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We're often told that faith schools are good for parental choice. But this week our research has highlighted a major flaw in that argument, as we exclusively
revealed that thousands of children in England are being sent to faith schools against their parents' preferences.
Our No More Faith Schools
campaign is working to expose the harm which faith schools cause and to roll back religious control of schools across the UK. You can show your
support by getting involved in the campaign.
Elsewhere this week you can read more about our work advocating judicial neutrality, balanced education on religion and worldviews in Wales and reform of BBC Radio
4's Thought for the Day slot. If you think this work is valuable, please consider supporting it. Thank you.
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News & Opinion
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More than 20,000 children were sent to faith schools in England against the preferences of their parents earlier this month, National Secular Society
research... Read More »
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The National Secular Society has urged the lord chancellor to scrap the annual Anglican services which mark the start of the legal year, arguing that they...
Read More »
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The Welsh government has launched a consultation over plans to remove parents' right to withdraw their children from education on religion, relationships...
Read More
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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...
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The chancellor of the exchequer Sajid Javid has said he does not use the word 'Islamophobia' because of its capacity to shut down legitimate criticism...
Read More »
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NSS in the news
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By Andrew Penman, for The Mirror
More than 20,000 children have started this new academic year at state faith schools against their parents' preferences, NSS research has found.
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By Sam Dean, for The Bucks Herald
The NSS has called Buckinghamshire County Council's practice of beginning meetings with Christian prayers "alienating", "exclusionary" and "divisive" and
urged the council to change its policy.
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Other news
The NSS has said giving the bishop of London a privileged platform to air
her political and religious views at this week's judges' service in Westminster Abbey undermined democracy. Sarah Mullally used her sermon at the service to
speak on subjects including the state of British democracy and the government's prison policy.
The NSS has found that 100 religious charities were registered in
September: 95 in England and Wales and five in Scotland. Over half (52) were registered solely under "religious activities". The NSS argues that advancing religion doesn't necessarily bring a public benefit and shouldn't be a charitable purpose.
An Australian radio host has made an eight-minute apology after some Christians and Muslims reacted furiously to a joke he made about the virgin Mary. The NSS
has expressed concern about the free speech implications of this episode.
Stay in touch with all the latest news and views on secularism – sign up to receive your daily
media briefing from the NSS.
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Upcoming events
The coordinator of our No More Faith Schools campaign, Alastair Lichten, will speak about it at an event hosted by North London
Humanists on Thursday.
In the coming weeks our staff and board members will also take part in events on religion and women's rights, religion's role in public life and more.
Find out more on our events page.
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NSS podcast: latest episode
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Emma Park speaks to Stephen Evans, CEO of the NSS and Chris Sloggett, communications officer, about the NSS's opposition to a definition of 'Islamophobia'...
Read More »
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NSS speaks out
Our research on the number of children being sent to faith schools against their preferences of their parents was also featured in Schools Week,
with our head of education Alastair Lichten quoted.
Our chief executive Stephen Evans outlined his thoughts on education about religion, belief and worldviews in an interview with RE Today.
Our opposition to a proposed definition of 'Islamophobia' was mentioned in Christian
Today.
Our decision to report an Islamic charity in Leicester to the charity regulator was reported in Leicester Secular Society's autumn newsletter, with our campaigns officer Megan
Manson quoted.
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Read elsewhere: Tory conference fringe event furore
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By Peter Tatchell, letter in The Guardian
Claims that a fringe meeting at the Tory party conference was a "Muslim-bashing fest" are wrong.
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By Will Heaven, for The Spectator
An account of what happened at an event on 'Challenging Islamophobia' at the Conservative party conference on Sunday, and how it has been misrepresented
since.
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Quotes of the week
"I knew I was gay by the time I was 13 or 14, and I couldn't tell anybody until I was 27. I don't want any child to go through that lying, the shame, the
self-hatred."
Andrew
Moffat, creator of the 'No Outsiders' lessons which have sparked a furious religious backlash
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"The building blocks of society must mirror the kind of world we want future generations to inherit. No matter how you look at it, denominational schools have
become an anomaly. If sectarianism is to become a thing of the past, then so should they."
Archie
Macpherson calls for an "open and bold" debate on faith based segregation in Scotland's schools
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In your own words: end religious discrimination in school admissions
"There is a school places shortage in our town and my two closest secondary schools fill their places with children from as far as an hour away, whilst
children whose parents don't attend church have nowhere to go. It's outrageous that religious discrimination in schools should be allowed if it isn't in any
other sector of our society."
Marlene, Kent
Find out more about our opposition to religious discrimination in school
admissions.
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In your own words: male circumcision
"I was misguided enough to have my baby circumcised… The dressing came off and what followed is too painful to describe. I have suffered dreadful guilt ever
since, but that's nothing compared to what my poor baby went through. It's a hideous ritual. It must be banned."
Maureen, Bristol
Sign our petition and explain why you think unnecessary infant genital
cutting should end.
Alternatively, sign one of our other petitions to let us know why you support another
secularist cause.
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Support our work
Please support our work so we can make the case for a fairer secular democracy for all.
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Click here if you'd rather read Newsline as a PDF.
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