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
Dissenting Orthodox Jew Izzy Posen to speak at Secularism 2019
Posted: Wed, 20 Feb 2019 17:23
The National Secular Society is pleased to announce that Izzy Posen, who dissented from his strict upbringing in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, will speak at its Secularism 2019 conference.
Izzy, who will address the religious abuse of children's rights, is the sixth confirmed speaker for the conference, which takes place on Saturday 18 May at The Tower Hotel in London. Tickets for the conference are on sale now.
Izzy grew up in the Chasidic community and attended an illegal, unregistered school where corporal punishment was routinely used, particularly to silence children who asked questions. He is now president of Bristol University's Free Speech Society.
In an interview with The Telegraph he described his time at Talmud Torah Tashbar School, which he attended from the age of seven, as "child abuse".
"The worst aspect was definitely the hitting. I was cheeky so I was hit a lot. A wooden cooking spoon was always on the table and it was used daily."
He said the school was held in a "very run down" disused synagogue and his classroom for five years was a cloakroom with blacked out windows.
"Sitting for five years in the same classroom that is tiny and cramped – that is like sitting in a prison cell."
The school did not teach secular subjects and English was never spoken. He taught himself English at the age of 18 and is now a physics and philosophy student.
In an interview with the BBC last month he said: "I still identify as a Jew. I see lots of value in being Jewish and practising Jewish culture. I just don't believe in the religious claims.
"Leaving a very restrictive community is a very difficult thing. It's not an easy journey. But I would say it's worth it."
He also recently appeared on BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme and the Godless Spellchecker podcast.
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said he was "very much looking forward to hearing from Izzy Posen".
"Izzy's remarkable story will shine a light on some of the shocking ways that unregistered schools deny children's rights and restrict opportunities to dissent. These details tend to be under-reported and we're very fortunate that someone so eloquent is willing to take the brave decision to speak out.
"His decision to attend our conference does a significant service to those whose lives are severely restricted by the unquestioning culture of some closed religious communities. His decision to teach himself English and secular subjects and become an advocate for free speech at university will also act as a source of inspiration."
Izzy will join a distinguished line-up of speakers including medical ethicist Dr Brian Earp, the lead commissioner for countering extremism Sara Khan, Gita Sahgal of the Centre for Secular Space and UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Dr Ahmed Shaheed.
Rachel Laser, the CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, will deliver the keynote address.
The NSS is also running a podcast series, Exploring Religious Freedom, in the run-up to the conference.
Failing faith school harming pupils’ wellbeing, says Ofsted
Posted: Mon, 18 Feb 2019 15:30
An independent Jewish faith school in north London has been found 'inadequate' in all areas in an Ofsted inspection which could trigger its deregistering and closure.
The no-notice inspection of Talmud Torah Yetev Lev in the Stamford Hill area found that the school was teaching a narrow curriculum and responsible for a litany of safeguarding failures. Inspectors had previously warned the school of its failures in 2014 and 2017.
The latest inspection was carried out at the school's five premises in the Stamford Hill area at the request of the Department for Education (DfE). This included one site the school had not informed the DfE was in use.
The school is registered to admit 567 pupils and had 1,213 on roll. However, because of "disorganised and unreliable" records, it is not clear how many were attending regularly. Ofsted's report said leaders had not "rectified" the issue, "despite knowing that the admissions register contains inaccurate information".
Inspectors said methods of discipline were being used which were "harmful to pupils' physical and emotional well-being", including "cheek pinching, smacking and slapping". These are now being investigated by appropriate bodies.
The inspection was launched as the DfE considered deregistering the school, after it had been found 'inadequate' in two previous inspections.
Ofsted found that the school's leaders had continued to fail to meet the independent school standards. Inspectors said leaders "have given too little effort and attention to addressing" the school's failures and "underestimate the scale of work required to make sure the school complies with the regulations".
Pupils are taught mostly religious studies, with only an hour and a half in the afternoon for other subjects. As a result, the inspectors found that the curriculum was narrow and that pupils do not receive "sufficient experience in scientific, technological, human and social, and creative education".
There were a number of health and safety or safeguarding failures, and one site in use was found to be "unsafe". The institution fails to provide "impartial and up-to-date careers guidance" and as a result pupils "are not able to make well-informed decisions about the opportunities available to them when they leave the school".
Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development did not encourage respect for other people by paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010. Inspectors agreed not to ask pupils about this, but they noted that "leaders were not able to provide any evidence to show that the relevant standards in this respect are met".
Inspectors added that "too little emphasis" was given to pupils' spoken, reading or written English skills and many pupils "struggle to understand and communicate in English". Classes were taught in Yiddish, which is permissible provided schools also prepare children to speak English and for life in British society.
Reacting to the inspection report, National Secular Society education and schools officer Alastair Lichten said: "Over the last few years we have seen mounting concerns and failures in independent faith schools, but this reaches a new level.
"The inspection was commissioned by a secretary of state giving consideration to deregistering this 'school'. On the basis of this catastrophic litany of failures, that decision must be clear. This 'school' must be deregistered, it must close and the children whose education and welfare have been so callously disregarded must be safeguarded. The record of the trustees involved must be taken into consideration if they ever attempt to get involved in independent schools again and the Charity Commission should consider disqualifying them as future trustees.
"It is clear that inculcating a narrow religious role took precedence over any education that might have widened pupils' horizons.
"The DfE, London Borough of Hackney and Ofsted should work together on a clear action plan to ensure these 1,200 boys are protected and moved to a suitable educational environment. In particular they must ensure these properties and these pupils do not fall into the unregistered (illegal) school sector.
"We are also alarmed that Ofsted accommodated the unreasonable demand not to ask pupils about how they learnt about pupils with different protected characteristics. We will write to Ofsted seeking clarification on why this happened."
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)
