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
Church intransigence creates ‘school planning nightmare’ in Somerset
Posted: Tue, 16 Mar 2021 12:51
The Church of England's ability to block academisation options is frustrating reorganisation plans and putting schools at risk, the National Secular Society has warned.
The warning comes amid Somerset County Council's Strategic School Review, which is seeking to address a significant budget deficit and changing demographics in the area.
A majority of residents oppose the Council's proposals and believe the option of three schools (Maiden Beech Academy, Swanmead Community School, and Wadham School) joining a multi-academy trust (MAT), including the Bridgwater and Taunton College Trust (BTCT), would be the best way to address budget concerns and secure future provision.
However, the Diocese of Bath and Wells has blocked any exploration of this option unless the, currently secular, BTCT changes their rules to have a majority of their board appointed by the diocese. This would traduce a degree of religious control over the community ethos schools.
The NSS previously reported how the limited options considered would lead to the loss of Swanmead Community Middle School as it would be absorbed into a Church of England (C of E) primary school, leaving many local parents with almost no option but a faith school. The changes would also put Maiden Beech Academy (a community-ethos middle school) and Wadham School (a C of E upper school) at risk.
Carl Winch, head teacher at Maiden Beech said "The vast majority of parents and members of the community across the towns of Ilminster and Crewkerne are opposed to these proposals. An academisation option would maintain the status quo and address the financial issues. The BTCT has publicly stated that it would be willing to enter into negotiations with the Diocese to explore an alternative solution; however, the Diocese has not yet responded. If these proposals are implemented, they will have a detrimental impact on two non-denominational schools. The Diocese appear to have a disproportionate amount of influence in this process, which is wrong, especially in the face of significant opposition to the planned changes."
The diocese is able to veto any academisation arrangements involving a Church of England faith school because of a special agreement with the Department for Education (DfE). The C of E often claim that they must appoint a majority of trustees in any trust containing Church schools, to protect their ethos. However, C of E trusts have absorbed hundreds of non-faith schools with significantly less protection for their ethos than would be the case in Somerset.
The National Secular Society has written to Somerset Council and the DfE urging them to curtail the unreasonable use of the Church's veto power.
A recent research report by the NSS highlighted how academisation and the special arrangements for C of E schools has enabled religious groups to increase their influence in state funded education.
NSS head of education, Alastair Lichten, said: "Once again we are seeing special arrangements for the C of E create a school planning nightmare. School reorganisations are difficult, and the best option isn't always clear. But the diocese is clearly limiting the options that can be explored.
"Allowing the Church of England to exert its influence in state schools is getting in the way of providing an efficient and uncomplicated publicly funded school system."
Major reform of teaching on religion and belief passes in Wales
Posted: Tue, 9 Mar 2021 18:37
Legislation which will substantially reform the teaching of religion and belief, including by requiring coverage of secularism as a key concept, has passed its final parliamentary vote in Wales.
The Senedd has today voted to pass a bill which provides the legal framework to introduce a new skills-based curriculum in all schools in Wales.
The National Secular Society, which has strongly lobbied ministers in Wales over curricular reform, has welcomed some significant changes introduced by the bill.
These include:
- Replacing religious education (RE) with religion, values and ethics (RVE), a new subject which will fit in a humanities section of the curriculum.
- Introducing statutory relationships and sexuality education (RSE) in all schools, under a health section of the curriculum.
- Explicitly requiring RVE to cover secularism as a key concept and include non-religious worldviews alongside major religions.
- Requiring faith schools to provide families with the option of RVE according to the locally agreed syllabus, which is more pluralistic than the faith-based alternative.
Ongoing NSS concerns
But the NSS also warned that the bill represented a missed opportunity in other regards, noting that:
- Some faith schools will continue to be able to teach faith-based RVE, meaning they are likely to face practical difficulties in running two syllabuses and undervalue the locally agreed option.
- Ending parents' right to withdraw children from RVE may lead to legal challenges where the subject is insufficiently pluralistic and objective.
- The RVE syllabus will continue to be determined by local bodies, known as SACREs or ASCs, where representatives of faith and belief groups hold significant influence.
- Faith schools will continue to teach RSE from a faith-based perspective. NSS research has shown this has led to inaccurate, shame-based or incomplete coverage of issues deemed 'controversial' by some religious groups.
- The curriculum reform does not address the legal requirement on all schools in Wales to hold a daily act of broadly Christian collective worship, despite recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
NSS comment
NSS head of education Alastair Lichten said: "This landmark piece of legislation will give pupils across Wales access to a more objective way of learning about religion and belief.
"But government concessions will mean religious groups' interests continue to enjoy a privileged input into this subject area – and to shape the way it's taught in many faith schools.
"All children should be entitled to an impartial and pluralistic education on religion and belief. Policy makers across the UK should work to make this a reality.
"We also welcome the Welsh government's move to make relationships and sexuality education statutory. This represents a significant step forward for children's rights."
Notes
- Ministers will consult on and agree statutory guidance by September 2021 to allow the new curriculum to come into effect in September 2022.
- Religious interest groups unsuccessfully lobbied against several of the changes in the bill, including the inclusion of secularism and non-religious worldviews on the curriculum.
- The NSS campaigns for all children to have an entitlement to a pluralistic and objective education on religion and belief.
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)
