It gets worse .... faith schools also set to become MORE selective!

[jailhouserock]

With all the many column inches and threads devoted to grammar schools you might have missed this, but it's a huge step backwards in the movement to open up the admissions of faith schools, which was making good headway through the introduction of a 50% cap under the Coalition Government ....

BBC: Theresa May to relax faith schools admissions rules.

Quote: "In response to reports that the government is set to relax rules which prevent new Catholic schools opening in England, a No 10 source said the admissions cap had failed in two key tests:"
"It has failed to make minority faith schools more diverse, because parents of other religions and none do not send their children to those schools......"

But the new rules only apply to new academies, and haven't been in place long enough for anyone to make an objective judgement on that. Of course many new faith schools are going to be most popular with people of their own faith, but if they are successful schools with an inclusive ethos then they can also attract people of other faiths and none, as many successful RC and CE schools already do. These schools need more time to prove they can be welcoming to people of all backgrounds, and certainly should not be let off the hook so soon after opening.

It should also be acknowledged that the Church of England has responded positively to the 50% cap policy by voluntarily opening up many of its established schools too. Let's hope they continue in that direction, but their position in persuading individual CE schools to open up will be very much weakened if the compulsory cap for new schools is removed!

"... But it has prevented new Catholic schools from opening, which are more successful, more popular and more ethnically diverse than other types of state school."

It has only prevented new Catholic schools from opening because the Catholic Education Service has refused to open any until the rules are changed ... they are blackmailing the government and the government are rolling over.

The Government say they want to provide more "choice" but, as all parents know, there aren't enough surplus places in the system for everyone to have a choice. Therefore every time they give a "choice" to one minority group through selective admissions they are removing choice from the population as a whole.

To put all this in context, bear in mind England is one of only a very small number of countries in the world where religious discrimination in school admissions is legal. Countries with strong religious traditions, such as Italy, Spain and Poland, do not have religious discrimination in admissions to any state-funded schools.

Organisations campaigning against the change include the Accord Coalition, the Fair Admissions Campaign and the British Humanist Association. They have many MPs on their side, so fingers crossed the changes won't just be slipped in under the table while everyone is focussed on debating academic selection, important though that is!

There is a very, very simple easy way round it. No Government funded faith schools. All schools for all children

It's not simple and easy. The UK has a long history of church sponsorship of state schools, and the churches still own much of the land their schools are built on. Plus our parliamentary structure incorporates a large number of bishops in the Lord's who would never vote for it.

That is why anyone who is vaguely serious about influencing faith school reform focuses on gradual change, not radical change.

Admissions reform is achievable and has been progressing positively. This new gvt proposal is a step backwards. It may not be as high profile a change as the grammar school debate, but there are many parallels. The more people who engage in the debate and write to their MPs, the less likely it is to go through. But if your letter just talks about abolishing faith schools you may as well not bother as it won't help. The more subtle arguments about admissions will be lost in the noise.

There's 4 - 5 other countries that allow some faith selection in state funded schools.

I am surprised it's so few.

I am surprised it's so few.

You shouldn't be. It's against equalities legislation in many countries (it would be here too if the Schools Admissions code hadn't been given a specific exemption).

There are over 800 in the Lords. The Bishops are a tiny minority. The big problem is that successive governments believe in "choice" but have failed to understand that there is only "choice" for a few. The signed up Churchgoers and other religious parents who have their schools nearby get a choice of another secondary as well - the standard catchment school.

Schools come with all sorts of admissions criteria. The C of E Aided grammar school I went to, selected by 11 plus results with no mention of religion at all. A C of E Aided secondary modern where I used to live has a minuscule catchment to stop the great unwashed getting in but allows children of Churchgoers in from a wide area and some have to pass 4 other secondary schools to get there! My children went to a C of E Controlled Junior school which had no religious part to its admission criteria at all. Changing from Controlled to Aided and selecting on religion is an absolute No No in my view but a school I know wanted to do that and leave tens of parents without a school they could walk to. Instead, this school would take the children who attended the local Church but who lived a car journey away. The revised catchment area was going to exclude the social housing estate. This was initially the suggestion of the Vicar! So much for the Church caring about everyone. Basically if all the schools had a standard catchment area like our old junior school, it would be better. At least children could go to the local school. It is only the Aided schools who own the land and employ the staff. The Controlled ones do not.

You shouldn't be. It's against equalities legislation in many countries (it would be here too

it's not only 4-5 schools globally, it's 4-5 schools in the OECD (from your link). In fact, it's at least 5, since there are 4 verified, and one of the countries for which they didn't know indeed allows for religious selection in public schools (Canada).

It's crazy. How can anyone pick a religion out for a child? And how can the government condone it?

Lessthanballpark - I call this the "CofE Delusion", very common on MN, which is the assumption that all religions are pretty similar to the Church of England. They're not - most people in the world don't have an issue with this at all. Get over it.

They're not - most people in the world don't have an issue with this at all. Get over it.

I think a lot of people have trouble with the privileged position of the CofE.

The CodE are relative good-guys in the movement towards more open admissions at Faith schools. Many of their schools are completely open already, and they were happy to establish new ones under the 50% cap. In fact they were going further, and persuading many established schools to use the cap too.

It would be nice to think they might release a statement condemning a change to the law, but they've stayed quiet so far.

It is the Catholic Church that have lobbied to have the cap dropped, backed up by some Orthodox Jewish rabbis.

Of course CofE want non CofE DC in their schools. They have done their own reports and know their congregations are literally dying off faster than they can recruit and have made plans to slow the decline. Their plan is to convert DC though schools. Christianity is an evangelical religion. For this you need access to non CofE DC, so 100% religious selection would make their plans difficult to achieve. They're not the good guys they have a rather more chilling and different agenda.

The CoE is a religion in slow decline, and setting themselves up as a "school-administration and interfaith-activities body" is a way of giving themselves relevance given the emptying pews.

I can't see them converting many people (CoE tends to be more of an anti-religion vaccine than anything else, IME), but as with grammar schools we have to think about the effect on the local area as a whole. Middle class parents will increasingly select into these schools, leaving non-religious schools in a worse state.

God, British education is in a mess. How about just having state schools for everyone (well, other than the steadily dwindling minority who are still able to scrap together private school fees), and putting our time and energy into making them better?

I've already suggested state schools for everyone as All schools for all children. Apparently it's a radical
League tables and school choice seems to me too have brought less real choice and a fractured system, resulting in an ever widening quality of our school system. This is exasperated by the misunderstanding as to why over subscribed some Faith schools do better by many people.

For anyone who feels strongly about the proposed removal of the 50% cap on prioritising children by evidence of faith in new schools, here is the consultation that you need to respond to ....

consult.education.gov.uk/school-frameworks/schools-that-work-for-everyone

As mentioned before, it is also worth writing to your MP, to let them know how you feel.

Maybe their are 'technically' only several countries that allow selection by religion but that is only the tip of the iceberg. I am told by family who live there that in America where it is illegal to select by faith it is far more prevalent that it is here. In fact it is impossible to find a non faith school there.

I am told by family who live there that in America where it is illegal to select by faith it is far more prevalent that it is here. In fact it is impossible to find a non faith school there.

I am from America, and have never heard of faith selection their, except of course for private faith schools.