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
Ofsted: Jewish school teaching creationism and censoring resources
Posted: Mon, 9 Mar 2020 15:50
An independent Jewish school is teaching creationism as science and refusing to enter pupils for GCSEs because leaders are not allowed to censor papers, according to a damning Ofsted report.
An inspection report found Bnois Jerusalem Girls School in Hackney in north London 'inadequate' in all areas. The school caters for 840 pupils and had recently been warned by the government over a litany of failures.
The report, which follows a visit to the school in December and was published today, says the school is teaching creationism in Geography and Science. It adds that "pupils do not learn anything about the scientific theories about the origins of life".
It also says the school does not enter pupils for GCSEs because exam regulations don't allow leaders to censor papers, severely limiting pupils' options for post-16 study.
The report adds that the school:
- is censoring fiction books and text, photographs and illustrations in Geography text books, while not stocking English language books in its library;
- has limited the scope of its curriculum to "make it fit with Orthodox Jewish teaching";
- is leaving children unprepared for life in Britain and lacking confidence in English.
It also says the school did not allow inspectors to talk to pupils during its latest inspection, apparently at the request of parents. As a result inspectors were unable to judge whether the school safeguarded children effectively.
The school was given a warning notice by the government in 2018 after Ofsted criticised it for preventing pupils from gaining GCSEs, censoring resources and other failures. It also failed to meet standards which were checked at an additional inspection in March 2019.
In response to the latest report, National Secular Society spokesperson Megan Manson said: "This is a particularly appalling example of a school prioritising religious teachings over pupils' education and welfare.
"Teaching creationism as science, censoring resources, and depriving children of the chance to gain qualifications and even communicate in English is utterly inexcusable. Fundamentalist religious zealotry should never be allowed to run roughshod over children's basic rights in this manner."
The NSS is now planning to raise the case with the Department for Education.
Creationism in independent schools
- The independent school standards allow schools to teach creationism "as part of a belief system" but not to present it "as having a similar or superior evidence base to scientific theories".
Independent Jewish school fails fifth Ofsted inspection in a row
Posted: Fri, 6 Mar 2020 10:14
An Orthodox Jewish school has been found in breach of the independent school standards for the fifth time in a row after inspectors criticised its curriculum and safety checks.
In a report published on Tuesday, the education watchdog Ofsted said Wiznitz Cheder School in north London had failed to meet all the standards checked in an inspection in January.
Inspectors' criticisms of the school, which is attended by children aged from three to 13, included that:
- Its leaders refused to make pupils aware of sexual orientation and gender reassignment in Year 7, arguing that doing so would go against "the school's Orthodox Jewish ethos". Inspectors noted that the school's personal, social and health education programme is delivered through its religious studies curriculum.
- Shower and toilet facilities were unclean, a medical room was cluttered and portable electrical devices which had not been safety checked by a qualified professional for years.
- Vetting checks on staff were not recorded appropriately.
Wiznitz Cheder failed a full Ofsted inspection in June 2018, when inspectors said they had only been able to speak to three pupils as parents and carers of other children had withdrawn consent.
At that time Ofsted also said the school's "narrow curriculum" and "very limited schemes of work" meant pupils were "ill-prepared for life in British society". Additionally, leaders failed to "encourage respect or appreciation of a range of cultures other than their own".
In 2019 the school failed two further inspections designed to monitor its progress. Ofsted also identified unmet standards during an inspection in 2016.
National Secular Society spokesperson Megan Manson said: "The repeated failings at Wiznitz Cheder School are a reminder that some religious groups who run schools are stubbornly refusing to abide by reasonable standards.
"And when PSHE is delivered via religious studies, children are frequently taught distorted views about society and relationships. Schools may omit vital information entirely if it doesn't fall in line with religious teachings.
"Ofsted and the government mustn't allow schools to undermine children's fundamental rights in the name of promoting their religious ethos."
The NSS campaigns for independent schools to be held to consistent standards regardless of their religious outlook.
The society has also previously highlighted concerns that schools distort teaching about relationships and sex when they teach about them through a religious lens.
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)
