Faith schools: the evidence
Over a third of schools in Britain are faith schools, yet their place within public education systems remains deeply contested.
Proponents of faith schools claim that they improve parental choice, achieve superior educational outcomes, and are better at promoting moral values. The evidence from the research strongly contests these claims.
Such research is often piecemeal and difficult to access, making it hard to gain a comprehensive view of the debate. This research bank is intended as a valuable resource for policymakers, politicians, academics and anyone else interested in the ongoing debate around faith schools in Britain.
Each entry provides an at-a-glance overview of the key evidence and central arguments made in a different study. The research bank is arranged chronologically within a number of key sections: social cohesion; performance; school choice; values; and public opinion.
Together, the evidence provides a compelling and comprehensive case against state-funded faith schools.
Values and morality
Many widely held moral principles are promoted by both faith and non-faith schools, the latter without framing these through an exclusively religious ethos. However, the evidence in this section shows that the promotion of religious values often runs contrary to ideals of equality in areas such as sexual orientation and reproductive rights. While supporters contend that educating children within a religious tradition fosters moral learning, critics argue that this reflects a desire to advance the interests of particular religious institutions.
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Independent Christian schools and pupil values: an empirical investigation among 13–15-year-old boys
L. J. Francis (2005), British Journal of Religious Education 27(2): 127–141.
This study compares the attitudes of teenage boys attending 114 non-denominational state- maintained schools and 19 independent Christian schools. Data are taken from a survey administered to all year 9 and year 10 classes throughout England and Wales. The study finds clear values differences between the pupils attending the two types of school. Pupils attending the Christian school report higher levels of personal wellbeing (such as a higher level of purpose in life) in certain areas, although overall, pupils at non-denominational schools report being happier at school by 73% to 66%. The two groups show similar results on issues such as worries about school work, concerns about exams and the importance of hard work.
Clear differences are found in levels of religious belief and moral attitudes, with pupils attending the Christian schools showing a higher level of biblical literalism and a greater degree of moral conservatism. In all, 85% of pupils in Christian schools claim to believe in God (compared to 40% of pupils in non-denominational schools), 89% believe that 'Jesus really rose from the dead' (compared to 28% of pupils at non-religious schools), 82% agree that 'God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh' (compared to 19%) and 67% hold the view that Christianity is 'the only true religion' (shared by just 13% of pupils at non-denominational schools).
On moral issues, 64% of pupils attending Christian schools claim that it is wrong to have sex outside marriage (compared to 13% of non-denominational pupils), 70% think that homosexuality is wrong (compared to 21%), 73% feel that abortion is wrong (the figure for pupils at non-religious schools is 39%) and 41% say that divorce is wrong (a view held by 15% of pupils at non-religious schools).
While the author holds a positive view of these findings (claiming that pupils attending Christian schools 'are more likely to be protected from boys who hold liberal attitudes toward alcohol, tobacco and sex'), the figures can be interpreted as evidence for the view that religious school seek to inculcate their pupils with a particular worldview. Indeed, the author notes that: 'In many ways the distinctiveness of the "Christian" community is being reproduced within the Christian school'.
Against faith schools: a philosophical argument for children’s rights
R. Marples (2005), International Journal of Children's Spirituality, 10(2): 133–147.
This paper claims that faith schools are incompatible with the rights of children and the society to which they belong. It argues that while the Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts that parents have the right to ensure 'education and teaching in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions', no such rights exist. The idea of parental rights is seen as a form of property claim and is a breach of a child's moral and cognitive autonomy. The author states that: 'Those who would frustrate, either intentionally or unwittingly, a child's capacity for independent thought, are denying the child right to flourish', and claims that the purpose of a faith school is to engage in a form of indoctrination, wherein a certain religious view is promoted over all others. As such, faith schools 'represent a real and serious threat to children's autonomy, especially their emotional autonomy' and are 'incompatible with the aims of education required by a liberal democracy'.
The Way Ahead: Church of England Schools in the New Millennium
Church of England, GS 1406, Church House Publishing, London (2001).
This report outlines the Church of England's vision for its schools and makes a number of recommendations for ways in which the Church can deepen and expand its school provision. The views contained in the report can be seen to support the claims of those who see faith schools as engaging in practices amounting to indoctrination. It states, for instance, that the aim of Church schools should be to: 'Nourish those of the faith; Encourage those of other faiths; Challenge those who have no faith'. A section called 'The Church's need to reach the young' explains that: 'The Church has a major problem in attracting young people to its services'. This is described as a source of 'much concern' that 'bears directly on the future of the Church'. The report goes on to lament the limited provision of the Church at the level of secondary schools, noting that: 'This means that we are losing contact with most of the Church primary school children just at the time of life when they need answers to their questions and support in their faith'.
The report further states that: 'The justification for Church schools lies in offering children and young people an opportunity to experience the meaning of the Christian faith'. It claims that Church schools should not be 'agents of proselytism', but nonetheless calls on Church schools to 'offer the children an experience of the Christian faith, both through the everyday life of the school and through inclusive forms of worship'. The report adds that: 'The policy of inclusiveness extends also to children of no faith where, without seeking to convert these children to the faith, the school offers the practice of faith, worship and a school life founded on Christian values, all of which give the children an opportunity to make an informed choice that they might otherwise not experience'.
The report goes on to lament a lack of Christian teachers needed to promote Christian values, stating that: 'in an increasingly secular society the seedbed of young Christians from whom Christian teachers can be drawn needs to be nourished. Unless the Church can act successfully to find the teachers needed … nothing will be achieved'.
A PDF copy of this report is available to download.
