Categories
News

We write to Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary

We have written to Dr Tristram Hunt, Labour’s new Shadow Secretary of State for Education. In our letter to Dr Hunt we set out our position as relates to education and we also ask for a meeting.

We warmly welcomed Labour’s commitment to making Sex and Relationships Education compulsory in schools but urged that there should be no opt-out for faith schools.

We outlined our concerns about discrimination against, and unequal treatment of, teachers and teaching staff in state-funded faith schools.

We also took the opportunity to send Dr Hunt our submission to Labour’s policy review on faith school admissions, which we made jointly with Tom Copley, London Assembly Member.

Categories
Events Uncategorized

Selective faith schools: should Labour care?

18.45 – 19.45, Wednesday 30 October, Camden Town Hall, Judd Street London WC1H 9JE
Please RSVP info@labourhumanists.org.uk or via Eventbrite.

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:

Tom new pic  Tom Copley                     andrew-copson-titel-218x218 Andrew Copson

London Assembly Member                        Chief Executive, British Humanist Association

Andrew Harrop Andrew Harrop                  Joan Smith JPG Joan Smith

General Secretary, Fabian Society          Feminist, author and columnist

Chair:

Naomi Phillips colour Naomi Phillips

Chair, Labour Humanists

Background reading!

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)

 

Categories
News Uncategorized

‘Unnecessary, unjust, disastrous for social cohesion’ – faith school admissions

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.