In the past week, the BHA has been involved in a number of meetings in parliament to discuss the first part of the coalition government’s education policy, the Academies Bill. These meetings with parliamentarians and other civil society organisations follow the first discussion of the Bill in the House of Lords, where the BHA’s concerns were raised.
Speaking in the House of Lords on 7th June, Baroness Massey, stated, ‘The Academies Bill forces a state-maintained school with a religious character, a faith school, automatically to become an independent school with that religious character-again, more on this shortly.’
Baroness Massey continued, ‘For the first time, this Bill will permit those primary schools that are high performing to become state-funded religious academies. The BHA is concerned that, once a faith school has become such an academy, it will not need to follow the national curriculum. Does this mean that a Catholic academy would be allowed not to teach sexual reproduction in biology or wider sex education? There is the potential for religious authorities to use restrictive teaching in line with their religious ethos. The BHA wants protections to prevent academies from teaching creationism, giving unbalanced religious education and having narrow and subjective teaching across their curriculums. The same concerns apply to whether this Bill will have an impact on the employment of hundreds of teachers, teaching assistants and non-teaching staff who are currently employed by faith schools that then become academies.’
Also speaking in the debate, Baroness Murphy drew attention to the problems that faith schools create for social cohesion, stating, ‘Around one-third of all state-funded schools are schools with a religious character or faith schools, and this number is growing, with some minority religions and Christian denominations running new schools or taking control of the increasing numbers of schools in the state sector or of academies. Many faith schools are exclusive, most are divisive, and all are counterintuitive to social cohesion. Despite claims of inclusiveness, many have control of their own admissions, creating school populations that are far from representative of their own populations in religious or socio-economic terms… In addition, many faith schools teach (instruction) instead of the religious education taught in community schools, which I believe is a crucial part of the curriculum.’
Naomi Phillips, BHA Head of Public Affairs, commented, ‘We work closely with peers and MPs from all parties on our issues and that is one way we seek to make real change, right at the heart of our legislature. It is so important not only to react to events but to influence them right from the very beginning, and working with our supporters in parliament is one way that we try to set the context and agenda for the debate. For us, the Academies Bill represents a real step-change in policy that, without the amendments which we are seeking, could entrench irreversible religious discrimination in the state-funded schools system.’
Notes
For further information, contact Naomi Phillips on 020 7079 3585.
Read the Hansard for the Academies Bill debate on 7th June 2010.
Read the BHA’s briefing for peers for the 2nd Reading debates on the Academies Bill, 7th June 2010.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity representing and supporting the non-religious and campaigning for an end to religious privilege and discrimination based on religion or belief. Committed to human rights, democracy, equality and mutual respect, the BHA works for an open and inclusive society with freedom of belief and speech.