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
NSS research bank shows deep flaws in case for faith schools
Posted: Tue, 23 Feb 2021 07:00
A substantial new analysis of academic research, published by the National Secular Society, has highlighted significant and myriad weaknesses in the arguments for state-funded faith schools.
The Faith Schools Research Bank, which launched on Tuesday, brings together evidence from almost 200 sources on the impact of faith schools.
The bank has been compiled by University of Warwick academics Steven Kettell and Rebecca Vernon. It outlines evidence in five key areas: social cohesion; performance and selection; choice and admissions; values and morality; and opinion polls.
The NSS says the evidence "provides a compelling and comprehensive case against state-funded faith schools" when taken together.
It adds that it intends the bank to be a valuable resource for policymakers, politicians, academics and anyone else interested in the ongoing debate around faith schools in Britain.
Comments
Co-author Steven Kettell, an associate professor in Warwick's Department of Politics and International Studies, said: "High quality research on the impact of faith schools is often inaccessible to the general public.
"We hope the Faith Schools Research Bank will be an invaluable and comprehensive resource which will change that.
"The evidence shows that faith schools advance the interests of religious institutions, rather than society as a whole. Faith schools foster social division, undermine equality and infringe on pupils' intellectual autonomy. And the arguments made in their favour don't stand up to scrutiny."
NSS head of education Alastair Lichten said the research in the bank presented "a compelling and comprehensive argument against faith schools".
"Supporters of faith schools commonly claim that they provide a social benefit, improved choice, and a superior moral foundation. These claims and more are ground down under the weight of evidence.
"This should act as a wake-up call to policy makers, who should support a secular and inclusive education system to improve social cohesion and enable children to develop their own religious beliefs."
Notes
- The Faith Schools Research Bank is available on the NSS website.
- The research bank mainly focuses on faith schools in England and Wales, although it also draws on evidence from Scotland and Northern Ireland where relevant. More than a third of state-funded schools in England are faith schools.
- The NSS will be holding an online launch event including Q&A with Steven Kettell on Thursday 8 April. Click here to register.
Community school may be lost as faith-based provision is protected
Posted: Fri, 19 Feb 2021 13:30
Parents in Somerset could lose a community school as a result of special provisions which protect faith-based schooling, as the local council considers how to keep schools financially viable.
Schools in the Ilminster and Crewkerne area are in financial difficulties due to changing pupil numbers. Somerset County Council is consulting on possible solutions, but its options are restricted due to special provisions for faith schools.
The council is consulting on a change which would mean a transfer from a three-tier schooling system – where children are grouped by three different age groups – to a two-tier one.
This would result in Swanmead Community Middle School being absorbed into a new Church of England primary school, which may join a C of E backed academy in future.
If schools from the middle and top tier could join an academy trust, the faith and community ethos of existing schools could be preserved.
But this option cannot be explored because the C of E's Diocese of Bath and Wells will not allow faith schools to join trusts unless it's entitled to appoint a majority of trustees to oversee all the schools within it.
Relevant NSS concerns
The National Secular Society recently raised concerns that religious groups are using the academisation process to consolidate their control of schools, and that secular oversight is diminishing.
Previous NSS research has also highlighted a systemic bias in favour of faith schooling during school reorganisations.
The society's research has also shown that thousands of children are sent to faith schools against their parents' preferences each year. Families in the area affected by this row have an extreme restriction on the choice of anything but a faith school.
NSS response
The NSS argues that the community ethos of existing schools should be protected. The society also argues that where schools need to be amalgamated, community ethos provision which serves everyone equally should be prioritised.
The NSS has called on the council to conduct an assessment of the impact of the loss of the community ethos provision on equalities.
NSS head of education Alastair Lichten said the episode highlighted "significant problems caused by undue deference to religious interests in England's education system".
"Decisions around school reorganisation are always difficult for communities. But the restrictions imposed by faith schools' special status add to the stress and create unique challenges.
"Somerset County Council should explore all possible options to maintain community ethos schooling. Local authorities should consider the significant religious decline of recent years, and the increase in religious diversity, when making decisions around school provision.
"But this also shows the need for the government to take action to address the systemic bias in favour of preserving faith schools, the inequities between religious and secular provision in the academisation process, and the disregard for families left with no option but a faith school."
Respond to the consultation
- The council's consultation closes at 5pm on Wednesday 24 February.
Update, 26 August 2021:
Two families have launched legal action against the council over its plans. One of those families is due to argue that the merger between Swanmead and the C of E school, Greenfylde First School, will discriminate against those with no religious beliefs.
There are more details on Somerset Live.
The NSS wrote to the council and the Department for Education earlier this year to urge them to curtail the unreasonable use of the church's veto power.
Note: this story was updated on 22 February.
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)
