Humanists UK calls for diverse school communities in order to boost community cohesion

Humanists UK has responded to a consultation on community cohesion run by the Women and Equalities Committee. In its response, it has highlighted how divisive rhetoric by authoritative public figures and in the media has created a political and social atmosphere that has emboldened racists and enabled last summer’s far-right violence. It has also argued that schools can play an important role in promoting community cohesion to combat such divisions and placed schools at the centre of its recommendations.

In its response, Humanists UK recommends the Government reinstates the requirement for Ofsted to inspect how schools contribute to community cohesion which was removed in 2011. This requirement was first introduced after the 2001 race riots in Bradford, Oldham, and Burnley. Evidence reported in The Cantle Report noted that riots had not arisen in diverse areas, such as Southall and Leicester, where pupils learnt in integrated schools, suggesting segregated schools were contributing to increased tensions across cultural lines in some communities. Professor Ted Cantle, author of the report, said at the time that faith-based admissions criteria are ‘automatically a source of division’, which contribute to different communities leading ‘parallel lives’.

Humanists UK also recommended that Religious Education be made a National Curriculum subject making sure the subject is taught in a consistent, broad, and balanced manner in all state-funded schools regardless of religious character, and that the subject be renamed ‘Religions and Worldviews’ to reflect an inclusive, plural, modern society.

Outside of schools, Humanists UK highlighted the issues faced by those leaving high-control religious groups. Sometimes called ‘apostates’, those leaving high-control religious groups are likely to face abuse and ostracism from the community that they are leaving. However, it’s uncommon for an apostate to disclose that they are being abused within a religious household to law enforcement, thereby preventing detection or prosecution of abusive acts committed by family members and limiting public awareness of this issue. Faith to Faithless, a programme of Humanists UK, delivers apostasy awareness training to government and NGOs, including the Ministry of Justice and the Metropolitan Police, to facilitate a better understanding of intra-community abuse, and how it can be detected and addressed.

Humanists UK’s Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson commented:

‘We welcome the Women and Equalities Committee consultation on community cohesion. It comes at a time when communities across the UK have faced an incredibly fractious period with the backdrop of far-right violence last summer targeting Muslims, asylum seekers, and others on account of their ethnicity or identity.

‘While responsible change in public discourse, by those in power and in the media, is so desperately needed, we recognise that schools can also play a huge part in promoting community cohesion. But to best do this they need to be diverse and inclusive,  and promote tolerance and understanding. We urge the Committee to take on our recommendations to facilitate this.’