In a debate in the House of Commons yesterday, the Secretary of State for Education, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, failed to give reassurances to MPs that religious extremists would be prevented from setting up ‘free schools’. The ‘Opposition Day’ debate on education gave MPs the opportunity to discuss the government’s education reforms, including on academies, free schools and curriculum issues. The BHA briefed MPs ahead of that debate.
In response to a question from Mike Gapes MP asking ‘What safeguards are there against extremists, including Islamists and creationists, setting up free schools?’, the Education Secretary said that he opposed Islamic extremism and had set up a ‘due diligence unit’ in order to deal with the threat of extremism.
However, Barry Sheerman MP, former chair of more than ten years of the House of Commons Education Select Committee stated: ‘I am not sure that the answers we heard today about faithschools were entirely convincing.’
In July, when legislation to create academies and free schools was going through parliament, the government said it had no plans to stop creationism being taught in those schools.
BHA Head of Public Affairs Naomi Phillips said, ‘The government has consistently failed to give convincing assurances that adequate measures are in place to ensure that state-maintained ‘faith’ academies and free schools will be free from religious extremism either in the way they are run or what they teach. Setting up a ‘due diligence unit’ is one thing but falls far short of what is needed. We want to see the government introduce more robust safeguards, such as legislative change and statutory guidance, to protect children and young people from extreme religious views being imposed on them when they go to school.’
Notes
Read the text of the Education debate http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101117/debtext/101117-0003.htm
In a debate on the Academies Bill on 7th July, responding to concerns raised by BHA distinguished supporter Baroness Massey, the Education Minister Lord Hill said: ‘I share her concerns about creationism, but one of the core aims of the [Academies] policy is precisely that the Secretary of State should not dictate to academies what they should teach … I fully accept that if you trust people things do go wrong, but that is the direction that we want to try to go in.’
For further comment or information contact Naomi Phillips at naomi@humanists.uk or on 020 7079 3585.