Revealed: faith school religious selection drives racial segregation

Research from Humanists UK has revealed that religious selection in state faith school admissions drives racial segregation in their pupil intake. In particular, schools with a 50% cap on faith-based admissions are more ethnically diverse than those that select 100% of their pupils by religion. This important finding reinforces concerns around proposals in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, currently in the final debates between the Commons and Lords in Parliament, that will lift the ban on opening new 100% religiously selective schools in England.

Since 2007, all new religious Academies have been limited to selecting at most half of their places on the basis of religion – which has been dubbed the ‘50% cap’. Since 2011, virtually all new state schools have had to be free schools, and they too have been subject to the cap. The Labour Government has said it will maintain this cap for free schools. But the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill proposes to abolish this free school presumption, while crucially not also extending the cap to the new types of school that will now be able to open. The effect of this is to allow new 100% religiously selective schools to open as other types, such as voluntary aided schools. These findings make clear that this will be accompanied by more racial segregation. Humanists UK has raised concerns about these proposals, and supported amendments to apply the cap to other schools during the passage of the Bill, however these were rejected by ministers.

In March 2026, the UK Government released its community cohesion strategy paper, Protecting What Matters. While Humanists UK welcomed its approach to promoting cohesion through improved Religious Education and citizenship education, it cautioned that a significant block to cohesion in schools was the fact that state-funded faith schools can admit or reject pupils on grounds of religion or belief. Addressing the issue of faith-based admissions is not included in the strategy, although a review of the Admissions Code was mentioned in the recent Schools White Paper. Humanists UK will use this to make the case for a single admissions process for all state-funded schools.

What does the new research say?

Using Department for Education school census data, the research compared the ethnic diversity of secondary schools subject to the 50% cap with those whose admissions policies allow them to select 100% of their intake based on religion, when oversubscribed.

In 100% religiously selective Church of England schools, two-thirds of pupils are white, compared to just over half in CofE schools subject to the cap. Pupils of Asian, Black, mixed, and other ethnicities drop from 42% of the total under the cap, to 30% in fully selective schools.

The cap also helps to improve religious diversity in minority faith schools. 87% of pupils in fully religiously selective Jewish secondaries are white and, although there is currently only one Jewish secondary free school subject to the cap, a much smaller proportion of its pupils are white (57%) and a much larger proportion are Asian (16% compared to just 3% in fully selective Jewish schools). In Muslim schools, 88% of pupils attending 100% selective Muslim schools identify as Asian, compared to 76% in Muslim free schools. 2% of pupils in 100% selective Muslim schools are black compared to 8% in Muslim free schools.

Commenting on the findings, Humanists UK Research Associate Dr Ruth Wareham said:

‘This research clearly demonstrates that 100% religious selection in schools drives racial segregation, separating children from different backgrounds and undermining social cohesion. Schools should be places where young people learn to live and work alongside others from all walks of life, not institutions that deepen divisions.

‘The 50% admissions cap has consistently promoted greater integration. If the Government truly values diversity and social cohesion, it must extend the 50% admissions cap to all types of religious schools and halt the expansion of fully selective institutions.’

Responding to the report, Humanists UK’s Policy and Campaigns Manager Lewis Young said:

‘It’s vital that any approach to cohesion must also address school admissions. While state-funded faith schools are allowed to select pupils on the basis of religion, the system will continue to separate children from different backgrounds rather than bringing them together.’

‘Our findings underline what’s at stake: if ministers lift safeguards and allow new 100% selective faith schools to open, segregation will worsen and promoting cohesion in schools will be much more difficult to achieve. The upcoming admissions review must deliver an admissions system that is open to all, regardless of religion or belief.’