Endfaithschools - epetition reply
1 February 2008
We received a petition asking:
"We the undersigned petition the Prime to cease the creation of more faith schools, take existing public-funded faith schools from the control of religious bodies and convert them to unbiased schools for all."
Details of Petition:
"One third of our state schools are controlled by the Church of England (with one quarter) and the Catholic Church. Whatever contribution to education these schools make, the churches are also using them to promote their own interests. The present government policy of not just accepting this but of promoting the creation of more Christian schools and responding to the understandable demands from other religions for fair treatment is leading towards serious religious, racial and social division. We face the prospect of over half our state schools being controlled for admissions, employment and ethos by non-accountable religious bodies with their own agendas. Faith schools are not gifts from the religions: all wages and salaries and almost all building costs come out of taxes. The changes should cause no disruption to the educational performance of the schools since most staff could remain in post."
Read the Government's response
The Government has no target for the numbers of faith schools. Faith schools are one element of the Government's commitment to creating a more diverse system of schools in order to raise standards. This will help schools to feel responsible for their own future and develop an individual character and ethos, increase the range of approaches to problems and the dissemination of good practice, and offer a wider choice to parents and pupils.
The Churches have a long history of providing education in this country, and the foundations of many church schools provided the original land and buildings. Faith schools have an excellent record in providing high-quality education and serving disadvantaged communities, and are some of the most ethnically and socially diverse in the country. Their ethos is valued by many parents who are not themselves members of the faith in question.
The Government is aware of concerns about the effect of faith schools on community cohesion, and about whether faith schools' admission policies may sometimes contribute to selection of pupils. The Government is addressing these concerns. Under Section 38 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, the governing bodies of all maintained schools have a duty to promote community cohesion. The Churches have confirmed their commitment to this. The Act also rules out interviewing in admissions, and extends the rights of parents, the admission forum and the relevant faith body to object to admission arrangements. On receipt of an objection, the Schools Adjudicator may now make changes to any aspect of a school's admission arrangements if they are not in line with the mandatory provisions of the Code or are otherwise unfair or unlawful.
Further Information
