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National Secular Society

December 2019 update

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Our best chance of success - of stopping new faith schools and transitioning to a fully inclusive community ethos system - is a strong national campaign working with diverse local campaigns and activists across the country. Supporters like you are crucial to both.

We need your help to spread the campaign. And we want to help you in your local communities. Over the past few months I've visited six groups across the country and supported the launch of three new local campaigns. More is coming and we want you on board. I already have two events booked in the New Year and want to book more over the spring and summer. So please get in contact if you'd like to put something together.

We want every proposed new faith school to face opposition and pressure for inclusive alternatives. Details on local supporters, many of whom first get in contact through the national petition, are crucial. Our new template letters for Northern Irish MLAs, Scottish MSPs and Welsh AMs are helping to ensure we reach every part of the country.

At the moment our campaign in Hampton Water (Peterborough) is our highest profile one. We're working with local parents, helping to make a strong case against a new discriminatory Catholic school and for an alternative with a community ethos.

In other news this month, a state funded Jewish faith school has been criticised for its restricted curriculum and we've highlighted research from our friends at the Accord Coalition showing how much capital funding for discriminatory faith schools owned by religious bodies comes from taxpayers.

As academic research shows some intolerant attitudes are widespread among Catholic school pupils in Scotland, I've called on politicians to end the taboo on criticising denominational schools. And with the election ahead, Stephen Evans has called on politicians to end their fetishisation of faith schools and face the fact that a religiously divided education system is unfit for the future.

Best wishes,

Alastair Lichten
Campaign coordinator - NMFS

Latest news & opinion

 

Why the blind spot when it comes to faith schools?

Politicians need to end their fetishisation of faith schools and face the fact that a religiously divided education system is unfit for the future, argues... Read More »

 

If we want a tolerant Scotland, let’s educate children together

As academic research shows some intolerant attitudes are widespread among Catholic school pupils in Scotland, Alastair Lichten says rolling back denominational... Read More »

 

NMFS campaign opposes plans for new faith schools in Inverclyde

The No More Faith Schools campaign is supporting residents to oppose plans which could see a village nondenominational school converted into a Catholic... Read More »

 

Council opens consultation over new discriminatory faith school

The No More Faith Schools campaign is urging supporters to respond to a consultation over plans to open a discriminatory voluntary aided Catholic school... Read More »

 

Taxpayers fund vast majority of discriminatory faith schools’ costs

Taxpayers are funding a larger proportion of the building costs of faith schools which can potentially select all their children on religious grounds than... Read More »

 

Jewish girls’ school criticised for restricting curriculum

A state funded Jewish girls' faith school in Greater Manchester has been criticised for restricting its curriculum and failing to prepare its pupils fully... Read More »

Can you give the campaign a quick boost?

If you're on Twitter, then you can help draw attention to the campaign with one of our template tweets.

Help the campaign - share your story

  •   Have you been assigned a faith school against your wishes, like John from Plymouth?
  •   Were you unable to send your child to your local school because of religious discrimination, like Stephen from Newcastle Upon Tyne?
  •   Have you had to deal with unwanted evangelism at your or your child's school, like Helen from York?
  •   Have you been affected by faith schools' discriminatory relationships teaching, like Catherine from County Durham?
  •   Are you a teacher who's been turned down for a job because you're the 'wrong' religion, like Rachel from Sussex, or dealing with growing evangelism at a CofE faith school, like another of our contributors?
  •   You can help the campaign by showing the people behind the facts, figures and principled arguments against faith schools.
Write to your MP Campaign Locally Myth Buster