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
Government warns Islamic independent school over sex segregation
Posted: Wed, 10 Jul 2019 16:50
An Islamic independent school that segregates male and female pupils has been warned by the government almost two years after the practice was ruled unlawful.
The Department for Education (DfE) issued a warning notice to The Imam Muhammad Adam Institute School (IMAI) in May after it was rated 'inadequate' in its March Ofsted inspection.
IMAI, which is in Leicester, is registered to educate boys and girls aged five to 16.
Inspectors found pupils in Years 5 and 6 and in the school's secondary provision were "segregated by sex for both their lessons and their social time". The pupils "do not have the opportunity to mix", which "causes detriment" to pupils because it limits their social development and "prevents them from preparing effectively for life in British society".
Segregating boys and girls within the same school was ruled unlawful at the High Court in 2017. Al Hijrah School, a state-funded Islamic school in Birmingham, had segregated male and female pupils in all lessons, break and lunchtimes, school trips and school clubs.
At IMAI inspectors said pupils' opportunities to widen their learning beyond the classroom and develop their understanding of cultural differences were also impeded by "limited extra-curricular activities" and "insufficient off-site visits".
Inspectors also highlighted safety failings at the school, including "unacceptable" conditions in the science room on the primary and secondary girls' school, and inappropriate fire exists. They also said checks on the suitability of new staff to work with pupils were "not in line with national guidance".
A total of 23 independent schools were issued warning notices in May following poor Ofsted ratings. They included five Islamic, three Church of England, two Seventh Day Adventist, one Jewish and one Roman Catholic school.
Gateshead Jewish Primary School in Tyne and Wear, which previously segregated male and female pupils and has since divided into two separate schools, was unable to meet a standard requiring schools not to discriminate against pupils contrary to the Equality Act of 2010.
Inspectors said leaders were not "able to identify to their pupils groups of people who are gender reassigned or have sexual orientation other than heterosexuality" because they believed this "contravenes some aspects of the community's Jewish faith".
An "emergency inspection" took place in April at the Islamic Al-Noor College in Birmingham promoted by "several complaints of several complaints received about the welfare, health and safety of pupils".
The inspector found pupils were not well supervised at the beginning of the day, and she was able to access the building "without being challenged". Two fire exits were inaccessible.
There were inconsistencies in records of staff members employed at the school, and leaders had not made sufficient checks on the suitability of staff to work with children. Additionally, some pupils said "inappropriate" rewards and sanctions had been used to manage behaviour.
Safety concerns were also raised at the Islamic Al Huda Girls' School in Birmingham, where the inspector found toilets and washing areas "in a poor state" and "unhygienic". Some fencing panels on the playground were broken, exposing "nails and sharp edges". The inspection was prompted by information received by the DfE which "raised concerns about aspects of the school".
An inspection had also been commissioned at Avecinna Academy, an Islamic school in Birmingham, following "concerns raised about the quality of education". The inspector noted a number of failings in health and safety, including in the procedure of administering medicine to pupils that could result in over-administration of medicines.
At Oakwood Primary School, an Islamic school in Luton, inspectors found monitoring of the school's work was "not sharp enough", assessment was not used "consistently effectively", and staff training was "underdeveloped".
Three Church of England schools and one Catholic school were inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate. Safeguarding issues were identified at all four schools.
Schools that receive warnings must improve within a specified period or they will be removed from the independent schools register.
The National Secular Society campaigns for all schools to be held to consistent standards, regardless of religion.
Seventh Day Adventist schools warned over safeguarding concerns
Posted: Fri, 5 Jul 2019 11:46
Two independent Seventh Day Adventist schools, one of which demonstrated a "victim-blaming approach" to safeguarding, have been warned by the Department for Education.
International Stanborough School and Stanborough Primary School, both in Watford in Hertfordshire, were issued warning notices in May after failing school inspections.
International Stanborough School was rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted after inspectors found safeguarding shortfalls that meant children were "at risk from harm".
In one incident, actions taken in response to concerns raised were "punitive" and "lacked consideration of the pressures that the child may have been under". The inspector said the school's "victim-blaming approach" does not safeguard children and "lessens the likelihood that children will come forward to share concerns in the future".
In another incident, some teaching staff, including the designated safeguarding officer, failed to follow safeguarding procedures in response to "an allegation of abuse". As a result, the allegation was not shared with relevant agencies for almost eight weeks, when it should have been shared within 24 hours. Despite the allegation being upheld, formal guidance was not provided to the member of staff against whom the allegation was made.
In a third incident, staff provided a reference for a child who was permanently excluded following "serious incidents". The reference was "misleading" and did not "contain significant information". As a result, those who received the reference "may not be apprised of relevant safeguarding concerns".
The inspector found neither of the designated safeguarding leads had undergone relevant training for over two years. The designated safeguarding lead "undertook a six-hour online course on the first day of the inspection". The lack of training meant staff responsible for safeguarding were "not well enough equipped to safeguard children effectively".
The inspector said the quality of safeguarding records was "poor" because it was "difficult to ascertain what has happened, what has been done, by whom and for what reason". The report said the records offer "little value" to governors and others whose role is to monitor the quality of care, and would provide "even less value" to children who may want to access the records in the future.
International Stanborough School accommodates students who are learning to speak English as an additional language and has a boarding house.
Stanborough Primary School was also rated 'inadequate". Inspectors said the culture of safeguarding was "weak". They found staff were "not consistent in appropriately reporting concerns", and that the leadership of safeguarding processes and records was "not suitable". Leaders were "unaware" of these failings.
Inspectors found that staff had sometimes "taken matters into their own hands" before reporting a concern to the designated safeguarding lead. This had prevented the safeguarding leader from performing the role "adequately".
Staff were "not as clear as they should" be about identifying potential child protection concerns that need to be reported to the safeguarding leader. Records of child protection were "muddled" and "not kept in line with the school policy".
Older pupils receive identical information about how to keep safe using the internet as younger pupils. Inspectors said this meant they were "not prepared well enough" for identifying and protecting themselves against the risks posed by online technologies.
Pupils also reported that there was "some bullying" at the school, that it was "not necessarily dealt with and that "there is nothing a teacher can do". Inspectors also found that "incidents of unkindness" were not addressed effectively.
In addition to safeguarding concerns, pupils said they do not learn about "protected groups" in school. They also did not make sufficient progress in subjects outside of maths and English, meaning they were "not well prepared for the demands of secondary school".
International Stanborough School and Stanborough Primary School are both run by the British Union Conference of Seventh Day Adventists, a registered charity. Its charitable objects include "to proclaim the everlasting gospel of our lord and saviour Jesus Christ", "to teach the commandments of God as the supreme rule of life" and "to persuade people to become his disciples and responsible members of the church".
Schools that receive warnings must improve within a specified period or they will be removed from the independent schools register.
International Stanborough School occupies the same facilities as Stanborough School, which is also a Seventh Day Adventist independent school. Stanborough School was rated as 'requires improvement' in its latest Ofsted inspection.
NSS campaigns officer Megan Manson said: "The British Union Conference of Seventh Day Adventists runs three independent schools in England, all of which are struggling.
"It is especially concerning that these latest reports suggest that safeguarding is an area of serious concern at these schools.
"We should question whether charities that are primarily motivated to evangelise religious faith are adequately placed to meet the educational and welfare needs of children."
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)
