Asked by
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of
the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child’s
recommendation that the United Kingdom should prevent the use of
religion as a selection criterion for school admissions in
England.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Education () (Con)
My Lords, the UK is a proud signatory of the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child. However, the Government support faith
schools’ ability to set faith-based oversubscription criteria.
This allows parents to have their children educated in line with
their religious beliefs. Faith schools can give priority to
applicants on the basis of faith only when they are
oversubscribed. Where places are available, they must admit all
children who apply.
(LD)
My Lords, I am not sure that is quite correct. Not a lot of
people know this, but children from non-religious families may
experience double discrimination when it comes to selection at
schools. Approximately 40% of all faith schools and 60% of
Catholic schools give priority to children of families of any
religion against those of no religion. As the equalities
spokesperson and a humanist, I agree with the UN Committee on the
Rights of the Child, which has urged the UK to end the use of
religion as a selection criterion for school admissions in
England. Does the Minister agree that all children, irrespective
of faith or belief background, should have equal right to access
schools funded by taxpayers’ money?
(Con)
As I tried to set out in my initial Answer, we believe that all
children have equal access. Only when a school is oversubscribed
can the admissions authority introduce additional restrictions.
Indeed, many faith schools do not restrict on the basis of
faith.
(Lab)
How does the Minister respond to these remarks from a parent in
Oldham who told Humanists UK that
“the 2021 Census found that those of no religion, and those of
other faiths than Christianity, now form a majority of the
population in our town. So it is a great injustice that one of
the best schools in Oldham actively prevents local children from
benefiting from its excellent teaching”?
(Con)
If there is a specific example where the noble Baroness believes
that the admissions code is not being followed by a school, I
will be delighted for her to refer it to me.
(Con)
My Lords, as there is no Anglican bishop in the House to put
forward the view of the Anglican Church, I remind the House that
I went to a Church of England primary school back in the 1940s,
when we had been evacuated to Southport. Neither of my parents
was asked whether they were members of the Church of
England—neither was. I know of no secondary Anglican school that
has ever debarred a child on grounds of religion. They are open
to all.
(Con)
It is not quite clear to me what my noble friend’s question was,
but he is absolutely right that, on oversubscription, certainly
at primary, there is no difference between faith and non-faith
schools.
(CB)
My Lords, the Minister will probably be aware that the UK is one
of only four countries in the OECD that allows state-funded
schools to discriminate on grounds of religion in their admission
practices. The others are Israel, Ireland and Estonia. Ireland
recently ended discrimination in admission practices for Catholic
junior schools. Does the Minister accept that it is high time for
this country also to end its discrimination on grounds of
religion for state-funded schools?
(Con)
It is really hard to compare the role of faith-based schools
between countries with an overwhelmingly dominant faith and
those, such as the one we are all very proud to live in, with
many faiths, all of which are respected.
(Con)
My Lords, I agree with my noble friend Lord Baker that it is a
great pity that, of the 26 of them entitled to sit in your
Lordships’ House, there is no bishop here to defend the wonderful
contribution that the established Church has made to education
through the centuries. Should we not pay proper regard to that
and, in doing so, accept that Christian parents should have some
degree of priority if there are vacancies in a Church of England
school?
(Con)
I share my noble friend’s warm welcome for the remarkable work of
all our schools, including our faith schools, all around the
country.
(CB)
My Lords, I was present when the then Education Secretary , on a visit to the Guru Nanak
school in Hayes, applauded Sikh respect for other faiths, shown
in assemblies and teaching. This and high academic performance
lead to oversubscription for entry. Does the Minister agree that
greater support should be given to faith schools that teach
respect and inclusivity over those grounded in the divisive
belief that their faith alone has a monopoly on the truth?
(Con)
I do not accept that there are faith schools that have the kind
of perspective that the noble Lord set out. We work hard with all
our schools, and schools work together in local areas, to make
sure that those values of respect—particularly for those of any
other faith or none—are upheld. That is part of our citizenship
curriculum and our fundamental British values.
(Lab)
My Lords, it is estimated that 1.2 million school places are
subject to religious selection. There is evidence of low numbers
of pupils eligible for free school meals, which is a measure of
deprivation, in English faith schools. Will the Minister share
her reflections and concerns about the selection process that may
have led to this and whether the Department for Education will
take a deeper look at this?
(Con)
I looked at those numbers just before this Question, because I
anticipated that the noble Baroness might raise them. I am happy
to pick this up with her afterwards, but the data that I looked
at suggest very little difference in the profile of deprivation
between faith and non-faith schools.
(LD)
My Lords, I declare an interest as a former head teacher of a
Church of England school. As the Minister knows, a third of all
our schools in England are faith schools. She will also know that
in 2010 we introduced the 50% rule whereby 50% of new academies
had to have open places. Has her department reviewed the success
of that scheme in terms of community cohesion, understanding of
different cultures and faiths, and whether we should now extend
it to all faith schools?
(Con)
I am not aware that we have looked in detail at any of those
proposals in the way that the noble Lord describes, but I am
aware that all schools—potentially faith schools in
particular—take their role in community cohesion very
seriously.
(Con)
Does my noble friend accept that the rights of parents to have
their children educated according to their own religious beliefs
is protected by Article 2 of the first protocol of the European
Convention on Human Rights? Does she accept that Catholic
schools, at least, are not state schools?
(Con)
I am not quite sure that I follow. To the best of my knowledge,
all Catholic schools outside the independent sector are funded by
the state.
(CB)
My Lords, as a former , perhaps I might
speak on behalf of the absent Bishops’ Benches. I echo the words
of the noble Lord, Lord Baker: the very heart of Anglicanism and
the Church of England has been a tolerance of and welcome to
other faiths. Does the Minister agree that that has always been
the focus of education in England, and that we all want it to
continue?
(Con)
The noble and right reverend Lord makes a very important point,
and I absolutely agree with him.
