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 school with only white ethnicity options in application form to be investigated
Posted: Fri, 2 Jul 2021 11:36
A state-funded faith school in north London will be investigated after the National Secular Society raised concerns about potential racial discrimination in its admissions.
The NSS contacted the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) in May regarding a "school application form" on the admissions page of Lubavitch Girls Primary School, an Orthodox Jewish school.
The OSA, which clarifies the legal position on school admissions policies, has now told the NSS it will consider whether the school's admissions arrangements conform with requirements.
Admission arrangements
The application form asks for prospective pupils' "ethnic background", but only lists "White – Orthodox Jewish", "White – British", "White – European" and "White – Other" as possible answers.
The NSS also raised concerns about the school's admissions arrangements, which state: "Priority in admissions will be given to children who are Jewish according to Halochah (Orthodox Jewish Law)."
Orthodox Jewish law is sometimes interpreted to mean only those who are born to mothers who are ethnically Jewish are considered Jewish. This is a potential breach of the Equality Act 2010 under the grounds of race.
The school admissions code specifies admissions arrangements must "comply with all relevant legislation, including equalities legislation".
The school's admissions arrangements also say in any dispute as to whether a child is Jewish, "the decision of the Rabbinate of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations of the United Kingdom is final".
The NSS said this may breach the code's stipulation that oversubscription criteria must be "clear", "objective" and "procedurally fair" because it does not explain what criteria the rabbinate uses.
The application form also asks for details about parents' marriage. Requesting information about marital status is prohibited under the code.
The school describes itself as "strictly orthodox" and says it aims to provide a "Torah-true education". It became state-funded in 2004.
Many state-funded faith schools are allowed to operate discriminatory admissions policies due to loopholes in equality legislation. The NSS campaigns for the end of religious discrimination in admissions.
NSS comment
NSS head of policy and research Megan Manson welcomed the OSA's decision to investigate the school.
"We are pleased to see the OSA is taking our concerns seriously.
"It is unacceptable for any school to imply that only children from certain ethnicities need apply.
"Unfortunately, the link between faith-based admissions criteria and ethnic segregation is well-established. Religious discrimination in admissions must be abolished to ensure children suffer no barriers in attending their local school due to their ethnicity."
Racial discrimination and segregation at Jewish schools
- In 2009 the Supreme Court found the Jewish Free School in London had broken the law by refusing to admit a boy whose mother was a convert to Judaism. The school had directly discriminated against the boy on the basis of race under the Race Relations Act 1976.
- More recently, the OSA upheld a complaint against Menorah Primary School, also in north London, which asked rabbis to confirm that applicants were "halachically Jewish".
- Research consistently demonstrates that faith schools tend to be more ethnically segregated. In 2013 Humanists UK found that Asian pupils are under-represented in Jewish schools. And a 2017 report found more than 84% of non-Christian faith schools were considered to be segregated because of their disproportionate ethnic makeup.
Hundreds tell government to rethink faith-based school admissions
Posted: Thu, 20 May 2021 14:24
More than 1,100 people have criticised religious discrimination in school admissions in response to a consultation on proposed changes to the admissions code in England.
The government recently proposed a series of changes which aimed to improve support for vulnerable children and has now published a summary of consultation responses.
It said 1,160 campaign responses had commented on the ability of schools with a religious character to admit children on the grounds of religion or belief.
That figure made up more than 90% of the responses to the consultation that came from individuals.
A "large number" of the responses raised concerns that faith schools can prioritise children based on faith background over looked after children who don't meet faith-based admissions criteria.
Vulnerable children are sometimes specifically disadvantaged by faith based admissions. Some Catholic schools, for example, prioritise "baptised Catholic children" over looked after children who aren't considered Catholic.
Government response
In response to the call, the government said it "remains committed in its support for church and other faith schools".
It also said it was "for the admission authority of individual faith schools to decide whether or not" to prioritise children based on faith.
Note
- There were 1,277 responses to the consultation from individuals and 270 responses from organisations, including from local authorities, schools and academy trusts.
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)
