NSS joins open letter against faith school discrimination

The National Secular Society has signed an open letter calling on the Government not to remove restrictions on religious selection in new state-funded faith schools

In a letter to Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan, campaigners from a range of fields have warned that the proposal "would be a backwards step that risks increasing division and inequality".

The letter follows reports last week that the government plans to remove the '50% cap' rule on pupil admissions at state-funded faith schools in England.

Under the 50% cap, new academies and free schools with a religious character may only select up to 50% of pupils based on religion when they are oversubscribed.

Removing the cap would enable these schools to select 100% of children based on their parents' religion if oversubscribed. Voluntary aided faith schools are already permitted to select 100% of their admissions on the basis of religion.

The letter, which was coordinated by Humanists UK, says allowing faith schools to "cherry pick" students would further entrench religious selection in education, undermining "the principle of inclusivity".

It highlights recent studies which show faith schools are less inclusive of disadvantaged children, children in care, and those with additional learning needs. It also says 80% of the public, including 67% of Catholics and 71% of Christians overall, oppose letting state-funded faith schools choose pupils based on religion alone.

The letter is signed by educators, politicians, religious leaders, academics and other individuals and representatives of organisations working across British society, with varied views on faith schools.

In addition to the chief executives of the NSS and Humanists UK, they include NSS council member and former Ofsted chair Julius Weinberg, the two co-leaders of the Green Party, and former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams.

NSS: Government must keep the cap

NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "Lifting the 50% cap will mean that even more children are separated by their religion.

"The cap is the only tangible way ministers have sought to mitigate against the segregation that results from faith-based education. It would be absurd for any government concerned about social cohesion to bring forward measures that make integration less likely.

"We therefore stand united with educators, politicians, religious leaders, academics in opposing these regressive plans to make our schools even more discriminatory."

The letter's text in full:

We are educators, politicians, religious leaders, academics and other individuals and representatives of organisations working across British society. While our views on the merits or otherwise of faith schools are varied, where we do agree is that regardless of their religious character our state schools should be open, inclusive, and diverse.

We are concerned about the proposal to remove restrictions on religious selection in state-funded faith schools in England.

The policy, which was introduced by the Government in 2010, has been a vital safeguard in ensuring that state-funded faith schools do not exclude all local children whose families do not share the same beliefs.

We do not claim that the current policy is perfect. Recent studies have shown that faith schools continue to be less inclusive than schools without a religious character, in terms of disadvantaged children, children in care, and those with additional learning needs. Nor does the cap alleviate concerns that using taxpayers' money to subsidise schools which are barred to children whose parents do not subscribe to a particular religion is both unethical and, arguably, unlawful.

What the current policy has done is improve integration as a result of the rule requiring religious free schools to keep at least half of their places open to local children.

Removing the restriction on state-funded faith schools to cherry pick students by religion would be a backwards step that risks increasing division and inequality, further entrenching religious selection in our education system, and undermining the principle of inclusivity.

Public opinion is also in favour of the current policy. Research from Populus, now Yonder, showed that 80% of the public, including 67% of Catholics and 71% of Christians overall, oppose any attempts to let taxpayer-funded faith schools choose their pupils based on religion alone.

All the evidence shows categorically that the current policy has achieved its stated aim. It should be maintained.

Andrew Copson, Chief Executive, Humanists UK

Dr Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury

Liz Slade, Chief Officer, General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches

Simon Barrow, President, Ekklesia

Stephen Evans, Chief Executive, National Secular Society

Dr Adam Rutherford

Baroness Joan Bakewell DBE

Professor Alice Roberts

Revd Stephen Terry, former Chair, Accord Coalition

Carla Denyer, co-leader, Green Party of England and Wales

Adrian Ramsey, co-leader, Green Party of England and Wales

Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou

Professor Ted Cantle CBE DL

Julius Weinberg, former Chair, Ofsted

Peter Tatchell, Director, Peter Tatchell Foundation

Professor AC Grayling OBE

Sir Philip Pullman CBE

Baroness Lorely Burt

Sir Stephen Sedley

Dr Peter Cave

Ian McEwan CBE

Simon Singh MBE

Professor Raymond Tallis

Professor Stephen Smartt

Baroness Janet Whitaker

Baroness Elaine Murphy

Virginia Ironside

Professor Simon Blackburn, Humanist Philosophers' Group

Adèle Anderson

Dr Richard Bartle

Lord Meghnad Desai

Sir Richard Dalton

Professor Keith Ward