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
Scotland: “No plans” to end religious committee representatives
Posted: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 13:05
Scotland's Education Secretary has said there are "no plans" to end places for religious appointees on education committees.
Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP said the requirement for local authorities in Scotland to appoint religious representatives would continue, in response to a letter sent by the National Secular Society and the Edinburgh Secular Society in August calling for an end to the process.
In her reply earlier this month, she said the presence of "significant numbers of denominational schools" in Scotland and the "requirement to provide Religious Education" means there "continues to be a role for religious groups in decision making for denominational and non-denominational schools alike".
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 obliges local authorities in Scotland to appoint three religious representatives to their education committees, at least one of whom must be appointed by the Roman Catholic Church and one by the Protestant Church of Scotland.
Such representatives have voting privileges in most councils, enabling them to influence local education policies affecting both faith and non-faith schools. They are generally the only unelected members granted such entitlements.
The letter from the NSS was sent following a meeting of Shetland Islands Council where several members expressed dissatisfaction at being required to appoint a religious representative to the authority's education committee, with councillors describing the situation as both "unconstitutional and undemocratic" and "ridiculous in the 21st century".
Similar concerns regarding the legislation have been raised by councillors at other Scottish local authorities, with Perth and Kinross council voting in 2019 to remove religious representatives' voting privilege after the Scottish Government clarified such entitlements were not legal requirements. Following the statement, the NSS wrote to all 32 Scottish councils asking them to follow suit.
NSS: Religious representatives create "a hierarchy of inequity"
Jack Rivington, Campaigns Officer at the NSS, said: "The Scottish Government's response is deeply unsatisfactory.
"Automatically appointing religious representatives to education committees runs totally contrary to the fundamental principles of our democratic system, as well as enabling undue religious influence over the education of Scottish children.
"Additionally, preferential treatment given to two religions in particular creates a hierarchy of inequity and undermines inclusivity.
"Religious people have a right to express their views on education policy, but those views must proceed through the standard democratic process instead of being given special privileges and automatic access. This is also the position increasingly taken by Scottish local authorities.
"Instead of ignoring the issue, the Scottish Government should listen to these concerns and review this outdated piece of legislation. Denominational schools and religious education should not be used as justification to continue this anachronistic requirement – instead, Scotland should work towards ensuring its whole education system is inclusive, secular and free from religious control."
NSS urges education secretary to end religious appointees law
Posted: Mon, 22 Aug 2022 12:40
The National Secular Society has called on Scotland's education secretary to end automatic places on education committees for religious appointees following concerns from councillors.
In a letter to Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Shirley-Anne Somerville, the NSS called for legislative reform to remove religious appointees because "religious views do not require privileged status and should compete for representation, as all other ideas do, via the democratic process."
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 requires local authorities in Scotland to appoint three religious representatives to their education committees. At least one of them must be appointed by the Catholic Church and one by the Protestant Church of Scotland.
As religious representatives have voting rights in most councils, they are able to influence local education policy.
The letter from National Secular Society chief executive Stephen Evans, and co-signed by Edinburgh Secular Society, comes in the wake of criticism from Shetland Isles councillors required to appoint a religious representative earlier this month.
Gary Robinson, of Lerwick North, said the requirement was "quite frankly ridiculous in the 21st century", adding the appointment was made "not because we want to, because we are being required to".
This sentiment was echoed by fellow councillors.
The full Shetland Islands Council (pictured) subsequently passed a motion to initiate a dialogue with the Scottish government on the matter via the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.
In April 2019, Perth and Kinross Council voted to end religious representatives' voting rights after the Scottish government said there was no legal obligation to grant these rights. The NSS has since written to all 32 councils in Scotland to ask them to follow suit.
NSS: Appointing religious reps "gives religion undue influence"
Stephen Evans said: "Shetland councillors are absolutely right to highlight the absurdity of laws requiring religious representatives to sit on local authority education committees.
"Religious representatives should of course be able to feed their views in through the normal democratic process, but their views should not be given any special or institutional weight. Doing so runs counter to democratic principles.
"The law requiring the appointment of religious reps to education committees gives religion undue influence over the education of Scottish children and undermines efforts to make Scotland more inclusive and equal. The Scottish government should repeal it as soon as possible.
"Until such time, councillors across Scotland can limit the influence of this undemocratic law by voting to remove religious appointees' voting rights."
A National Secular Society report in 2019 made the case for removing religious appointees from education committees in Scotland.
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)
