Labour HumanistsMake your own mind up about Europe – come to the Humanist Hustings for the European Elections tonight from 18.30. Please do let your networks know about this event. We’ll be using the Twitter hashtag #HHEP14 for the event and you can Tweet in your questions for candidates in advance as well as at the event. We hope to see you there! More info here.
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We had a stand at the Labour Women’s Network conference, which brought together delegates including many elected representatives and prospective candidates. At the stand we signed up new supporters and spoke particularly on issues relating to faith schools and on the value of having a growing group for ethical, non-religious people within the Labour Party.
Labour should care about the selective and discriminatory admissions policies of state-funded faith schools – that was the resounding message from our meeting. However, more work needs to be done on what would be the most effective actions for Labour to take to address the worsening situation.
We had a fantastic turn out for our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 30 October 2013. This was our first AGM since Labour Humanists was ‘revived’ in 2012 and was a celebration of the activities, growth and successes we have had in the past 18 months. Read the chair’s and the treasurer’s report, as well as the minutes.
Following the AGM we welcomed members and non-members to our meeting on Labour and selective faith schools – it was so popular it was standing room only. We were delighted to be joined by four fantastic speakers: Tom Copley, London Assembly Member; Andrew Copson, Chief Executive, British Humanist Association; Andrew Harrop, General Secretary, Fabian Society and Joan Smith, feminist, author and columnist.
We are grateful for all of their contributions and recommendations for future work on selective faith schools and wider issues, including religious bias in the curriculum and the importance of teaching Sex and Relationships Education in schools, with no opt-outs for faith schools.
Read a detailed report of the meeting by the Fair Admissions Campaign.
Read a Storify of the event, which also includes some photographs.
The religiously selective admissions policies used by faith schools have been under the spotlight, with a particular focus on their effect to segregate children and families by not only by religion but on socio-economic grounds. If they really are grammar schools by the back door, should Labour support them?
Can schools being allowed to discriminate against children whose parents are not of the ‘right’ religion, and those of no religion, fit with Labour values of equality, human rights and social cohesion?
Join us to discuss religiously selective admissions policies by state-funded faith schools, what a One Nation school admissions policy should look like, and if there is room in the Manifesto 2015 for a commitment to inclusive admissions.
Speakers:
London Assembly Member Chief Executive, British Humanist Association
General Secretary, Fabian Society Feminist, author and columnist
Chair:
Chair, Labour Humanists
We made a joint submission with London Assembly Member Tom Copley to Labour’s policy review specifically on discriminatory, selective admissions policies by faith schools – and why Labour should support inclusive admissions.
If you are a Labour member you can vote for our policy suggestion. If you are not a Labour member you can still register to leave a comment. Read more about our submissions to Labour.
Labour Humanists AGM (members only)
18.20 – 18.35, Wednesday 30 October.
Camden Town Hall, Judd Street London WC1H 9JE
‘Selective faith schools: should Labour care?’ (All welcome)
18.45 – 19.45 (please join us after for a glass of wine or a soft drink)
London Assembly Member Tom Copley and Labour Humanists have made a joint submission to Labour’s policy review on admissions to state-funded faith schools.
We want Labour’s policy commissions urgently to consider and address the growing problem of selection and discrimination by state-funded faith schools, and make fair, inclusive admissions a manifesto commitment. Read our full submission here Labour Humanists Policy Review Admissions With Table FINAL or on Labour’s Your Britain policy site.
We said: ‘It is our firm belief that state-funded faith schools (about a third of all schools) should be inclusive: we believe that is a Labour value too. We believe that discrimination in admissions by state-funded faith schools is unnecessary, unjust, disastrous for social cohesion, and completely against Labour values.’
‘The available evidence demonstrates that religious selection criteria tend to be heavily weighted in favour of middle-class families. Schools selecting pupils on the basis of the professed faith of the parents are segregating children and young people along religious, socio-economic, cultural, and even ethnic lines.’
All types of state-funded schools with a religious character are permitted to select in their admissions by discriminating on religious grounds. This even includes those whose admissions are controlled by the local authority if that authority allows it, faith Academies and Free Schools.
Table: Admissions policies by type of school
| Type of school | Admissions |
| Community schools(cannot have a religious character) | Determined by local authority; cannot discriminate on religious grounds. |
| Voluntary Controlled faith schools(legally registered with a religious character) | Determined by local authority; a quarter of authorities let Voluntary Controlled faith schools discriminate on religious grounds. |
| Voluntary Aided faith schools(legally registered with a religious character) | Determined by governors ‘in consultation’ with local authority; can discriminate against all pupils on religious grounds if oversubscribed. |
| Foundation faith schools(legally registered with a religious character) | Determined by governors in consultation with local authority; can discriminate on religious grounds if oversubscribed. |
| Faith Academies and Free Schools(legally registered with a religious character) | Determined by governors; can discriminate against all pupils on religious grounds, and Free Schools can do so for up to 50% of intake. |
| Academies and Free Schools with no registered religious character (but may have a ‘faith ethos’) | Determined by governors; cannot discriminate on religious grounds. |
Support for fair, inclusive admissions to state schools should not be a controversial issue for Labour. It is widely supported across the party as well as by the public, and Labour should have a clear policy against discrimination in admissions by faith schools.
Labour’s Your Britain policy site allows you to make comments on submissions and also vote in favour of them – please do take the opportunity to do so.
Please also see our page on the policy review, which has details of how you can get involved.
