MP Letter: Academisation

Academisation

Writing to your MP can help to get the campaign against academisation in schools on the political agenda and show this is an issue their constituents care about. We campaign in parliament as an organisation, and your support will bolster our case. It is quick easy and helps your MP represent you in Parliament.

Tell your MP that it's time to end academisation and stop the influence of religious groups in schools.

Read our report on 'Power Grab: academisation and the threat to secular education' to ensure that you are up to date and well informed surrounding this issue.

Real people's personal stories help to show the significance of the issue to politicians and legislators.

Personalising your letter will make it more likely to have an impact.
MPs will respond to casework even if they disagree on policy, so remember to tell them if you are being personally affected by this issue.
Keep your thoughts brief. MPs are busy and get a lot of correspondence.
If you are not happy with an initial result, make sure you follow this up with them
Use clear and simple language

Name*:

Email*:

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Address:

Message*:

Dear {{name}},

I am writing as a constituent to ask you to help raise the issue of academisation and the growing influence of religious groups in schools especially in those without a religious character.

The National Secular Society (NSS) has produced a concise report on the matter ‘Power grab: academisation and the threat to secular education’ which is available at: secularism.org.uk/uploads/power-grab-academisation-and-the-threat-to-secular-education.pdf

I hope that you will read the report and call on the government to take the report’s suggested actions to ensure greater transparency over governance during academisation, and to protect the ethos of non-faith (community-ethos) academies.

As a constituent who supports an inclusive and secular education system, I share the concerns of the parents, teachers and governors quoted in the report, and I am disturbed to learn that:

• Almost half of all non-faith academies in multi-academy trusts (2,652 or 48%), are in trusts with religious governance.

• One in 15 former community schools which are now academies in multi-academy trusts (265 schools or 6%) have acquired an official faith designation or ethos.

• An estimated 19 to 38 academy trusts with no religious designation and only community-ethos schools have direct religious involvement in their governance.

I urge you to support moves to end academization in schools and to stop religious groups from acquiring influence on the young generation. It does not need to be this way. In the long term, addressing these problems and the others caused by religious privileged requires a commitment to a secular and community-ethos system. Policy makers must be willing to challenge religious special interests.

Schools should be run by and in the interest of local school communities and not faith groups.

I look forward to hearing your views on this matter.

Yours sincerely,

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MP Letter: Academisation

Academisation

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