New report: parents do not want faith schools

Research published today has found that parents are concerned that faith-based schools are replacing non-faith community schools. The report endorses the British Humanist Association’s (BHA) view that the increase of state-funded faith schools reduces parental choice in their children’s education. The research by Anne West and Hazel Pennell from the London School of Economics was commissioned by Research and Information on State Education (RISE) investigated 15 parent-run campaigns for new schools and to prevent new schools being established. The majority of parents campaigning for a new school ‘actively sought’ a community school and it was ‘nearly always of concern’ to parents campaigning against a new school being set-up that the proposed school was a faith-based academy to replace a community school. Andrew Copson, BHA Education Officer, commented, ‘Today’s report endorses our position that most parents do not wish to send their children to faith-based schools and the proliferation of state-funded faith schools is actually reducing parental choice in many cases’. The report suggests that there are policy implications to be considered, ‘given that choice for parents who want a school without a particular religious/focus could diminish’. Mr Copson added, ‘If the Government really wants to ‘put parents in the driving seat’, then it must listen to what parents actually want