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
Challenge religious stigmatising of LGBT people, NSS tells Welsh government
Posted: Mon, 20 Sep 2021 12:06
The National Secular Society has called on the Welsh government to challenge religious homophobia in education, healthcare and charities.
The Welsh government is consulting on its LGBTQ+ action plan, which aims to tackle inequalities and discrimination experienced by LGBT+ people.
In its response, the NSS highlighted barriers posed by religious organisations in achieving LGBT+ equality in Wales. It said the action plan needs "greater focus on the role on religion in anti-LGBT+ hate and discrimination".
LGBT+ inclusive education
The NSS welcomed the government's proposal to deliver "LGBTQ+ inclusive RSE for all". But it "strongly recommended" the government revisit recent curriculum reforms that still permit faith schools to teach relationships and sex education (RSE) from a faith-based perspective. This means children at some faith schools will continue to be taught same-sex relationships are wrong, the NSS said. It highlighted its 2018 findings that all 12 state-funded secondary schools in Wales with an RSE policy were teaching the subject within the tenets of Catholicism or the Church in Wales.
'Conversion therapy'
The NSS welcomed the government's commitment to tackle so-called 'conversion therapy'. It recommended legislation against forced conversion therapy, and said those harmed by the procedure should be able to seek redress. It said it should be a criminal offence for any healthcare professional to practice or support conversion therapy, and that improved education about the harms of the procedure was necessary in the healthcare sector.
Charities
The NSS said organisations that actively promote anti-LGBT+ ideology should be prevented from registering as charities. It recommended removing 'the advancement of religion' from the list of recognised charitable purposes, because it enables charities to promote homophobia as part of their religious ideology. It gave examples of a Cardiff-based Islamic charity with a video on its YouTube account about how to 'prevent sodomy' via Islamic modesty codes, and a Christian charity, also in Cardiff, that says anything that's not part of "God's good plan" for marriage should be "put to death" in a Sunday School resource.
Employment
The NSS recommended a review of gaps in the Equality Act 2010 that allow religious organisations to discriminate against potential employees on the basis of sexual orientation, gender reassignment and religion or belief. It warned this may be over-used to build an "exclusively heterosexual workforce".
NSS comment
NSS head of policy and research Megan Manson said: "We welcome the Welsh government's aims to tackle inequalities experienced by LGBT+ people.
"However, the government has shied away from challenging the religious fundamentalism that poses some of the greatest barriers to LGBT+ equality.
"Without taking this on, particularly in schools and charities, we will sadly continue to see anti-LGBT+ propaganda being promoted in the name of religion."
The consultation closes on 22 October.
Image: Pride Cymru 2016, Cardiff / Welsh Parliament (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons.
Catholic school transforms into integrated one for first time in NI
Posted: Fri, 3 Sep 2021 16:57
Seaview Primary School reopened as Seaview Integrated Primary School.
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)
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