In this event report, our newsletter editor Frances Lloyd summarises the thought-provoking talk given by Robert about Humanists’ work towards inclusive education
Robert has been in this post at Humanists UK since last November. Education is their biggest campaign. Robert gave some examples of their work. They have exposed concerns about illegal religious schools with practices such as physical abuse for alleged profanities which could be something like mild blasphemy. There are also sometimes concerns about religious indoctrination in legal faith schools. On this, Robert said much depends on the will of the Head who may be highly religious.
Campaigning for change
The priorities for the Schools and Education department in Humanists UK are 1) to reduce the amount of religious indoctrination of children attending faith schools and those facing religious selection and 2) to campaign for balanced approaches to religious and world views in schools.
They do this in various ways. There is an All Party Parliamentary Humanists Group (APPHG) which has a membership of 120 MPs and Peers from government and opposition parties. The main function of the group is lobbying to raise awareness of humanist issues. Humanists UK also engages directly with the government and political parties. They also have input into policy e.g. input into a recent policy on illegal schools and campaigns through the media like ‘making a song and dance’ on religious schools. They also work directly with schools when, for example, a parent contacts them with an issue about a particular school. This is usually a chat with the head but can be taken further. Humanists UK lobby for change nationally. Two examples of this currently are on amendments to the Schools Bill and the Education (non-religious philosophical conviction) Private Member’s Bill.
Campaigns
The main areas are faith schools, religious education, collective worship and illegal schools.
Faith schools
English schools have evolved over a long time and in Robert’s words ‘it is now a mess’. There are independent – often faith – schools and state funded (maintained) schools. There are 6 categories of state school, some of which relate to funding provided by the Church:
- Voluntary aided – faith
- Voluntary controlled – faith
- Trust or Foundation – faith
- Academies – can be faith
- Free schools – can be faith
- Community schools – cannot be faith
Approximately a third of state schools have a ‘designated religious character’. Faith schools may legally provide religious education (RE) and collective worship in line with the tenets of their religion and they may also select their pupils according to the faith of their parents.
Selection criteria. In Catholic schools, for example, there is a typical hierarchy of admissions:
- Looked after Catholic children
- Baptised Catholic children
- Other looked after children and previously looked after children
- Children who have a sibling at the school
- Children from Catholic feeder schools
- Children of staff
- Children of other Christian traditions
- Children of other religions
- Other children (i.e. from non-religious backgrounds)
This type of selection criteria divides children along ethnic and socio-economic lines as well as religion. The domination of academic league tables is largely attributable to selectivity. Religiously diverse schools are better at fostering attitudes conducive to social cohesion. Robert gave an example of a Somali family in Liverpool, where there are a lot of Catholic schools, who had to travel miles to school because they were not able to attend a Catholic school.
Religious education
This is a statutory subject in all schools for pupils between the ages from 5-16 which Humanists UK have no problem with. However faith schools are permitted to meet their legal obligations through the provision of religious instruction taught from a particular faith perspective. Many pupils in faith schools are therefore denied access to pluralist, non-partisan religious education. Following a legal case (the Fox case) it is now unlawful not to include non-religious worldviews like humanism in religious education. However, in many schools pupils are denied being taught about a non-religious world view despite that being unlawful. Although RE is a statutory subject it is not part of the English National Curriculum. Wales is currently leading the way with a new Curriculum Act that explicitly puts humanism on an equal footing with religions in ‘Religions, Values and Ethics’ (RVE). In England, the content and management of RE are determined locally by Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education (SACREs), which advise local authorities responsible for education on matters connected with RE and collective worship and support schools with the delivery of RE. There are 151 SACREs in England and humanists are full members on 66 of them.
Collective Worship
Under the 1944 Education Act all schools must conduct a daily act of worship. Most don’t. It is a parental right to withdraw their child from collective worship. This can be isolating and disruptive. One of the amendments to the Schools Bill is to introduce fully inclusive assemblies. Legal action has been taken where appropriate (the Harris case) and in Hampshire a primary school is currently applying to remove the requirement for worship to be mostly Christian, due to two thirds of the parents being non-religious.
Illegal schools
Since 2014 Humanists UK has worked with whistle-blowers to expose these schools. In them there is a complete lack of safeguarding. They follow a narrow religious curriculum and, at some, pupils are exposed to extremist material. There have only been 6 successful prosecutions. Reforms in the Schools Bill would establish a Home Education Register, a definition of ‘school’ and more powers for OFSTED.
How We Can All Help
- Write to or meet with your local politician.
- Launch a local campaign.
- Champion inclusive Religious Education at your children’s/grandchildren’s school: email education@humanists.uk for advice and to request a humanist school speaker. Consider requesting a meaningful alternative to collective worship at the school.
- Respond to national and local consultations.