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 warns against closure of non-faith school in Wigan
Posted: Wed, 24 Nov 2021 10:35
The closure of a non-faith school in Wigan would decimate secular provision in the area, the NSS has warned.
Wigan Council are consulting on plans to reduce surplus places in the Abram area of the borough. The consultation document sets out options to close of one of two schools – Abram Bryn Gates community primary school or Holy Family Catholic primary school.
The NSS has warned that the closure of the community school would exacerbate the existing problem of faith-based restrictions on school choice in the area.
NSS research has shown that 81% of postcodes in Wigan experience high or extreme restrictions on the choice of a non-faith primary school. This affects 90% of postcodes in the Abram ward – a figure that would approach 100% if Abram Bryn Gate were to close, as five of its nearest six schools are faith-based.
Despite a surplus of school places in some areas, the same research shows that in the past year 182 pupils across Wigan were assigned faith schools against family preferences. NSS research has also shown a systemic bias against community-ethos, or non-faith, schools in similar reorganisations.
The NSS has also warned that the current proposals to reduce surplus school places in Wigan will undermine families and children's freedom of religion or belief and potentially leave the local authority in breach of its duty to ensure adequate school provision.
As a voluntary aided faith school, Holy Family Catholic primary school has wide leeway to discriminate against pupils in admissions and teachers in employment. Keeping the school open would therefore increase levels of discrimination faced by non-Catholic families and teachers in the area.
Wigan Council are running a statutory pre-publication consultation until 13 December 2021. Once a proposal is published, there will be a further four-week consultation period between 10 February to 10 March 2022.
Comments
National Secular Society head of education Alastair Lichten, said: "Families in Abram, and across Wigan, already face some of the biggest restrictions on the choice of a non-faith primary anywhere in England. It would be outrageous and unjust to further increase these barriers. Every pupil should have reasonable access to a good local school with an inclusive community ethos, rather than an ethos based around a religion that they may not share."
Local parent Beth told the NSS: "As a family without faith, it's important to us that our children are able to make their own choices about religion without that choice being made for them, as with a faith school. Learning about faith is done perfectly within a non-faith school, my child recently learned about Diwali and wore a sari during an R.E lesson to celebrate and learn more about culture and diversity. As parents we should be able to choose whether or not our child is taught or told about religion, which is one of many reasons as to why Abram Bryn Gates needs to stay open."
Another local parent, Leanne, added that: "Losing this school will greatly harm our community and would force me to send my child to a faith school as Nicol Mere (the only other local non-faith school) is almost at capacity. If Abram Bryn Gates closes I will look into home schooling my child due to lack of community schools within the local area."
The NSS is responding to the consultation, and encouraging local supporters to join their campaign to Save Abram Bryn Gates, Wigan
Faith school fails fourth consecutive Ofsted inspection
Posted: Tue, 23 Nov 2021 08:57
An independent orthodox Jewish boys' school has been rated inadequate for the fourth consecutive time by Ofsted.
Talmud Torah Yetev Lev, an orthodox Hasidic Jewish school which operates from four premises in the north London borough of Hackney has consistently failed inspections since 2014.
Inspectors found that pupils were only "knowledgeable about their own community" and their knowledge and understanding of the major religions and cultures represented in modern Britain was "very limited". This indicated "poor social and cultural development", said inspectors.
"This, coupled with the limited development of English language and literacy skills, means that pupils are not well prepared for life in modern Britain", said the report.
According to inspectors, pupils do not achieve as well as they should due to too many teachers not having a good knowledge of the secular subjects they teach.
The school was also found to be in breach of its registration agreement by having 985 pupils on its roll, despite only being registered to admit 567.
Comments
NSS Chief executive, Stephen Evans, said the report's findings "came as no surprise".
"Too many independent religious schools have a reputation for poor standards of education. All children, including children of ultra-orthodox families, should be entitled to a rounded education.
"Children in consistently failing schools have been failed for too long. The intransigence of religious groups running such schools cannot be tolerated indefinitely."
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)
