Segregation higher in areas with more faith schools, report finds

Newly published research has found socio-economic segregation in schools is higher in areas with greater numbers of faith schools.

The report, published by the Sutton Trust, found that in areas with the highest segregation, around 24% of schools were classed as faith schools, compared with around 20% in the least segregated areas.

The report assessed segregation by using eligibility for free school meals (FSM) as an indicator of socio-economic status.

By looking at the difference between the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at a school and those in its catchment area, a school's "FSM gap" can be calculated.

Schools which have a negative FSM gap have fewer FSM pupils in their intake than might have been expected given their catchment area. The more negative the FSM gap, the less representative the school's intake is in terms of socio-economic disadvantage.

The report found that in areas with more faith schools and, in particular, more Catholic schools, levels of segregation in education were higher. Voluntary aided schools, which are mostly faith schools, are "highly socially selective", the research showed.

Most kinds of faith schools can prioritise children from families who share the school's religion in their admissions. Voluntary aided faith schools can select 100% of their pupils based on religion. New academies (free schools) can select up to 50% of their pupils based on faith criteria, but the previous government planned to abolish this 50% cap following lobbying from the Catholic Church.

The report also found that segregation leads to worse outcomes for less well-off pupils. In local authorities with high levels of segregation, attainment gaps between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils were found to be larger. Gaps in the rate of passes in English and maths were 27% higher in areas with the highest segregation compared with areas with low segregation.

In January, the trust published another report on social segregation at secondary comprehensive schools in England, which concluded faith schools "are consistently more socially selective than non-religious schools", with FSM gaps "significantly larger" (more negative) than those at nonreligious schools.

Similar research by the Sutton Trust from 2017 also found faith schools to be more selective than nonreligious schools.

Research from the London School of Economics last year found faith schools admit fewer pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

They are also more ethnically segregated and restrict choice for many families.

In September Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said he would be "even more supportive of faith schools" than the current government.

NSS: 'Religious discrimination in admissions perpetuates disadvantage'

National Secular Society spokesperson Jack Rivington said: "This new report joins the growing body of evidence that religiously discriminatory admissions exacerbate the difficulties faced by those who are most disadvantaged.

"The perception that faith schools perform better is down to their exclusion of children who need the greatest support, who then experience worse outcomes as a result.

"Faith selection also leads to socio-economic segregation in our communities.

"The ability for faith schools to discriminate in their admissions must be ended as a matter of urgency, and our education system reformed to serve the best interests of children, not religious institutions."