Help us to oppose plans for a new wave of 100% religiously selective schools
The Government has announced plans to change many of the rules surrounding admissions to, and the opening of, new faith based free schools and academies.
These proposals include allowing new and existing faith based free schools to religiously select 100% of their pupil intake.
Religious selection in schools is discriminatory, entrenches religious segregation in wider society, and often leads to ethnic and socio-economic segregation too.
In a society as diverse as ours, rather than facilitating segregation along religious lines, the Government should be doing everything it can to ensure that children of all faiths and none are educated together in inclusive schools.
The Government says that these proposals are intended to "promote inclusivity", but it should be obvious to everyone that facilitating a new generation of 100% religiously selective schools is, by definition, inimical to this aim.
The proposals are intended to generate a new wave of faith-based schools. A proliferation of faith schools will impede the integration of religious minorities, harm social cohesion, increase levels of discrimination in a state funded schools, undermine children and young people's religious freedoms and further disenfranchise the growing non-religious majority in this country who are increasingly seeing their options for a non-faith-based education for their child limited.
The time has come to end religious discrimination and segregation in our schools – not extend it.
Please urge your MP to oppose these proposals and encourage them to instead call for schools to be open and inclusive, catering for all local children regardless of their religious or non-religious beliefs.
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An overview of the proposals in the Government's green paper, their background and why secularists should be concerned.
Majority of all religious and belief groups oppose religious selection in school admissions (PDF, 250 Kb)
In November 2016 a Populus poll commissioned by the Accord Coalition and the British Humanist Association questioned voters and found overwhelming opposition to selection by faith, including among all religion and belief groups.
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Read the NSS's draft response to the consultation. Please feel free to draw on this for your own response.
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A selection of quotes from supporters of this campaign.
Inclusive education: divisive faith schools are the elephant in the room
NSS campaigns director Stephen Evans argues that 'education not segregation' supporters of all political and religious stripes should unite in opposing Theresa May's plans to further entrench religious segregation and discrimination in our schools.
Facilitating more religious segregation in faith schools can only harm social cohesion
NSS campaigns director Stephen Evans argues that it's hard to think of a more retrograde policy than the facilitation of greater religious segregation of children and young people in our education system.
NSS calls for rethink over Government plans to relax faith schools admissions rules
We’ve written to the Government to rethink plans to allow new faith schools to select all of their pupils on the basis of faith.
NSS calls for inquiry into Government’s faith schools admissions reform
As many of the changes might otherwise be enacted without Parliamentary debate or oversight, we have called on the Education Select Committee to hold an inquiry.
Religious selection in school admissions is utterly deleterious for integration
Professor Ted Cantle CBE, founder of the Institute of Community Cohesion Foundation, on how the proposed changes will harm community cohesion.