Tags: Faith schools
Time to follow Northern Ireland in ending religious discrimination against teachers
Posted: Tue, 12 Apr 2022 by Ella Sen
After ending a blanket exemption from equality laws, Northern Ireland will outlaw religious discrimination against teachers. Ella Sen examines the situation across other UK nations and urges them to follow suit. Read More »
A government blueprint for more religious control of schools?
Posted: Wed, 30 Mar 2022 by Alastair Lichten
The government's new proposals for education reform in England could see increased discrimination, and most non-faith schools placed in faith-based academy trusts. Alastair Lichten explores the threat to secular education posed by the 'Opportunity for all' white paper. Read More »
An inclusive Britain starts with inclusive schools
Posted: Wed, 23 Mar 2022 by Stephen Evans
Keeping religion and state education separate is the best way of ensuring schools promote free inquiry, equality and inclusivity, argues Stephen Evans. Read More »
Religious selection is only part of the problem with faith schools
Posted: Thu, 20 Jan 2022 by Alastair Lichten
Ending religious discrimination in faith school admissions is an important first step – but it will not undo all the harms caused by faith schools, says Alastair Lichten. Read More »
Remove religious gatekeepers from school admissions
Posted: Tue, 04 Jan 2022 by Alastair Lichten
Faith-based selection forces families' religiosity to be assessed, compels conformity, and undermines everyone's freedom of belief, says Alastair Lichten. Read More »
Why is the Catholic church allowed to hinder secondary school choice?
Posted: Thu, 21 Oct 2021 by Alastair Lichten
A case in Leicestershire shows the mess faith groups make of admissions and why secular accountability is necessary, argues Alastair Lichten. Read More »
Locked in and locked out: how faith schools restrict families’ choices
Posted: Wed, 25 Aug 2021 by Alastair Lichten
State funding of faith schools means many families are left without suitable schools. The narrative that faith schools are justified on the grounds of choice should be confronted, says Alastair Lichten. Read More »
Schools aren’t there to save the church
Posted: Thu, 22 Jul 2021 by Stephen Evans
The Church of England's new evangelical missional strategy should lead us to question its entitlement to proselytise in schools, argues Stephen Evans. Read More »
Is the C of E ashamed of discrimination in school admissions?
Posted: Fri, 28 May 2021 by Alastair Lichten
Research suggests the Church of England downplays the extent of religious discrimination in admissions to the schools it runs. Its embarrassment shows the need to end this practice, says Alastair Lichten. Read More »
Faith groups have no business inspecting schools
Posted: Fri, 30 Apr 2021 by Stephen Evans
Publicly funded school inspections which enable clerics to exert undue influence should have no place in a modern education system, argues Stephen Evans. Read More »
We must find the political will to end discriminatory school admissions
Posted: Mon, 12 Apr 2021 by Alastair Lichten
As families in England prepare to find out which primary schools their children will attend, Alastair Lichten says ending faith-based discrimination would make the admissions system fairer and simpler. Read More »
Faith-based school admissions pave the way for sexist and unreasonable demands. It’s time to end them
Posted: Fri, 05 Mar 2021 by Megan Manson
An adjudicator's ruling has exposed the outrageous requirements a state-funded faith school places on pupils and their families. This shows the need to end faith-based discrimination in admissions, says Megan Manson. Read More »
The evidence against faith schools is overwhelming
Posted: Tue, 23 Feb 2021 by Steven Kettell and Rebecca Vernon
A comprehensive new bank of academic research shows how shaky the main arguments for faith schools are, say its authors Steven Kettell and Rebecca Vernon. Read More »
Our school – and community – were severely disadvantaged by our C of E status
Posted: Wed, 20 Jan 2021 by John Mapperley
Former headteacher John Mapperley says the school he ran was given a vastly reduced range of options when considering academy status – and he believes the church puts its own interests above those of pupils. Read More »
Allowing religious discrimination in school admissions opens the door to other forms of discrimination
Posted: Thu, 03 Dec 2020 by Megan Manson
A state-funded faith school recently rejected a child because her mother isn't Jewish. This shows the absurdity of religious discrimination in admissions, says Megan Manson. Read More »
Our schools should promote social cohesion – so educate children together
Posted: Tue, 11 Aug 2020 by Megan Manson
As research shows social integration is key to fostering positive attitudes toward people of different religions and beliefs, Megan Manson says we should challenge the segregation and division inherent to faith schools. Read More »
Why respect religious demands to keep pupils in the dark?
Posted: Tue, 28 Apr 2020 by Stephen Evans
After a select committee chair urged more leeway for a faith school which has long censored textbooks, Stephen Evans says politicians with responsibility for education should stop pandering to religious interests. Read More »
Denying a judicial review over a faith school’s expansion was a lamentable decision
Posted: Fri, 14 Feb 2020 by James Brunt
After he was refused permission for a judicial review against Vale of Glamorgan Council, James Brunt says its decision to expand a faith school was based on dubious methodology and defied reasonable logic. Read More »
The 1944 Education Act was a landmark law – but let’s reconsider the privileges it granted to religion
Posted: Wed, 18 Dec 2019 by Keith Sharpe
Three-quarters of a century ago an enduring piece of legislation secured free education for all – but gave churches substantial control over schools in return. Keith Sharpe says this settlement needs updating. Read More »
Why the blind spot when it comes to faith schools?
Posted: Fri, 22 Nov 2019 by Stephen Evans
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 Stephen Evans. Read More »
Election 2019: pledges that should be in the parties’ manifestos
Posted: Tue, 05 Nov 2019 by Stephen Evans
As the UK's political parties consider their manifestos for the upcoming election, Stephen Evans outlines a series of secularist pledges they should include to advance freedom, fairness and equal citizenship. Read More »
The chief rabbi has made an anti-democratic attempt to shut down criticism
Posted: Wed, 18 Sep 2019 by Chris Sloggett
The chief rabbi has asked secularists to stop campaigning against practices such as faith schools and infant circumcision. His apparently polite request should be firmly rejected, says Chris Sloggett. Read More »
Why are we letting faith schools stigmatise same-sex relationships?
Posted: Thu, 11 Jul 2019 by Megan Manson
Ofsted penalises schools that refuse to teach about LGBT people, but seems to ignore other schools that teach same-sex relationships are morally wrong. Megan Manson says this double standard needs to end. Read More »
What might Catholic schools teach about transgender and intersex people?
Posted: Fri, 14 Jun 2019 by Megan Manson
Megan Manson examines a new document outlining the Catholic Church's position on issues relating to sex and gender, and explains how this may lead to conflict in Catholic Schools. Read More »
Integrated communities require inclusive, secular schools
Posted: Tue, 12 Feb 2019 by Alastair Lichten
A government plan on integration sets out a positive vision on education - but faith schools remain the elephant in the room. Alastair Lichten asks if ministers' actions will match their rhetoric. Read More »
