Newsline 6 January 2017

Happy New Year from the National Secular Society!

Just after Christmas we launched a major new report calling for secular reforms in education, law, and to the State. It had excellent coverage in the Economist, who said that it was "artfully gradualist" in setting out reforms that could be made now, while not losing sight of the broader, ultimate aims of the Society such as the disestablishment of the Church and the abolition of faith-based schooling.

You can read the report, 'Rethinking religion and belief in public life: a manifesto for change', here.

There are steps the Government can take now to lessen discrimination against non-religious parents, reduce the growth of segregation in our society and schools, and protect freedom of speech. We've outlined all of them with concise, easy to read recommendations, which we sent to every MP.

There are many excellent advocates for secularism and human rights and every year we recognise one individual or group as the 'Secularist of the Year'. We're currently accepting nominations - who do you think should win? The winner receives the £5,000 Irwin Prize, generously sponsored by Dr Michael Irwin.

Later this month we'll be hosting an event in Parliament to mark the 2nd anniversary of the attack on Charlie Hebdo. There are still places; RSVP to events@secularism.org.uk. Space is limited.

If you want to support our work into this new year campaigning on the manifesto and its recommendations, then please consider giving us a donation or joining the Society (if you are not already a member). Thank you for your support and all the best for 2017. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming events.

News, Blogs & Opinion

	Britain’s changing belief landscape requires a rethink of religion’s public role News \| Mon, 26th Dec 2016 The time has come to separate church and state in order to ensure equality and fairness for believers and non-believers alike, says a major new report launched by the National Secular Society. The report says that Britain's "drift away from Christianity" coupled with the rise in minority religions and increasing non-religiosity demands a "long term, sustainable settlement on the relationship between religion and the state". Rethinking religion and belief in public life: a manifesto for change has been sent to all MPs as part of a major drive by the Society to encourage policymakers and citizens of all faiths and none to find common cause in promoting principles of secularism. It calls for Britain to "evolve" into a secular democracy with a clear separation between religion and state. It criticises the prevailing multi-faithist approach as being "at odds with the increasing religious indifference" in Britain. Terry Sanderson, National Secular Society president, said: "Vast swathes of the population are simply not interested in religion, it doesn't play a part in their lives, but the state refuses to recognise this. "Britain is now one of the most religiously diverse and, at the same time, non-religious nations in the world. Rather than burying its head in the sand, the state needs to respond to these fundamental cultural changes. Our report sets out constructive and specific proposals to fundamentally reform the role of religion in public life to ensure that every citizen can be treated fairly and valued equally, irrespective of their religious outlook." The report highlights state education as the area where the "most overt imposition of religion on British citizens" takes place – and calls for a "moratorium on the opening of any new publicly-funded faith schools. It also recommends the abolition of the legal requirement on all schools to provide Christian worship and an end to discriminatory admissions arrangements. The report describes the Church of England's privileged position as "no longer tenable". It recommends that the bishops' bench be removed from the House of Lords, with religious leaders only appointed on merit along the same criteria as all other appointees, rather than the current system where bishops are given seats 'as of right'. The report also warns that the rise of so called 'sharia courts' risks undermining the legal system. Allowing groups to opt-out of the state legal system in favour of a religious alternative "strikes at the heart of citizenship and a cohesive society", says the report. The report also urges politicians to refrain from describing Britain as a "Christian country". "Any approach which seeks to label the values widely shared by UK citizens as exclusively "Christian" is doomed to be out of touch with the views and lifestyles of the population", it states. According to the report: "Increasing secularity and the fragmentation of religious belief means the need to treat people as individual citizens rather than as members of a religion has become even more apparent. No faith-based approach from the state will ever encompass every strand of belief that exists in the UK today, and a human rights, individual-centred approach – rather than the failed multicultural or multi-faithist model – is vital for every citizen to be treated and valued equally." The 'manifesto for change', covering every area of the Society's work, makes detailed recommendations on a broad selection of important policy areas relating to protecting human rights law and ensuring equality for all. Read the report
	Raft of fundamentalist Christian schools downgraded by Ofsted News \| Tue, 3rd Jan 2017 Nine faith schools which teach the fundamentalist Accelerated Christian Education curriculum have been downgraded, following Ofsted inspections ordered by the Department for Education. Ten schools were inspected in total by Ofsted, after an investigation into Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) schools by the Independent. ACE schools have taught that homosexuality is unnatural, and they promote Creationism. The schools have faced significant criticism from former pupils, and historic allegations of exorcisms and "ritual corporal punishment". The Independent obtained an ACE teaching manual published in the 1990s which demonstrated how to "Administer correction" by hitting children if they sinned. Former ACE pupil James Ridgers, who now campaigns to expose fundamentalism in Accelerated Christian Education schools, said their curriculum was "possibly the worst and most dangerous educative curriculum I could imagine" and that schools "indoctrinated" pupils with "complete and utter nonsense". Mr Ridgers said that during his time in an ACE school in Oxfordshire pupils were told "evolution is false". The Greater Grace School of Christian Education, which was recently downgraded from 'satisfactory' to 'inadequate', tells pupils that evolution is a "commonly held" "belief" in society, but it teaches its own pupils Creationism. "Pupils' context for all of their learning is the teachings of the Bible," the inspectors said in their recent inspection report of the school. Mr Ridgers said that Ofsted inspectors were raising concerns about things that "have been happening for decades. For years, Ofsted and the Government have turned a blind eye to miseducation and abuse in religious schools. "I would like to understand why this has been allowed to go on for so long. I would welcome a specific inquiry into this. In my view, some of the reports do not go far enough. In future, Ofsted inspectors should be briefed on the specific known problem areas in the curriculum, including political bias and sexism, and on the shortcomings of the schools that survivors have been campaigning about for years. He told the Independent: "It is very gratifying to be taken seriously. I just wish more had been in done in 1984, when the first public reports of abuse in ACE schools in England surfaced. That would have saved a generation of children from a damaging schooling." The Oxford Christian School was previously rated 'good' but is now deemed to be inadequate in all criteria, and inspectors said there were "insufficient opportunities for pupils to learn about religions other than their own" and that pupils were presented with unbalanced views. The inspection report added that pupils were not prepared "well enough for life in modern Britain". Pupils did not feel safe and teachers lacked knowledge to deliver proper education, the inspectors said. Another ACE school, the Luton Pentecostal Church Christian Academy, was rated as 'good' in its previous inspection but is now deemed to be inadequate. Inspectors said school leaders "do not actively promote" respect for different minorities protected by equality law. NSS campaigns director Stephen Evans said: "Religious dogma has been allowed to distort young people's education in these types of school for many years. It has taken far too long for action to be taken, but these reports do offer some sign that the Government has started taking children's educational rights more seriously. "We welcome that the tougher standards are identifying problem schools so that action can be taken now, as it should have been much sooner." Ofsted told the Independent, "We recently inspected a number of independent schools that use the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum at the request of the Department for Education and found some of them to be failing to meet the Government's standards in a number of areas, including safeguarding, leadership and governance, and the quality of the curriculum. In addition, a number of these schools were not promoting British values effectively enough. "It is common practice for Ofsted to carry out focused inspections of a group of schools that, for example, are in the same local authority area or academy trust or, which follow the same type of curriculum. "We will, through commission by the DfE, continue to monitor schools that have not met the Independent Schools Standards." The Government said that ACE schools must "improve or close" if they have failed to meet the "new, tougher" Independent School Standards. Correction an earlier version of this article misattrubated Mr Ridgers' quotes to education activist and expert on ACE Jenna Scaramanga.
	Islamic school found to be hindering pupils’ personal development News \| Tue, 3rd Jan 2017 Ofsted inspectors have downgraded an independent Islamic school in Tower Hamlets after finding "grimy" facilities, "inappropriate" books and a camera placed in the school toilets. Inspectors concluded that pupils were not being "prepared for life in modern Britain" after discovering "Inappropriate literature regarding women's role in society". Pupils at the Darul Hadis Latifiah had "no planned opportunities" to "socialise or work with girls" and very few pupils were able to name "the new British Prime Minister or were aware of the first female presidential candidate in the elections taking place in the United States of America." "A book was found in the school library which promoted inappropriate views of how girls and women should behave," which the school's leaders claimed they were "unaware" of. "There are too few opportunities to learn about women in modern society," the report said, and respect for women was taught during Islamic studies but limited "to the roles of motherhood and families." Inspectors agreed with a pupil's view that toilets, changing rooms and showers were "grimy and disgusting." The school needed to ensure that its premises were "safe and hygienic" in future, and the toilets were described as "particularly unclean". Mouse droppings and sharp metal objects were found on the floor. A camera was found "in the communal area of the toilets" with images it displayed "on plain view" in the reception area to visitors. Leaders could not account for "why and how the camera had been installed" and pupils told the inspectors that it was an invasion of their privacy. Pupils raised "vociferous" complaints about the school to inspectors, complaining of an "overzealous" attitude to discipline by staff. If pupils asked about sex and relationships they were given detentions, some pupils told inspectors. The school was hindering pupils' personal development, the report said. Stephen Evans, campaigns director for the National Secular Society, said the school was "clearly unfit for purpose". "These children have had the courage to raise complaints themselves about the school. Schools that fail young people so catastrophically should be closed down. Countless other children suffer in schools like these, deprived of any education that might prepare them for modern life. "This is not the first time derogatory material about women has been found in an independent Islamic school and it will not be the last. We'll be urging Ofsted to ensure that scrutiny of these schools continues to intensify under its new Chief Inspector." Overall, teaching was found to be "inadequate", with pupils often left simply copying from textbooks. The inspection found that safeguarding was ineffective, leaving pupils at risk, and Ofsted instructed school leaders to "ensure" proper measures were put in place as required by the Prevent duty to prevent students being drawn into extremism. Some pupils had been absent from the school for three weeks at a time, and the school failed to supply information on how they investigated these unauthorised absences.
	Scottish Government consults on religious observance, as poll shows majority favour reform News \| Thu, 5th Jan 2017 The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on religious observance, following a court case last year and a poll from The Times which found a majority in favour of change. The limited consultation, which will involve religious organisations and parents' and teachers' groups, will consult the Humanist Society Scotland (HSS), who launched a legal challenge to religious observance in 2016. The judicial review case was 'paused' late last year after the Government agreed to consult on new guidance for religious observance; hailed as a "step in the right direction" by the HSS. Proposals to be consulted on by the Government include recognising that schools may rename religious observance as "time for reflection" which "may be more appropriate". The proposals also highlighted the need for the parental right of withdrawal from RO to be better communicated to parents. The proposed revisions note there is no "statutory right to withdraw afforded to children and young people". It says "schools should include young people in any discussion about aspects of their school experience" and ensure "their wishes are taken into account." Stephen Evans, NSS campaigns director, said: "This limited consultation is only on the guidance pertaining to religious observance, not the law underpinning it, and ultimately it is this that needs to be addressed. The proposed changes are a step in the right direction, but fall well short of ensuring that parental rights and young people's religious freedoms will be protected. Laws requiring worship in schools have no place in a modern education system." Between Christmas and New Year the Times reported the results of a poll which found a majority of Scots in favour of reforming religious observance so that children can opt themselves out of religious observance. 38% of those polled said there should be no place for religious observance in Scottish schools. 17% favoured the continuation of religious observance, provided children could take themselves out of worship without parental consent. Scottish pupils currently have no right to withdraw themselves from religious observance in schools. In England and Wales only sixth-form pupils may do so. The chief executive of the HSS, Gordon MacRae, told the Times: "This survey confirms what we have known for some time, that a majority of people in Scotland support a change in this arcane law." Last year the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child said Scotland's failure to allow children to withdraw from religious observance was incompatible with Articles 12 and 14 of the UNCRC. The UN Committee called on UK governments to repeal legal provisions for compulsory attendance at collective worship in publicly funded schools and ensure that children can independently exercise the right to withdraw.
	Pharmacy rules to emphasise patients’ rights thanks to secular medical campaigners News \| Wed, 4th Jan 2017 New professional standards being consulted on by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) will place more emphasis on the rights of patients, rather than pharmacists who refuse to dispense medicines for religious reasons. There have been recent cases in the UK and internationally where women have been refused emergency contraception prescribed by their doctor because of the pharmacist's personal beliefs, and a consultation last year from the GPhC said that "balance" was required between the needs of patients and the religious beliefs or personal objections of pharmacists. In response the Secular Medical Forum (SMF), an affiliate of the National Secular Society, said that it was contradictory for pharmacists to be told by the regulator that they must "provide person-centred care" while being free to "balance" that care against their own "personal values and beliefs". The SMF objected to the implication from the Council that members of the public should have to balance their beliefs with those of a professional. Secular medics told the Council that "Balance is an unhelpful, ambiguous term" and that there was "a significant risk that those pharmacy professionals with strong personal views, almost always religious, will interpret 'balance' in favour of their own personal views." As a result of the guidance, care could be determined by the beliefs and values of the professional rather than the needs of the patient. Pharmacists have the right to hold a belief, the SMF said, but not an unlimited right to manifest their religious or other belief in the workplace, particularly "when they conflict with the personal beliefs of a person accessing the services." Most of the concerns and recommendations raised by the SMF have now been incorporated into the draft guidance in the consultation. Dr Antony Lempert, chair of the SMF, welcomed the steps taken by the regulator: "As a direct result of concerns raised by the Secular Medical Forum, the National Secular Society and others responding to last year's consultation on standards for pharmacy professionals, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has acknowledged that it got things wrong and has now launched an additional consultation on religion, personal values and beliefs. "The proposed new standards for pharmacy professionals would provide an unprecedented level of protection for pharmacy users from pharmacists who conscientiously object to dispensing certain medicines." The GPhC says the new consultation, with draft guidance reflecting the concerns of the Secular Medical Forum, intends to "shift the balance in favour of the needs and rights of the person in [pharmacists'] care." The Council has said it is consulting "to ensure that pharmacy professionals take responsibility for ensuring that person-centred care is not compromised by their religion, personal values or beliefs. The proposals will change the expectations placed on pharmacy professionals when their religion, personal values and beliefs might, in certain circumstances, impact on their ability to provide services." Under the new guidance, a referral to another service provider, such as an alternative pharmacist, might not be considered acceptable as it could compromise person-centred care. Dr Lempert added: "We know of several cases where women have been refused emergency contraception prescribed by their doctor because of the pharmacist's personal values. This is distressing for patients and may place vulnerable people at risk. The new guidance would make it perfectly clear that a pharmacist who refuses to dispense emergency contraception for example should make sure that there is another pharmacist on duty without a conscientious objection to dispensing such items. "The GPhC is to be commended for responding so positively to robust feedback. It has recognised that its initial recommendations were wholly inadequate and has gone a long way towards setting a standard for other regulatory bodies to follow. "It should always be the personal responsibility of a healthcare professional to be pro-active in making sure that his or her own personal views do not obstruct people's access to professional care. If a pharmacist has objections to a certain professional activity then they must make sure that they do not choose to work in an environment where their refusal might compromise a patient's access to treatment. "It would be helpful for as many people as possible to respond positively to the new GPhC consultation both to commend the GPhC for responding to the concerns raised and to help ensure that the forward-thinking draft recommendations are not watered down by religious objections to putting patients first. Some Christian and Muslim groups have already raised concerns about the proposed changes."
	Norway’s separation of Church and State: a work in progress Opinion \| Wed, 4th Jan 2017 Norway's supposed separation of Church and State, effective from 1 January 2017, is a very positive step, but it's still a work in progress, writes Keith Porteous Wood. Both Norway and the United Kingdom have populations that are very secular in outlook, with around 2% of them regularly attending regular services of the national church. Yet both these ancient monarchies have had established churches deeply ingrained in the state since at least the Reformation in the 16^th century. In both countries the State has gradually become less involved in controlling the national church. While the UK has barely reined in the power of its established church since the 19^th century, Norway has just embarked on what amounts to the privatisation of its Church, rather than the 'separation' that is being claimed. The Norwegians have more work to do to achieve complete separation. Even more importantly, given the astonishing parallels between the church state arrangements in both countries, this move to bring Norway into the 21^st century should be a (long-overdue) wake-up call to the UK to move towards a modern secular state. Jens-Petter Johnsen, head of the Church's National Council, announced that the Church is facing "the biggest organisational change … since the Reformation." Indeed, from 1 January 2017 the Church became a legal entity of its own rather than its administration being a state agency, with clergy no longer being state employees. Johnsen went on to claim, perhaps in the hope of staving off criticism, that "The changes will create a clear separation between Church and State." He must have been consulted about the new constitution, and quite likely instrumental in its wording, so the only charitable conclusion can be that Mr Johnsen doesn't understand what separation of church and state is. The new constitution provides, for example, that "The "King" [and presumably any Queen] shall at all times profess the Evangelical-Lutheran religion" (Article 4). He is now no longer required to "uphold and protect the [Evangelical-Lutheran religion]", but given the absurd "at all times" requirement this hardly seems to make any significant difference. Inhabitants "shall have the right to free exercise of their religion" (Article 16), but this does not seem to apply to the Monarch, given the above. The Constitution does not even dare to contemplate the likelihood of a monarch without such professions. Would such non-profession debar them from being the monarch? This hardly seems hypothetical, given only around 3% of Norwegians attend any church at least monthly, albeit around 70% are nominally Church members, automatically becoming members when their parents decide they should be baptised. And membership of the Church is plummeting. According to Article 16 the Norwegian Church "will remain the Norwegian national church" (my emphasis) which, given the religious requirement on the King, clearly contradicts Parliament's statement in 2012 that "the Evangelical Lutheran religion will no longer be the state's official religion". Only the most pedantic could claim otherwise. The new constitution also provides that the Norwegian national church is "an Evangelical-Lutheran church", thereby prescribing its doctrine, limiting the freedom of the Church to set its own doctrine, which is anti-secular. The National Church "will as such be supported by the State" says Article 16, although little is known about the crucial extent of that (at least financial) support. The State has been becoming less involved in Church affairs for some time, and now it will no longer appoint clergy, something that was probably only a formality in recent years anyway The so-called separation has therefore been akin to a corporate reorganisation, and while the Church may have lost the support of being on the Government payroll, it has retained a constitutional guarantee of support. A new constitutional provision that is superficially appealing is that "All religious and philosophical communities should be supported on equal terms." (Article 16). The Norwegian humanist organisation has enjoyed this support for a long time and is the wealthiest, or at least one of the wealthiest, humanist organisations in the world for that reason. We are not talking about small change here. The amount of money disbursed by the state must be enormous. In December 2016, the Catholic Church, with 145,000 members, was accused of going through telephone directories to add immigrants, and a senior official was charged with aggravated fraud; the state is seeking reimbursement of £3.8 million in overclaimed subsidies. It is a fundamental secularist principle for no state support to religions (or other belief organisations). The inclusion of humanists in Norway on the same basis, now built into the constitution by granting quasi equality, conveniently for the little-attended Church, clouds this issue. Indeed, the fact that humanists now have a share of the cake makes it harder to argue against continued subsidy of the Church. The equality I seek as a secularist is for the state to fund no religion (and no "non-religion"). I hope that the good people of Norway will consider this latest constitutional and organisational change as a preliminary further step in the disentanglement of the Church and State. There is much further to go before Norway can regard itself as a modern secular state, not least removing the elements in the Constitution highlighted above, and a move towards withdrawing this illicit subsidy – even if it is phased out over several years. The UK's Parliament is the only one apart from Iran's to give clerics ex officio seats as of right. Norway's equivalent measure, that parliamentary officials were required to be members of the Lutheran Church and at least half of all ministers had to be a member of the Christian State Church, has recently been consigned to history which is where the UK's Bench of 26 bishops should be. It is clearly time for the UK to follow Norway's example. They show it can be done. Other ruses we need to be aware of in this area are the established churches in each country retaining as many privileges as possible. The points I have picked out in Norway's new constitution shows ample evidence of this. And the Church of England has managed it too. In the 19^th century there was a raft of legislation curbing the Church's powers, for example on divorce, probate and the jurisdiction of ecclesiastical courts, but practically none since; in contrast there have been changes to reduce state control over the Church. The most substantial was in 1919 when the Church of England managed to wrestle back much of its Governance from Parliament with the fore-runner of the Synod, but without ceding an iota of its still enormous privileges in return. Secularists need to up their game to make UK parliamentarians more aware of the unjustified privileges of established churches that so few attend. And we must encourage disestablishment in the UK pointing out what Norway has recently, if belatedly, done to move towards a modern secular state, something other states achieved hundreds of years ago.

NSS Speaks Out

Our executive director Keith Porteous Wood spoke this week to BBC Three Counties about the nine Christian fundamentalist schools that were downgraded by Ofsted.

Over the holidays we were quoted in the Economist and Christian Today on our new report.

The TES, the Telegraph, and the Daily Mail all quoted us on religious discrimination against teachers in faith schools. Lynn News quoted our campaigns director Stephen Evans on proposals to expand local Catholic education. Our vice president Alistair McBay had a letter published in The Courier arguing against religious segregation in schools.

Quotes of the Week

"It's not really the way we've ever done things in this country, we didn't ban communism during the cold war and I think we should be strong and robust enough to argue back."
David Anderson QC, the Government's Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation on the dangers of 'extremism disruption orders'.

"Secularism is not opposed to religion, but is opposed to the religious control over civil institutions, law and governance."
Historian Romila Thapar, speaking at a public seminar on 'Making of Modern India and Secularism'.

Essay of the Week

Slouching towards secularism: Like other old institutions, England's state religion uses artful adaptation.
Economist.

	Britain’s changing belief landscape requires a rethink of religion’s public role News \| Mon, 26th Dec 2016 The time has come to separate church and state in order to ensure equality and fairness for believers and non-believers alike, says a major new report launched by the National Secular Society. The report says that Britain's "drift away from Christianity" coupled with the rise in minority religions and increasing non-religiosity demands a "long term, sustainable settlement on the relationship between religion and the state". Rethinking religion and belief in public life: a manifesto for change has been sent to all MPs as part of a major drive by the Society to encourage policymakers and citizens of all faiths and none to find common cause in promoting principles of secularism. It calls for Britain to "evolve" into a secular democracy with a clear separation between religion and state. It criticises the prevailing multi-faithist approach as being "at odds with the increasing religious indifference" in Britain. Terry Sanderson, National Secular Society president, said: "Vast swathes of the population are simply not interested in religion, it doesn't play a part in their lives, but the state refuses to recognise this. "Britain is now one of the most religiously diverse and, at the same time, non-religious nations in the world. Rather than burying its head in the sand, the state needs to respond to these fundamental cultural changes. Our report sets out constructive and specific proposals to fundamentally reform the role of religion in public life to ensure that every citizen can be treated fairly and valued equally, irrespective of their religious outlook." The report highlights state education as the area where the "most overt imposition of religion on British citizens" takes place – and calls for a "moratorium on the opening of any new publicly-funded faith schools. It also recommends the abolition of the legal requirement on all schools to provide Christian worship and an end to discriminatory admissions arrangements. The report describes the Church of England's privileged position as "no longer tenable". It recommends that the bishops' bench be removed from the House of Lords, with religious leaders only appointed on merit along the same criteria as all other appointees, rather than the current system where bishops are given seats 'as of right'. The report also warns that the rise of so called 'sharia courts' risks undermining the legal system. Allowing groups to opt-out of the state legal system in favour of a religious alternative "strikes at the heart of citizenship and a cohesive society", says the report. The report also urges politicians to refrain from describing Britain as a "Christian country". "Any approach which seeks to label the values widely shared by UK citizens as exclusively "Christian" is doomed to be out of touch with the views and lifestyles of the population", it states. According to the report: "Increasing secularity and the fragmentation of religious belief means the need to treat people as individual citizens rather than as members of a religion has become even more apparent. No faith-based approach from the state will ever encompass every strand of belief that exists in the UK today, and a human rights, individual-centred approach – rather than the failed multicultural or multi-faithist model – is vital for every citizen to be treated and valued equally." The 'manifesto for change', covering every area of the Society's work, makes detailed recommendations on a broad selection of important policy areas relating to protecting human rights law and ensuring equality for all. Read the report
	Raft of fundamentalist Christian schools downgraded by Ofsted News \| Tue, 3rd Jan 2017 Nine faith schools which teach the fundamentalist Accelerated Christian Education curriculum have been downgraded, following Ofsted inspections ordered by the Department for Education. Ten schools were inspected in total by Ofsted, after an investigation into Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) schools by the Independent. ACE schools have taught that homosexuality is unnatural, and they promote Creationism. The schools have faced significant criticism from former pupils, and historic allegations of exorcisms and "ritual corporal punishment". The Independent obtained an ACE teaching manual published in the 1990s which demonstrated how to "Administer correction" by hitting children if they sinned. Former ACE pupil James Ridgers, who now campaigns to expose fundamentalism in Accelerated Christian Education schools, said their curriculum was "possibly the worst and most dangerous educative curriculum I could imagine" and that schools "indoctrinated" pupils with "complete and utter nonsense". Mr Ridgers said that during his time in an ACE school in Oxfordshire pupils were told "evolution is false". The Greater Grace School of Christian Education, which was recently downgraded from 'satisfactory' to 'inadequate', tells pupils that evolution is a "commonly held" "belief" in society, but it teaches its own pupils Creationism. "Pupils' context for all of their learning is the teachings of the Bible," the inspectors said in their recent inspection report of the school. Mr Ridgers said that Ofsted inspectors were raising concerns about things that "have been happening for decades. For years, Ofsted and the Government have turned a blind eye to miseducation and abuse in religious schools. "I would like to understand why this has been allowed to go on for so long. I would welcome a specific inquiry into this. In my view, some of the reports do not go far enough. In future, Ofsted inspectors should be briefed on the specific known problem areas in the curriculum, including political bias and sexism, and on the shortcomings of the schools that survivors have been campaigning about for years. He told the Independent: "It is very gratifying to be taken seriously. I just wish more had been in done in 1984, when the first public reports of abuse in ACE schools in England surfaced. That would have saved a generation of children from a damaging schooling." The Oxford Christian School was previously rated 'good' but is now deemed to be inadequate in all criteria, and inspectors said there were "insufficient opportunities for pupils to learn about religions other than their own" and that pupils were presented with unbalanced views. The inspection report added that pupils were not prepared "well enough for life in modern Britain". Pupils did not feel safe and teachers lacked knowledge to deliver proper education, the inspectors said. Another ACE school, the Luton Pentecostal Church Christian Academy, was rated as 'good' in its previous inspection but is now deemed to be inadequate. Inspectors said school leaders "do not actively promote" respect for different minorities protected by equality law. NSS campaigns director Stephen Evans said: "Religious dogma has been allowed to distort young people's education in these types of school for many years. It has taken far too long for action to be taken, but these reports do offer some sign that the Government has started taking children's educational rights more seriously. "We welcome that the tougher standards are identifying problem schools so that action can be taken now, as it should have been much sooner." Ofsted told the Independent, "We recently inspected a number of independent schools that use the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum at the request of the Department for Education and found some of them to be failing to meet the Government's standards in a number of areas, including safeguarding, leadership and governance, and the quality of the curriculum. In addition, a number of these schools were not promoting British values effectively enough. "It is common practice for Ofsted to carry out focused inspections of a group of schools that, for example, are in the same local authority area or academy trust or, which follow the same type of curriculum. "We will, through commission by the DfE, continue to monitor schools that have not met the Independent Schools Standards." The Government said that ACE schools must "improve or close" if they have failed to meet the "new, tougher" Independent School Standards. Correction an earlier version of this article misattrubated Mr Ridgers' quotes to education activist and expert on ACE Jenna Scaramanga.
	Islamic school found to be hindering pupils’ personal development News \| Tue, 3rd Jan 2017 Ofsted inspectors have downgraded an independent Islamic school in Tower Hamlets after finding "grimy" facilities, "inappropriate" books and a camera placed in the school toilets. Inspectors concluded that pupils were not being "prepared for life in modern Britain" after discovering "Inappropriate literature regarding women's role in society". Pupils at the Darul Hadis Latifiah had "no planned opportunities" to "socialise or work with girls" and very few pupils were able to name "the new British Prime Minister or were aware of the first female presidential candidate in the elections taking place in the United States of America." "A book was found in the school library which promoted inappropriate views of how girls and women should behave," which the school's leaders claimed they were "unaware" of. "There are too few opportunities to learn about women in modern society," the report said, and respect for women was taught during Islamic studies but limited "to the roles of motherhood and families." Inspectors agreed with a pupil's view that toilets, changing rooms and showers were "grimy and disgusting." The school needed to ensure that its premises were "safe and hygienic" in future, and the toilets were described as "particularly unclean". Mouse droppings and sharp metal objects were found on the floor. A camera was found "in the communal area of the toilets" with images it displayed "on plain view" in the reception area to visitors. Leaders could not account for "why and how the camera had been installed" and pupils told the inspectors that it was an invasion of their privacy. Pupils raised "vociferous" complaints about the school to inspectors, complaining of an "overzealous" attitude to discipline by staff. If pupils asked about sex and relationships they were given detentions, some pupils told inspectors. The school was hindering pupils' personal development, the report said. Stephen Evans, campaigns director for the National Secular Society, said the school was "clearly unfit for purpose". "These children have had the courage to raise complaints themselves about the school. Schools that fail young people so catastrophically should be closed down. Countless other children suffer in schools like these, deprived of any education that might prepare them for modern life. "This is not the first time derogatory material about women has been found in an independent Islamic school and it will not be the last. We'll be urging Ofsted to ensure that scrutiny of these schools continues to intensify under its new Chief Inspector." Overall, teaching was found to be "inadequate", with pupils often left simply copying from textbooks. The inspection found that safeguarding was ineffective, leaving pupils at risk, and Ofsted instructed school leaders to "ensure" proper measures were put in place as required by the Prevent duty to prevent students being drawn into extremism. Some pupils had been absent from the school for three weeks at a time, and the school failed to supply information on how they investigated these unauthorised absences.
	Scottish Government consults on religious observance, as poll shows majority favour reform News \| Thu, 5th Jan 2017 The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on religious observance, following a court case last year and a poll from The Times which found a majority in favour of change. The limited consultation, which will involve religious organisations and parents' and teachers' groups, will consult the Humanist Society Scotland (HSS), who launched a legal challenge to religious observance in 2016. The judicial review case was 'paused' late last year after the Government agreed to consult on new guidance for religious observance; hailed as a "step in the right direction" by the HSS. Proposals to be consulted on by the Government include recognising that schools may rename religious observance as "time for reflection" which "may be more appropriate". The proposals also highlighted the need for the parental right of withdrawal from RO to be better communicated to parents. The proposed revisions note there is no "statutory right to withdraw afforded to children and young people". It says "schools should include young people in any discussion about aspects of their school experience" and ensure "their wishes are taken into account." Stephen Evans, NSS campaigns director, said: "This limited consultation is only on the guidance pertaining to religious observance, not the law underpinning it, and ultimately it is this that needs to be addressed. The proposed changes are a step in the right direction, but fall well short of ensuring that parental rights and young people's religious freedoms will be protected. Laws requiring worship in schools have no place in a modern education system." Between Christmas and New Year the Times reported the results of a poll which found a majority of Scots in favour of reforming religious observance so that children can opt themselves out of religious observance. 38% of those polled said there should be no place for religious observance in Scottish schools. 17% favoured the continuation of religious observance, provided children could take themselves out of worship without parental consent. Scottish pupils currently have no right to withdraw themselves from religious observance in schools. In England and Wales only sixth-form pupils may do so. The chief executive of the HSS, Gordon MacRae, told the Times: "This survey confirms what we have known for some time, that a majority of people in Scotland support a change in this arcane law." Last year the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child said Scotland's failure to allow children to withdraw from religious observance was incompatible with Articles 12 and 14 of the UNCRC. The UN Committee called on UK governments to repeal legal provisions for compulsory attendance at collective worship in publicly funded schools and ensure that children can independently exercise the right to withdraw.
	Pharmacy rules to emphasise patients’ rights thanks to secular medical campaigners News \| Wed, 4th Jan 2017 New professional standards being consulted on by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) will place more emphasis on the rights of patients, rather than pharmacists who refuse to dispense medicines for religious reasons. There have been recent cases in the UK and internationally where women have been refused emergency contraception prescribed by their doctor because of the pharmacist's personal beliefs, and a consultation last year from the GPhC said that "balance" was required between the needs of patients and the religious beliefs or personal objections of pharmacists. In response the Secular Medical Forum (SMF), an affiliate of the National Secular Society, said that it was contradictory for pharmacists to be told by the regulator that they must "provide person-centred care" while being free to "balance" that care against their own "personal values and beliefs". The SMF objected to the implication from the Council that members of the public should have to balance their beliefs with those of a professional. Secular medics told the Council that "Balance is an unhelpful, ambiguous term" and that there was "a significant risk that those pharmacy professionals with strong personal views, almost always religious, will interpret 'balance' in favour of their own personal views." As a result of the guidance, care could be determined by the beliefs and values of the professional rather than the needs of the patient. Pharmacists have the right to hold a belief, the SMF said, but not an unlimited right to manifest their religious or other belief in the workplace, particularly "when they conflict with the personal beliefs of a person accessing the services." Most of the concerns and recommendations raised by the SMF have now been incorporated into the draft guidance in the consultation. Dr Antony Lempert, chair of the SMF, welcomed the steps taken by the regulator: "As a direct result of concerns raised by the Secular Medical Forum, the National Secular Society and others responding to last year's consultation on standards for pharmacy professionals, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has acknowledged that it got things wrong and has now launched an additional consultation on religion, personal values and beliefs. "The proposed new standards for pharmacy professionals would provide an unprecedented level of protection for pharmacy users from pharmacists who conscientiously object to dispensing certain medicines." The GPhC says the new consultation, with draft guidance reflecting the concerns of the Secular Medical Forum, intends to "shift the balance in favour of the needs and rights of the person in [pharmacists'] care." The Council has said it is consulting "to ensure that pharmacy professionals take responsibility for ensuring that person-centred care is not compromised by their religion, personal values or beliefs. The proposals will change the expectations placed on pharmacy professionals when their religion, personal values and beliefs might, in certain circumstances, impact on their ability to provide services." Under the new guidance, a referral to another service provider, such as an alternative pharmacist, might not be considered acceptable as it could compromise person-centred care. Dr Lempert added: "We know of several cases where women have been refused emergency contraception prescribed by their doctor because of the pharmacist's personal values. This is distressing for patients and may place vulnerable people at risk. The new guidance would make it perfectly clear that a pharmacist who refuses to dispense emergency contraception for example should make sure that there is another pharmacist on duty without a conscientious objection to dispensing such items. "The GPhC is to be commended for responding so positively to robust feedback. It has recognised that its initial recommendations were wholly inadequate and has gone a long way towards setting a standard for other regulatory bodies to follow. "It should always be the personal responsibility of a healthcare professional to be pro-active in making sure that his or her own personal views do not obstruct people's access to professional care. If a pharmacist has objections to a certain professional activity then they must make sure that they do not choose to work in an environment where their refusal might compromise a patient's access to treatment. "It would be helpful for as many people as possible to respond positively to the new GPhC consultation both to commend the GPhC for responding to the concerns raised and to help ensure that the forward-thinking draft recommendations are not watered down by religious objections to putting patients first. Some Christian and Muslim groups have already raised concerns about the proposed changes."
	Norway’s separation of Church and State: a work in progress Opinion \| Wed, 4th Jan 2017 Norway's supposed separation of Church and State, effective from 1 January 2017, is a very positive step, but it's still a work in progress, writes Keith Porteous Wood. Both Norway and the United Kingdom have populations that are very secular in outlook, with around 2% of them regularly attending regular services of the national church. Yet both these ancient monarchies have had established churches deeply ingrained in the state since at least the Reformation in the 16^th century. In both countries the State has gradually become less involved in controlling the national church. While the UK has barely reined in the power of its established church since the 19^th century, Norway has just embarked on what amounts to the privatisation of its Church, rather than the 'separation' that is being claimed. The Norwegians have more work to do to achieve complete separation. Even more importantly, given the astonishing parallels between the church state arrangements in both countries, this move to bring Norway into the 21^st century should be a (long-overdue) wake-up call to the UK to move towards a modern secular state. Jens-Petter Johnsen, head of the Church's National Council, announced that the Church is facing "the biggest organisational change … since the Reformation." Indeed, from 1 January 2017 the Church became a legal entity of its own rather than its administration being a state agency, with clergy no longer being state employees. Johnsen went on to claim, perhaps in the hope of staving off criticism, that "The changes will create a clear separation between Church and State." He must have been consulted about the new constitution, and quite likely instrumental in its wording, so the only charitable conclusion can be that Mr Johnsen doesn't understand what separation of church and state is. The new constitution provides, for example, that "The "King" [and presumably any Queen] shall at all times profess the Evangelical-Lutheran religion" (Article 4). He is now no longer required to "uphold and protect the [Evangelical-Lutheran religion]", but given the absurd "at all times" requirement this hardly seems to make any significant difference. Inhabitants "shall have the right to free exercise of their religion" (Article 16), but this does not seem to apply to the Monarch, given the above. The Constitution does not even dare to contemplate the likelihood of a monarch without such professions. Would such non-profession debar them from being the monarch? This hardly seems hypothetical, given only around 3% of Norwegians attend any church at least monthly, albeit around 70% are nominally Church members, automatically becoming members when their parents decide they should be baptised. And membership of the Church is plummeting. According to Article 16 the Norwegian Church "will remain the Norwegian national church" (my emphasis) which, given the religious requirement on the King, clearly contradicts Parliament's statement in 2012 that "the Evangelical Lutheran religion will no longer be the state's official religion". Only the most pedantic could claim otherwise. The new constitution also provides that the Norwegian national church is "an Evangelical-Lutheran church", thereby prescribing its doctrine, limiting the freedom of the Church to set its own doctrine, which is anti-secular. The National Church "will as such be supported by the State" says Article 16, although little is known about the crucial extent of that (at least financial) support. The State has been becoming less involved in Church affairs for some time, and now it will no longer appoint clergy, something that was probably only a formality in recent years anyway The so-called separation has therefore been akin to a corporate reorganisation, and while the Church may have lost the support of being on the Government payroll, it has retained a constitutional guarantee of support. A new constitutional provision that is superficially appealing is that "All religious and philosophical communities should be supported on equal terms." (Article 16). The Norwegian humanist organisation has enjoyed this support for a long time and is the wealthiest, or at least one of the wealthiest, humanist organisations in the world for that reason. We are not talking about small change here. The amount of money disbursed by the state must be enormous. In December 2016, the Catholic Church, with 145,000 members, was accused of going through telephone directories to add immigrants, and a senior official was charged with aggravated fraud; the state is seeking reimbursement of £3.8 million in overclaimed subsidies. It is a fundamental secularist principle for no state support to religions (or other belief organisations). The inclusion of humanists in Norway on the same basis, now built into the constitution by granting quasi equality, conveniently for the little-attended Church, clouds this issue. Indeed, the fact that humanists now have a share of the cake makes it harder to argue against continued subsidy of the Church. The equality I seek as a secularist is for the state to fund no religion (and no "non-religion"). I hope that the good people of Norway will consider this latest constitutional and organisational change as a preliminary further step in the disentanglement of the Church and State. There is much further to go before Norway can regard itself as a modern secular state, not least removing the elements in the Constitution highlighted above, and a move towards withdrawing this illicit subsidy – even if it is phased out over several years. The UK's Parliament is the only one apart from Iran's to give clerics ex officio seats as of right. Norway's equivalent measure, that parliamentary officials were required to be members of the Lutheran Church and at least half of all ministers had to be a member of the Christian State Church, has recently been consigned to history which is where the UK's Bench of 26 bishops should be. It is clearly time for the UK to follow Norway's example. They show it can be done. Other ruses we need to be aware of in this area are the established churches in each country retaining as many privileges as possible. The points I have picked out in Norway's new constitution shows ample evidence of this. And the Church of England has managed it too. In the 19^th century there was a raft of legislation curbing the Church's powers, for example on divorce, probate and the jurisdiction of ecclesiastical courts, but practically none since; in contrast there have been changes to reduce state control over the Church. The most substantial was in 1919 when the Church of England managed to wrestle back much of its Governance from Parliament with the fore-runner of the Synod, but without ceding an iota of its still enormous privileges in return. Secularists need to up their game to make UK parliamentarians more aware of the unjustified privileges of established churches that so few attend. And we must encourage disestablishment in the UK pointing out what Norway has recently, if belatedly, done to move towards a modern secular state, something other states achieved hundreds of years ago.

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Newsline 6 January 2017

News, Blogs & Opinion

Britain’s changing belief landscape requires a rethink of religion’s public role

Raft of fundamentalist Christian schools downgraded by Ofsted

Islamic school found to be hindering pupils’ personal development

Scottish Government consults on religious observance, as poll shows majority favour reform

Pharmacy rules to emphasise patients’ rights thanks to secular medical campaigners

Norway’s separation of Church and State: a work in progress

NSS Speaks Out

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Newsline 6 January 2017

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NSS Speaks Out

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