Humanism: Peers attack faith schools

Friday, 23, Jun 2006 12:00

Debate over faith schools and their expansion has been re-ignited by peers debating in the 2nd Reading of the Government's Education and Inspections Bill.

Peers from all three parties yesterday declared their opposition to the expansion of faith schools and their fears over the negative effect it will have on social cohesion, mutual understanding and the entitlements of children.

Andrew Copson, education officer of the British Humanist Association said 'It is great news that these peers have added their voices to the growing consensus against faith schools. We hope that, as the Education Bill proceeds through the Lords, these concerns will convince the Government that changes to their Bill are necessary.'

Quotes from the debate (21/06/06)

Conservative peer and former Education Secretary Lord Baker said that 'When I was Education Secretary, I had applications from Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities, and I always found good reasons to turn them down. In many cases, they were very good schools, but I believe that to establish exclusive faith schools in today's society is lunatic.' and he asserted that 'Exclusive faith schools are divisive'.

Conservative peer Baroness Flather said that church schools were 'an accident of history. We have to ask ourselves whether, if we were starting today, we would start at the same place.' She said, 'there is something very wrong with schools for a single group of people. All schools should provide religious education for their pupils if they want it. That, and not separate schools, is the way forward.'

Conservative peer Lord Lucas said 'There seems to be general support around the House for doing something about religious selection. It is potentially divisive among communities, and I do not wish that to go further than it already has.'

Labour peer and former teacher Baroness Massey said 'I have real fears that foundation schools may divide rather than unite communities. I have a real fear that when such schools are faith schools, this, too, may reinforce divisions. We have seen this in Northern Ireland and in many of our cities…As a humanist, the potential increase in the number of faith schools worries me. I am alarmed by the notion of an expansion of state-funded schools controlled by religious interests. I would like to see schools that are open to all; that are inclusive and welcoming of children of all beliefs and backgrounds.'

Liberal Democrat peer and former MP Baroness Tonge 'Do the Government never look to the future for our grandchildren? Do they never learn from the past? We have already heard about Northern Ireland. Can the Government not see the danger of growing numbers of Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Hindu schools mushrooming all over the country, especially with the current foreign policy of the Prime Minister?'

Labour peer Baroness David said 'I am seriously concerned about the encouragement of faith schools...In a multicultural society as ours certainly is, for the better cohesion of communities and the better understanding of each other, children should not be separated in that way.'

NOTES

Further enquiries can be addressed by email to Andrew Copson on andrew@humanism.org.uk or by telephone on 020 7079 3584 or 07855 380633

The British Humanist Association represents and supports the non-religious. It is the largest such organisation in the UK campaigning for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief. In education, this means an end to the expansion of faith schools and for the assimilation of those that currently exist into a system of inclusive and accommodating community schools.

The British Humanist Association has been campaigning against faith schools and academies controlled by religious interest groups for many years, and published a widely-regarded policy paper, ‘A Better Way Forward’, in 2002 which has been revised and reissued this year. You can read it and about it http://tinyurl.com/r4mj8

In the years since the 2002 edition of 'A Better Way Forward' has been in print, it has proved valuable as a contribution to the various issues surrounding religion and schools - most obviously in the lead up to the 2004 National Framework for RE, which included 'secular philosophies such as humanism' for the first time, as part of a broader approach to beliefs and values education.

The supporting evidence for 'A Better Way Forward' has been continuously updated for the last five years with an online collection of statistics, reports, and quotes from stakeholders http://tinyurl.com/avqy6