Time to end taxpayer-funded travel to faith schools

Wales Humanists has urged the Welsh Government to stop the discriminatory funding of travel to faith schools, when no equivalent funding is provided to those who go to non-faith schools. It has done so in its response to the Government’s consultation on updated learner travel guidance.

Unfair subsidy likely breaches equality law

Wales Humanists’ response explains that discretionary funding currently advantages parents who want their child to attend a faith school. At the same time, the Welsh Government is failing to provide the same support to families who actively wish to avoid a religious school. This breaches the right to freedom of religion or belief. Funding should be equal for both scenarios.

Evidence shows that religious schools are often socio-economically selective. Providing discretionary travel disproportionately benefits families from better-off backgrounds – those already able to access such schools – while doing little to help disadvantaged children, who already qualify for compulsory free travel to their nearest school. In today’s largely non-religious Wales, the provision of free transport for just religious schools is even more egregious.

Kathy Riddick, Coordinator of Wales Humanists, said:

‘Funding travel exclusively to faith schools is not a necessity – it’s a subsidy for a parental preference. If local authorities continue to provide this benefit, then they must also support families who reject a faith school in favour of a school without a religious character. To do otherwise is discriminatory and unjust.

‘Wales is now mostly non-religious. It is time the Government recognised that and stopped giving special privileges to faith schools. Our learner travel policies should promote fairness, equality, and inclusivity – not religious segregation.’