Blasphemy laws exist in 69 countries, report finds
Posted: Wed, 13 Nov 2019
Sixty-nine countries have blasphemy laws and penalties have hardened in parts of the world in recent years, a report has found. Read More »
Independent Islamic school segregating children by sex, says Ofsted
Posted: Wed, 06 Nov 2019
An Islamic school has been found in breach of standards for segregating children by sex, two years after the practice was ruled unlawful. Read More »
Government expects “industry” to inform consumers on non-stun meat
Posted: Thu, 31 Oct 2019
The government has said it expects food producers and outlets to give consumers information on meat from non-stun slaughter. Read More »
Compulsory RE mustn’t indoctrinate, says European Court of Human Rights
Posted: Thu, 31 Oct 2019
The European Court of Human Rights has said RE curricula must be conveyed in an "objective" manner after a successful NSS intervention. Read More »
Islamic school stays open after telling government it was closed
Posted: Thu, 24 Oct 2019
An independent Islamic school has remained open despite telling the government it had closed, a report has revealed. Read More »
NSS welcomes legalisation of abortion & marriage equality in NI
Posted: Tue, 22 Oct 2019
The NSS has welcomed the legalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland and the extension of same-sex marriage rights to the province. Read More »
Ritual infant circumcision “morally impermissible”, say experts
Posted: Tue, 08 Oct 2019
The religious and cultural circumcision of non-consenting boys is "morally impermissible", according to a panel of experts. Read More »
Seven independent faith schools banned from admitting new pupils
Posted: Tue, 08 Oct 2019
Seven independent schools in England were barred from admitting new pupils this academic year – and all of them were faith schools. Read More »
Regulator can’t reject ‘controversial’ religious charities, says CEO
Posted: Tue, 08 Oct 2019
The NSS has again called for legal reform after a regulator said it couldn't refuse to register 'controversial' religious charities. Read More »
Champion open debate to tackle extremism, says commission
Posted: Mon, 07 Oct 2019
Protecting and encouraging democratic debate is "vital" in efforts to tackle extremism, the counter-extremism commissioner has said. Read More »
Chancellor urges caution around use of word ‘Islamophobia’
Posted: Thu, 03 Oct 2019
The chancellor Sajid Javid has said he does not use the word 'Islamophobia' because of its capacity to shut down criticism of religion. Read More »
Welsh government considers ending right to withdraw from RE & RSE
Posted: Thu, 03 Oct 2019
The Welsh government is consulting on plans to end parents' right to withdraw children from classes on religion, relationships and sex. Read More »
Scrap ‘discriminatory’ Thought for the Day, says former presenter
Posted: Wed, 02 Oct 2019
The National Secular Society has urged the BBC to reform its Thought for the Day slot on Radio 4 after the former presenter John Humphrys described it as "discriminatory".
Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Humphrys called Thought for the... Read More »
NSS urges lord chancellor to scrap Anglican judges’ service
Posted: Tue, 01 Oct 2019
The NSS has urged the lord chancellor to scrap the annual Anglican services which mark the start of the legal year. Read More »
20,000 children sent to faith schools against parental preferences
Posted: Mon, 30 Sep 2019
More than 20,000 children were sent to faith schools in England against their parents' preferences this month, NSS research has found. Read More »
NSS welcomes council in Somerset’s decision to scrap prayers
Posted: Fri, 27 Sep 2019
The NSS has welcomed a decision to scrap official prayers at the start of meetings at a council in Somerset. Read More »
NSS raises Vatican’s defiance of abuse inquiry with Foreign Office
Posted: Fri, 27 Sep 2019
The NSS has urged the government to hold the Vatican accountable over its continued failure to cooperate with a child abuse inquiry. Read More »
NSS criticises council for giving church £40k amid local opposition
Posted: Fri, 20 Sep 2019
The NSS has criticised a Dorset town council for spending £40,000 on church repairs despite the Church of England's significant wealth. Read More »
NSS to hold training day on Exploring Secularism education project
Posted: Fri, 20 Sep 2019
The NSS has announced a training day on its project which provides free educational resources to secondary school students and teachers. Read More »
NSS challenges government backtracking on non-stun meat labelling
Posted: Thu, 19 Sep 2019
The NSS has urged the government to reconsider an apparent backtrack on requiring meat from unstunned animals to be labelled. Read More »
