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National Secular Society

Challenging Religious Privilege

Tags: Education

Plans to open Sikh faith school in Buckinghamshire village derailed

Plans to open Sikh faith school in Buckinghamshire village derailed

Posted: Wed, 15 May 2013 14:52

Controversial plans to open a Sikh free school in the Buckinghamshire village of Stoke Poges have been recommended for refusal by South Bucks District Council planning officers.

Gove under pressure to give CofE more power over schools

Gove under pressure to give CofE more power over schools

Posted: Tue, 14 May 2013 12:44

The Education Secretary, Michael Gove, is to meet bishops from every Church of England diocese to discuss the "special relationship" the Government has with the Church over its participation in education.

Protests as Luton council cuts free transport to religious schools

Protests as Luton council cuts free transport to religious schools

Posted: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:53

Councillors walked out of a meeting at Luton Town Hall this week when observers in the public gallery began shouting and waving placards in protest at the Councils plans to end free transport for pupils attending religious schools.

Muslim free school plan put on hold over extremism fears

Muslim free school plan put on hold over extremism fears

Posted: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:08

The Northern Lights Free School is being investigated by the Department for Education's Diligence and Counter Extremism Division, whose remit is to protect children and young people from exposure to extremist views in schools.

Huge support in France for teaching of “secular morals” in state schools

Huge support in France for teaching of “secular morals” in state schools

Posted: Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:58

Ninety-one per cent of people in France support the French Government's plans to introduce a weekly class in "secular morals" into state schools, according to a recent poll.

Concerns remain over non-religious Academy’s revised admissions policy

Concerns remain over non-religious Academy’s revised admissions policy

Posted: Sat, 13 Apr 2013 08:39

A non-religiously designated academy in Solihull that planned to give priority in admissions to pupils from two religiously selective 'faith' schools has revised its decision.

Is this a true history of religious education or a rewriting of the facts?

Is this a true history of religious education or a rewriting of the facts?

Posted: Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:41

Secularists and humanists in the 1960s and 1970s played a critical role in stopping religious education in schools being used for proselytising. That's the claim being made in new research from the University of Exeter.

Leeds City Council under pressure from vested interests over school transport cuts

Leeds City Council under pressure from vested interests over school transport cuts

Posted: Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:34

Leeds City Council is coming under pressure over its plan to scrap free transport for pupils travelling to "faith schools".

Bradford issues a report on child protection in Muslim religious ‘schools’

Bradford issues a report on child protection in Muslim religious ‘schools’

Posted: Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:17

An attempt is being made in Bradford to safeguard the estimated 9,000 children who attend Muslim religious schools in the city.

Evangelicals put indoctrination ahead of education

Evangelicals put indoctrination ahead of education

Posted: Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:03

A survey for the Evangelical Alliance shows that evangelical parents are more likely to choose a school for their children based on whether it has a strong religious ethos rather than whether it fares well in league tables or inspectors' reports.

Parliamentary inquiry led by Christians claims religious education in schools is “poor”

Parliamentary inquiry led by Christians claims religious education in schools is “poor”

Posted: Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:30

A report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Education (APPG) has found that RE lessons are frequently taught by teachers with no qualifications in the subject, and is calling for more resources to be put into RE teaching and for the subject to be included in the new Ebacc.

Pupils must "prove" their religion to qualify for free school buses

Pupils must "prove" their religion to qualify for free school buses

Posted: Sat, 09 Mar 2013 10:41

Flintshire County Council has launched a consultation on proposed changes to its discretionary home to school transport policy, that will require pupils attending faith schools to "prove" their religion to qualify for free school buses.

Edinburgh secularists back bid to abolish religious observance in schools

Edinburgh secularists back bid to abolish religious observance in schools

Posted: Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:43

An Edinburgh parent has launched a petition requesting that City of Edinburgh Council conducts a local vote to challenge "religious observance" in the city's non-denominational state schools.

Leeds is latest council to consider scrapping free transport to religious schools

Leeds is latest council to consider scrapping free transport to religious schools

Posted: Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:21

Leeds City Council is the latest to consider scrapping free transport to religious schools. The plan will mostly affect Catholic schools.

Religious Education – special pleading increases in volume

Religious Education – special pleading increases in volume

Posted: Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:31

The Catholic Education Service (CES) for England and Wales has reiterated concerns that Religious Education will remain relegated among academic subjects, after plans to introduce the English Baccalaureate were scrapped.

Villagers angered by plans to open new Sikh faith school

Villagers angered by plans to open new Sikh faith school

Posted: Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:14

Local residents have reacted angrily to plans to open a new Sikh faith academy school in a Buckinghamshire village.

Local authority abandons plans to prioritise faith school pupils in community school admissions

Local authority abandons plans to prioritise faith school pupils in community school admissions

Posted: Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:35

Surrey County Council has confirmed it will not accept a proposal to amend the admissions criteria for Reigate Priory School which would have indirectly given preferential admission arrangements to pupils whose parents regularly attend Church of England services.

Fundamentalist Catholic group moves into education

Fundamentalist Catholic group moves into education

Posted: Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:10

The secretive and ultra conservative Catholic organisation Opus Dei is thought to be behind the opening of a new private school in Croydon.

Local parents object to academy’s plans to prioritise church school pupils

Local parents object to academy’s plans to prioritise church school pupils

Posted: Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:14

Residents of Solihull have reacted angrily to a non-religiously designated academy's proposals to give priority in admissions to pupils from two religiously selective 'faith' schools.

Fears that faith-based admissions criteria are infiltrating community schools through feeder schools

Fears that faith-based admissions criteria are infiltrating community schools through feeder schools

Posted: Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:17

Concerns have been raised that faith based admissions criteria are being indirectly applied to community schools when 'faith' schools become feeder schools.