Orkney Council ends voting privileges for religious appointees

Posted: Wed, 10 May 2023 11:11

The National Secular Society has welcomed a Scottish council's decision to end voting privileges for unelected religious appointees.

Orkney Council has joined three other Scottish councils in ending voting concessions for the religious representatives sitting on the local authority's Education, Leisure, and Housing (ELH) committee.

Councillors voted 12 to 9 in favour of removing their voting privileges in a full council meeting last week.

The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 obliges local authorities in Scotland to appoint three religious representatives to their education committees, at least one of whom must be appointed by the Roman Catholic Church and one by the Protestant Church of Scotland.

Such representatives have voting privileges in most councils, enabling them to influence local education policies affecting both faith and non-faith schools. They are generally the only unelected members granted such concessions, an issue raised by members of Orkney Council at the meeting.

The council's decision brings religious representatives in line with the ELH committee's two teacher representatives, who also cannot cast votes.

Green councillor John Ross Scott, who put the motion forward, said he finds it "bewildering" that unelected religious representatives retain the right to vote on education committees, despite the sharp decline of religious affiliation in Scotland. A 2018 poll found almost 60% of Scots were non-religious, including almost 70% of 18-24 year olds.

The legal requirement for Scottish councils to appoint religious representatives is being increasingly challenged by local authorities. In 2019 Perth and Kinross Council became the first to strip them of voting privileges. Following campaigning from the NSS and others, Moray Council and Scottish Borders Council followed suit.

Fife Council is also considering removing voting privileges for religious appointees. They are being lobbied by churches to retain these privileges.

Last year several members of Shetland Islands Council expressed dissatisfaction at being required to appoint a religious representative to the authority's education committee, with councillors describing the situation as both "unconstitutional and undemocratic" and "ridiculous in the 21^st century".

Scotland's then-Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP subsequently told the NSS there are "no plans" to end places for religious appointees on education committees. She said the presence of "significant numbers of denominational schools" in Scotland and the "requirement to provide Religious Education" means there "continues to be a role for religious groups in decision making for denominational and non-denominational schools alike".

NSS: 'We hope other councils follow suit'

Head of campaigns Megan Manson said: "We welcome Orkney Council's decision to join the growing number of Scottish local authorities who have stripped religious representatives of their archaic and undemocratic voting privileges.

"Religious appointees are the only unelected members given voting concessions. This makes no sense in the context of an increasingly irreligious and diverse society. We hope other councils are watching and will follow suit.

"The next step should be to repeal the requirement for religious representatives on councils. Rather than entrenching existing religious privilege, the Scottish government should be aiming to make Scotland's education equal and inclusive for all."

NI faith schools cost taxpayer extra £226mn every year

Posted: Tue, 18 Apr 2023 15:24

Northern Ireland's religiously divided education system costs taxpayers £226mn extra each year, a new study has revealed.

The research from Ulster University, which was part funded by the Integrated Education Fund, examined the additional costs incurred by educating children from Catholic and Protestant backgrounds separately.

It found that the division of schooling along sectarian lines leads to the unnecessary duplication of services such as school transport, as well as increased administration expenses caused by Northern Ireland's "complicated educational structures".

A general excess of unfilled places caused by separating schools to "cater for various communities" also increases expenditure needlessly.

This duplication of institutions is present even in small or rural settlements, with two sets of teachers "teaching the same curriculum in each school, often to very small classes" along with the "duplication of principals and support staff".

Northern Ireland has a high proportion of small primary schools, which the research suggested may result from this kind of duplication.

The research estimated the total additional cost of the divided education system to be around "£600,000 every day of the year" – though it also allowed for the possibility that the number could be even higher.

In addition to this public expense, the research estimated that personal costs for car owners caused by the need to travel greater distances to a school of the 'relevant' religious character was in excess of £20mn each year.

This additional, unnecessary travel is thought to be around 130mn miles each year, leading to a "considerable environmental impact" and emitting "more than 9,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide".

Around 92% of children and young people in Northern Ireland continue to be educated separately, despite the existence of widespread support for integrated education.

The vast majority of schools have very few pupils from the 'other' community, and around 30% of schools do not have any representatives of the other community whatsoever.

In addition to the financial savings, the research also said there were likely "considerable social benefits" to educating children together, including the reduction of prejudice against racial and religious groups.

It also suggested that integrated education's improvements to social cohesion would render the work of organisations which exist solely to "ameliorate the divisions in [NI] society" unnecessary.

The costs for such organisations, which are often funded through the Department of Education, can be substantial. For instance, the cost of Shared Education programmes, which attempt to bring communities together in schools, totalled £191.25 million between 2020 and 2022.

The report argues that removing "the need to devise ways of children and young people learning about each other outside school", in addition to addressing the issue of duplication, could create considerable additional savings.

Despite these potential benefits, the research notes that "pressure groups on either side strive to retain schools to serve their 'own' community."

NSS: 'We can't afford to continue religiously segregating schools"

Jack Rivington, campaigns officer at the National Secular Society, said: "This new research clearly sets out how dividing schools on the basis of faith is bad for children's education, bad for social cohesion, and even bad for the environment.

"Every penny currently wasted on pandering to religious sectarianism would be far better invested in integrated schools which educate children together, irrespective of their background.

"It's evident that the majority of citizens in Northern Ireland support such measures - the government should listen to public opinion and prioritise the interests of children, not the misplaced priorities of religious lobbyists."

Image: Aubrey Dale, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Faith school not teaching any secular subjects, Ofsted finds

Posted: Wed, 8 Mar 2023 16:40

An independent faith school is teaching "no secular subjects" from Year 8 upwards, a new Ofsted report has revealed.

Talmud Torah Machzikei Hadass School, a Jewish school for boys in Hackney, was judged to be inadequate during its latest inspection, with Ofsted describing the curriculum as "narrow".

In the primary phase of the school, the only secular subjects are English, mathematics and science. Other secular subjects such as physical education and history are not taught.

Once pupils reached the secondary phase of the school, this curriculum is "narrowed further" according to Ofsted. Pupils only study a "Hebrew curriculum, with no secular subjects taught at all".

Ofsted said these "weaknesses" in the curriculum meant students are unable to develop their knowledge and skills.

Despite being informed of these weaknesses in previous inspections, the actions of leaders to secure necessary improvements were described by Ofsted as "not being taken quickly enough".

The report also criticised the school's leadership for giving "too little attention to putting in place a suitably broad and ambitious secular curriculum" and for failing to ensure pupils have the knowledge needed for "their future lives in modern Britain".

Ofsted also found that the school's programme for relationships and sex education (RSE) does not have regard for the Department for Education's statutory guidance on RSE, with school leaders failing to ensure the curriculum covers "all aspects of relationships education".

Pupils are not taught required content on "different types of respectful relationships" or the protected characteristics as specified in the Equality Act 2010. The curriculum does not encourage respect for these characteristics or explain how they are protected by law from discrimination.

Ofsted inspectors were prevented by the school's leadership from asking pupils about "specific aspects" of the PSHE and RSE curriculums, including content which is set out in statutory guidance.

The report also highlighted that failings identified during this inspection, particularly in relation to the quality of education, had been "repeatedly identified during previous inspections of the school".

Previous inspections have also judged the school to be inadequate, with none finding it of an acceptable standard since 2014.

A restriction imposed by the Secretary of State for Education preventing the school's proprietor from admitting any new pupils from 17 February 2022 onwards remains in place.

The school attracted controversy in 2015 after rabbis involved in its management said that women driving went against "the traditional rules of modesty" for their sect, and that children would be prevented from attending schools if they were driven there by their mothers.

NSS: 'Lack of any secular subjects appalling and harmful'

Jack Rivington, campaigns officer at the National Secular Society, said: "An institution which fails to teach any secular subjects is undeserving of being regarded as a school – its purpose is indoctrination, not education.

"By continuing to disregard the findings of Ofsted, and doing next to nothing to rectify its repeated failings, the school shows contempt both for inspectors and the independent school standards.

"Education should be about creating opportunities and possibilities for students – the restrictive curriculums of faith schools such as this one run totally contrary to those purposes, and are harmful to children."

Image by Darelle from Pixabay

The state must stop faith schools behaving like cults

Posted: Tue, 7 Mar 2023 09:31

New research by the NSS has found some state funded faith schools' admissions policies are so extreme they appear to breach human rights. Jack Rivington calls for urgent reform in the education system to prevent state endorsement of regressive religious practices.

Is it right for a state school to control how their students' families dress, whether they can use the internet, what they can eat, and when they have sex?

As it stands, our government seems to think that it is. In a new report, the National Secular Society has revealed how some faith schools are insisting applicants follow regressive aspects of religious doctrine in order to access a place for their children – and are getting the green light from the state to do so.

In the most concerning cases, some schools insist that families follow so-called 'family purity laws', an aspect of Orthodox Judaism which regulates when a married couple may have sexual intercourse according to the stages of the menstrual cycle. The practice can require women to provide evidence of their vaginal discharge to a Rabbi, and to 'cleanse' themselves in a ritual bathing process following menstruation.

Many of the schools in our study frequently insist upon 'modest dress' for both parents and children, with a particular focus on the clothing of women and girls. Others demand that children only read books approved by the school, and do not access the internet. Adherence to religious dietary practices is also frequently required. Most of the schools stipulate that parents and students obey these rules not only at school, but at all times.

These rules are incompatible with human rights: the right to a family and private life; to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; to freedom of expression; and to an education. The particular emphasis placed on women's 'modesty' also undermines sexual equality.

How have schools been allowed to get away with imposing such rules?

School admissions and coercive control

These requirements are found in the schools' admissions policies, which set out the process for allocating places when a school is oversubscribed. In such circumstances, exemptions from equality law allow faith schools to prioritise applicants according to their religiosity. Whilst this is normally assessed on the basis of criteria such as baptism status or church attendance, our report demonstrates that the current system is allowing schools to push criteria to extremes.

The admissions policy of a school must comply with the school admissions code, which requires oversubscription criteria to be "reasonable, clear, objective, procedurally fair, and comply with all relevant legislation, including equalities legislation". Additionally, the policy must not unfairly disadvantage children from a "particular social or racial group", nor those with a disability or special educational need.

Concerningly, the Office of the Schools Adjudicator – the body responsible for reviewing complaints regarding school admissions policies – has, when reviewing formal objections to religious criteria, found several admissions policies examined in the report to be acceptable. This shows that, in effect, the OSA considers such policies to be compliant with the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, because the code specifies admissions policies must comply with this legislation. The OSA decisions also demonstrate that it considers the policies to be to be 'reasonable' – a further requirement under the admissions code.

What possible understanding of 'reasonable' can consider the sexual behaviour of parents legitimate grounds on which to assess applications for places at a school? That the OSA has found no fault with such criteria, either on the basis of reasonableness or in relation to human rights, demonstrates a serious failure in the current system which requires immediate review.

The report's consideration of 'coercive control', which is gaining attention as part of increased focus on the role religion can play in abuse, makes the case for urgent government action even clearer.

Last year, 'anti-cult' watchdog Family Survival Trust (FST) published a report on coercive control in UK religious groups. The report drew parallels between coercive behaviour as defined by the Home Office in connection with domestic abuse, and coercive behaviour observed in high control religious groups. Disturbingly, many of the behaviours identified by the FST are also readily identifiable within the admissions policies of some state-funded faith schools.

The practices of high control religious groups and the policies of the schools examined by our report bear more than a passing resemblance. Based on government guidance, if an individual exhibited the behaviours of these schools within the context of an interpersonal relationship, there is a significant possibility they would be committing a criminal offence. Whilst such practices do not have the same legal status within an organisational context, we should regard them with similar ethical disapproval. That the UK education system is facilitating such practices is therefore deeply alarming.

The school admissions code is enabling schools to impose religious criteria which are entirely unreasonable in their content, coercive and controlling in nature, and in breach of human rights. It is therefore unfit for purpose. In our report, we recommend a review and update of the code as a matter of urgency in order to prohibit criteria which undermine human rights or amount to coercive control. A new code should also provide more detailed guidance to the OSA on how to interpret and apply terms such as "reasonable".

Fundamentally, such issues occur because of the exemption given to all faith schools permitting religious discrimination in their admissions. Without very specific prohibitions, the legitimacy of any religious criteria facilitates the inclusion of all religious criteria. As long as we grant religion an undue influence in UK education, problems of this kind will persist.