The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) today published a position paper on faith schools, calling their existence ‘anomalous’ in an increasingly secular and diverse society. The ATL paper reflects closely the British Humanist Association’s (BHA) position on state-funded denominational schools in A Better Way Forward , which you can read here . Andrew Copson, BHA Education Officer, commented, ‘ATL’s concerns echo our own: faith schools can encourage community segregation and be detrimental to community cohesion; discriminatory hiring practices based on the faith and “personal behaviour” of staff are damaging to teachers’ employment and pupils’ education opportunities; faith schools’ selective admissions create social inequalities.’ Mr Copson, who will be speaking at the ATL Annual Conference in April, added, ‘Today’s position paper shows the increasing opposition to Government education policies, which seek to increase the number of faith schools funded by the public purse. This opposition is now coming from within the teaching profession itself and Government must listen.’
NOTES You can read the Association of Teachers and Lecturers Faith Schools position paper here . For further comment or information, Andrew Copson by email or on 07855 380633.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) represents and supports the non-religious and campaigns for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief and is the largest organisation in the UK working for a secular society. In education, this means an end to the expansion of faith schools and for the assimilation of those that currently exist into a system of inclusive and accommodating community schools.