faith schools | Schools Week

Sikh school claims DfE gives it ‘little choice’ in its future

A local Sikh community has called on the education secretary to intervene in the case of a faith school it fears is being pushed into joining a trust that it claims does not reflect its beliefs. The case reveals how minority-faith-based academies do not have the same government support in academisation as other faiths. The […]

What are the routes to opening new VA schools?

To open a new school three things are needed: a proposer, permission, and capital funding, explains Simon Foulkes The government announced this month that it “will develop a scheme to help create new voluntary-aided (VA) schools for faith and other providers to meet local demand, supported by capital funding. The VA route already allows for […]

The government must not allow segregated faith schools in through the back door

The cap on religious selection at faith schools may not have been lifted but the war isn’t over, writes Andrew Copson; the new voluntary-aided faith schools will still be harmful The government’s U-turn on removing the 50-per-cent cap on religious selection at new faith schools, is a victory for fairness and inclusion in our state education […]

Where are new Catholic schools most likely to open?

New Catholic schools are most likely to open in London and the east of England if the cap on faith-based schools is lifted. The highest levels of immigration from Catholic countries are to the capital and East Anglia – so the Catholic Education Service expects the demand for new faith schools will be most acute […]

Schools mustn’t stop teaching other religions

With talk in the air that the new education secretary will deregulate faith schools, Charlotte Avery makes her plea for the place of comparative religion It was suggested this week that the new education secretary Damian Hinds plans to remove the 50-per-cent cap on pupils of the same religion being admitted to faith schools. This […]

Over 40 schools allowed to stop daily Christian worship

More than 40 schools have sought exemptions in the past 18 months from the legal requirement to provide a daily act of Christian worship, with many choosing “non-faith” or “multi-faith” alternatives for the first time. A total of 46 schools since 2015 have asked to opt out from a daily act of worship that is […]

Fact Check: Is Brent Council the ‘first’ to allow multi-belief assemblies?

Several national newspapers this week reported Brent Council as the first in Britain to allow multi-belief school assemblies in place of daily Christian worship – but Schools Week has found little evidence for the claim, with the council insisting its schools have been able to do this for 11 years. The reports were based on […]

Stop bashing Catholic schools and let us educate children

As secular campaigners intensify their vocal opposition to faith schools, Andrew Cole charts the battle his Catholic voluntary aided school faced to open in west London. Ever since Theresa May announced plans to scrap the 50 per cent admissions cap for new faith free schools, secular campaigners have been unable to hide their disdain. Piece […]

Religious studies allocation scuppers plans for Jewish free school

The government has rejected a bid to open a Jewish free school in London after criticising its plans to dedicate 20 per cent of learning time to faith-based education. The application from Barkai college to open a new five-form entry secondary in north-west London was thrown out by the Department for Education (DfE) after officials […]