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
Three in 10 families have little choice but a faith school, NSS finds
Posted: Mon, 23 Aug 2021 10:00
Three in 10 families in England are left with little choice but a faith school while thousands are forced into faith schools against their wishes every year, the National Secular Society has found.
NSS research has shown that 30% of families live in areas where two or three of their three nearest primary schools are faith based. In some local authorities the figure is above 80%.
One in 10 families face the same problem at secondary level, and in some areas this figure is above 60%.
The NSS also found that this September, for the third year running, more than 20,000 pupils have been assigned faith schools despite their families expressing a preference for a non-faith option.
This means more than 153,000 pupils have been assigned faith schools despite a non-faith preference since 2014.
Since 2018, the society has published annual research showing the extent to which faith schools restrict school choice in England.
Government hasn't estimated relevant figures
The latest research comes shortly after the schools minister Nick Gibb was asked about similar issues in parliament.
Last month Gibb said the government had made no estimate of how many children are effectively forced into faith schools, or left unable to attend their local school because of religious discrimination.
The government also said it had no estimate of the number of pupils left with little option but a faith school in response to parliamentary questions in 2014 and 2018.
Local authority figures
This year the NSS's research also breaks the figures down by local authority, based on analysis of almost half a million postcodes and the latest admissions data, providing an unprecedented level of detail.
In one local authority – Kensington and Chelsea – more than 11% of applicants were assigned faith schools against their parents' preferences at primary level. In Kent, more than 1,000 pupils were affected between primary and secondary.
Meanwhile in Westminster, around nine in 10 families live in areas where they are likely to find it difficult to access secular schooling at both primary and secondary level.
Affected parents speak out
One affected parent in Liverpool told the NSS that her options for her four-year-old, who starts school shortly, were "drastically reduced because we refused to get him 'fake' christened".
"It's quite shocking that my son will not be considered for a school place because of a prejudice."
Another parent told the NSS of his anger at being forced to send all three of his children to a Catholic school.
Others described particular concerns over the lack of secular education in some rural areas, and said their children were not being given the opportunity to make informed choices on their beliefs at faith schools.
NSS comment
NSS head of education Alastair Lichten said: "Proponents of faith schools often argue that they are good for parental choice, but these figures show how flawed that argument is.
"Many families across England are pushed into faith schools against their wishes. And others are locked out of their local schools by religiously selective admissions.
"Amid a rapid and sustained decline in Christian affiliation, it's time policymakers seriously engaged with this issue. They should take steps to ensure every pupil's ability to access a secular education. And they should confront the narrative that parental choice justifies the segregation, discrimination and promotion of religion inherent in England's schools."
Notes
- The NSS also found that 37% of primary and 19% of secondary schools in England are faith schools.
- The NSS's findings are available in full on its page on the Choice Delusion research.
- Read more coverage: Three in 10 families have little choice but a religious school, study finds, by iNews.
Update, 9 September 2021:
Schools minister Nick Gibb has confirmed that the government still doesn't know how many pupils there are in England whose choice of school is limited to a faith school in response to a parliamentary question.
He was also asked what steps he would take to ensure pupils have access to a non-faith school. He didn't appear to answer that part of the question.
Image: Monkey Business images/Shutterstock.com.
Faith schools routinely de-prioritise children in care, report finds
Posted: Thu, 12 Aug 2021 08:51
The admissions policies of faith-based state secondary schools in England routinely prioritise children on religious grounds ahead of children who are or have been in care, a report has revealed.
More information
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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)
