The British Humanist Association (BHA) has welcomed Government statements that ‘teaching creationism is at odds with scientific fact’. However, the BHA has warned that without concrete actions, there remains a risk that groups with extreme religious agendas, including those with a creationist outlook, might be eligible to run state-maintained free schools and academies.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education stated yesterday that ‘the education secretary is crystal clear that teaching creationism is at odds with scientific fact. Ministers have said they will not accept any proposal where there are concerns about the people behind the project.’ Groups setting up new free schools in the UK will be vetted to ensure that they have ‘strong education aims’ and ‘high curriculum standards’.
The remarks are consistent with other assurances from the Government. In the BHA’s meeting with the schools minister, Nick Gibb MP, he was unequivocal that, the Government feel that creationism has no place in science lessons. The Government has also established a ‘due diligence unit’ to screen applications for proposals that would teach religious extremism, including views such as creationism.
However, despite these welcome statements, it remains to be seen how free schools will be prevented from teaching children creationism, ‘intelligent design’, or other religious myths in science, or from failing to teach evolution.
As free schools and academies are free to opt out of the National Curriculum they are not covered by Government guidance issued in 2007 which makes it clear that creationism and intelligent design are not scientific theories, and so cannot be taught in science lessons, as they have ‘no underlying scientific principles, or explanations, and are not accepted by the scientific community as a whole’.
When free schools were first proposed, the BHA warned of the attractiveness of these schools to ‘faith’ groups, including those with extreme religious views. These concerns have been realised, with many applications coming from religious groups, including from those such as the Everyday Champions Church (ECC), which pledges to teach evolution in science but ‘as a theory’.
Education Campaigns Officer Jenny Pennington commented: ‘Without strict guidance against the teaching of creationism in science for free schools, as well as a robust, transparent method of ensuring that no groups with extremist views are able to establish free schools, the Government’s pledges are less than reassuring.’
‘Whilst we support the Government’s efforts to prevent the teaching of creationism, the fact remains that free schools will be able to neglect to teach the theory of evolution in science and can relegate one of the most important concepts in science to just ‘a theory’. In addition, by allowing ‘faith’ groups, to run state schools the government risks funding institutions that teach evolution in one lesson and then completely undermine these teachings with confessional religious education lessons that teach the opposite.
‘In addition, we will be asking the government in our response to its review of the National Curriculum to make teaching of evolution compulsory from primary level. We are committed to working with government, scientists and science organizations, educationalists and our supporters in parliament, to ensure that all children have access to good quality science education.’
Notes
The Government’s comments on creationism are reported by the Guardian. The article can be accessed here.
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of ethically concerned, non-religious people in the UK. It is the largest organisation in the UK campaigning for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief, and for a secular state.