The Government has published a list of
applicants for the latest wave of free school funding
and 19 of them are faith schools. Humanists UK, which campaigns
for an inclusive, secular education system with schools that are
suitable for all pupils irrespective of background, is concerned
that any decision to approve more faith schools will lead to
increased religious segregation and discrimination.
Of the 89 schools that have been proposed, 12 are designated
religious character and a further 7 with a ‘faith ethos’. If
approved, 14 of these schools will be Christian, 3 Muslim, and 2
Sikh.
The schools with a designated religious character will be
entitled to select 50% of their pupils on religious grounds and
provide religious education (RE) and collective worship in line
with the tenets of their faith. The faith ethos schools will not
be permitted to select pupils by faith and RE will be taught
according to the locally agreed syllabus, but religion is still
permitted to shape the character of the school and senior
teachers can be appointed on faith grounds.
Among the schools without a religious character listed is Hampton
Gardens Primary School in Peterborough, which is proposed for the
same site as the recently
approved Hampton Waters Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided
School which will be legally permitted to select 100% of
pupils by faith. However, despite local opposition, Peterborough
Council decided to opt for the selective Catholic school rather
than wait for the Hampton Gardens bid to go through the
Department for Education’s approval process. Three local
councillors are formally
opposing the decision through the ‘call-in’ process with
a meeting due to be held next week.
Humanists UK Education Campaigns Manager Ruth Wareham
said: ‘Any increase in the number of faith schools in
England will only lead to more segregation and discrimination
when the need for pupils from different backgrounds to come
together is greater than ever.
‘The fact that, in the case of Hampton Gardens Primary, the DfE
and local Council have approved a bid for a religiously selective
Catholic school rather than waiting to properly consider the more
desirable option of opening a school open to all pupils
regardless of background, is particularly concerning.
‘In a country where more than half the population are
non-religious and around 80% of people of parental age are
non-Christian, the proliferation of faith schools makes very
little sense. We strongly urge the DfE to prioritise open,
inclusive school places over those in divisive faith schools.’
