promotes discriminatory dress codes is clearly unfit to teach."
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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)
