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.
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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
NSS welcomes Lib Dem proposal to end faith schools in Scotland
Posted: Fri, 7 Sep 2018 16:07
The National Secular Society has welcomed a proposal by the Scottish Liberal Democrats to end sectarian schools by pursuing a "single secular model of state-funded education".
The motion, which was due to be discussed at the party's autumn conference on Saturday, calls on the Scottish government to end faith-based admissions and employment restrictions in state schools.
After the conference the Scottish Lib Dems told the NSS it had referred the motion back to its policy committee "to come again to a later conference".
The issue is expected to be debated during the party's spring conference next year, although Alex Cole-Hamilton - an MSP who opposed the motion - claimed the party would take abolition of state Catholic schools "off the table".
Teachers need approval from local bishops to work in Scottish Catholic schools, while some over-subscribed Catholic schools prioritise pupils with a baptism certificate. The motion highlights the fact the Equality Act 2010 legislates against discrimination on the grounds of religious belief or lack of it.
It also calls for the removal of non-elected church positions from local authority education boards, to be replaced with elected positions open to residents residing in the local authority. Local authority education boards in Scotland are currently required to reserve three places for religious representatives.
The proposal notes that the education system in Scotland "was borne out of a culture of religious prejudice and inequality, when the church had to fund schools in order for children of a particular faith to receive an education". It also says "society, religious belief, education and equal rights have evolved significantly in the intervening period" and "schools are no longer funded by the church and are now funded by the state".
It also points out that countries across the globe "have reduced or removed the links with the church in state funded schools".
Instead of faith schools, the proposal suggests enabling schools to introduce an optional "religion hour" before or after the school day to provide "the opportunity for pupils to practice their faith and receive religious instruction if they so wish".
The motion was moved by Yvonne Finlayson, candidate for Motherwell & Wishaw.
The National Secular Society welcomed the motion. Alastair Lichten, education and schools officer at the NSS, said: "The Scottish Liberal Democrats are proposing a fair and inclusive approach to education, an approach that the NSS has advocated for years.
"Faith schools in Scotland fuel sectarianism, segregation and discriminate against children, families and teachers of no faith and minority faiths. The proposals moved by the Scottish Lib Dems will enhance freedom of belief, restore equality and democracy to the education system, and help to build a more cohesive Scottish society."
There are nearly 400 local authority faith schools in Scotland. Three are Episcopalian, one is Jewish, and the remainder are Catholic.
In August, Scotland's education minister told the NSS that his government has "no plans" to change religion's privileged role in education.
Paisley Liberal Democrat councillor Eileen McCartin told the Scottish Catholic Observer she planned to oppose the motion.
Ms McCartin has previously stated that "there is an ethos of belief and humanity in Catholic schools which is not always present in non-denominational schools".
The Catholic Church in Scotland called the motion "deeply illiberal", saying it "shows contempt for religious freedom and discriminates against parents who choose to send their children to Catholic schools".
The motion in full
SC6: The role of the Church in the Education System
Conference notes:
1. That the education system in Scotland was borne out of a culture of religious prejudice and inequality, when the church had to fund schools in order for children of a particular faith to receive an education.
2. That society, religious belief, education and equal rights have evolved significantly in the intervening period and schools are no longer funded by the church and are now funded by the state.
3. That countries across the globe have reduced or removed the links with the church in state funded schools.
4. That some local authorities apply faith as a selection criteria for denominational schools, yet faith (or no faith) is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.
5. That the Church continues to have a role in advising on the suitability for employment of teachers in faith schools funded by a local authority.
6. That authorities must reserve three non-elected seats on education boards for religious representatives, as set out in the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
Conference believes:
1. That state-funded schools should not have entry or placement criteria based on faith.
2. That teachers who do not fulfil particular religious or lifestyle criteria are discriminated against in some denominational schools as they can't apply for promoted posts.
3. That the non-elected posts for religious representatives on education boards should cease, and be replaced by the introduction of elected posts.
Conference calls for the Scottish Government to:
1. Pursue a single secular model of state-funded education.
2. Remove religious belief as a placing criteria for Scottish state funded schools.
3. Enable schools to introduce an optional "religion hour" before or after the school day providing the opportunity for pupils to practice their faith and receive religious instruction if they so wish.
4. Remove faith as a criteria for selecting or recommending teachers for employment or promotion.
5. Remove the non-elected church positions from local authority education boards and replace with elected positions open to residents residing in the local authority.
This story was originally published on 7 September. It was updated on 10 September to reflect the fact the motion had been referred back to the party's policy committee and 14 September to reflect Alex Cole-Hamilton's comments.
Scottish govt commits to faith schools despite religious decline
Posted: Tue, 14 Aug 2018 14:55
Scotland's education minister has told the National Secular Society his government has "no plans" to roll back religious schools – as a poll shows Scotland becoming increasingly irreligious.
John Swinney, who is also the deputy first minister, told the NSS that the government had no plans to stop supporting denominational schooling, or to restrict such schools' ability to discriminate in terms of religion when appointing staff.
His letter comes as a poll found that almost 60% of Scots were non-religious, including almost 70% of 18-24 year olds.
The poll, by Survation on behalf of the Humanist Society Scotland, found that 37% of Scots call themselves Christians, of whom more than half (58%) say they belong to the Church of Scotland.
The poll found that 53% of Scots say they never pray and 60% only ever attend church for weddings, funerals and other special occasions. A majority (51%) do not believe in an afterlife.
Sixty-eight per cent did not believe in hell. A similar proportion said they did not believe in divine miracles, while 60% said they did not believe in angels and 65% did not believe in evil spirits.
The north-east of Scotland contained the most non-religious people (66%). In Glasgow the figure was 55%.
Alastair Lichten, the NSS's education and schools officer, said the Scottish government was "out of touch with the wishes of most Scots" and "pouring fuel on the fire of sectarianism just as a chance to tackle it is emerging".
"Inclusive, non-discriminatory, non-denominational education is our best chance to bring people of all faiths and none together. As religious belief in Scotland diversifies and diminishes, our future doesn't need to be a divided one."
In recent months the Scottish government has repeatedly committed itself to Catholic schools, in the 100th year since legislation brought Catholic schools into Scotland's state education system.
In June Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, described her government as "an unequivocal supporter of Catholic schools". In the same speech she announced a 450% increase in funding for a Catholic teacher training programme.
In May Swinney gave an "absolute assurance" of the Scottish government's "commitment to maintain the Catholic education tradition".
But earlier this month Mhairi Black, an MP with the Scottish National Party (which governs in Scotland), said there should be "a debate" on the future of Catholic schools.
Image: John Swinney MSP, © Ninian Reid, via Flickr [CC BY 2.0]
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)
