BHA – Over 300 ‘faith schools’ register their interest in academy status

The BHA has expressed alarm at the number of ‘faith schools’ registering their interest in converting to academies, warning that academy status would give religious groups greater control over schools.
Over 300 schools run by religious groups have formally registered their interest in converting to academy status with the Department for Education. In addition to 200 Church of England and 100 Roman Catholic schools, the list includes Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Steiner and “Sathya Sai” schools. Many of the schools run by the minority religions, and some Christian schools, are currently independent fee-paying institutions.
Andrew Copson, BHA Chief Executive, commented:
‘All state-funded faith schools becoming academies will automatically become religious academies, meaning that in addition to complete powers over the curriculum, their discriminatory admissions and employments policies will not only be preserved intact but will be enlarged.’
‘This religious discrimination and privilege will be permanently locked into a system which makes no allowance and has no scope for consultation with parents and local people. The effect of the changes will be to increase control by religious groups even further in these schools and remove the moderating influence of the state and the local community.’
Addressing the issue of private ‘faith schools’ becoming state-funded academies, Mr Copson continued:
‘Many private ‘faith schools’ have traditionally resisted state funding, knowing that this would bring restrictions on what they could teach, and some may not have met the criteria required to gain maintained status. The Academies Bill as it stands would remove these restrictions, allowing schools to digress from the national curriculum and teach to their own syllabus. It is no wonder academy status is so appealing to religious groups currently running fee-paying schools – it would give them complete powers over the curriculum while unburdening them from the need to raise their own funds.’
Notes
For further comment or information, contact Andrew Copson andrew@humanism.org.uk on 07534 248 596 or 020 7079 3583.
View the list of schools that have registered their interest in converting to academy status http://www.education.gov.uk/academies/schools-registering-interest
Read more about the BHA’s work on religion and schools, including “faith schools” and curriculum issues www.humanism.org.uk/campaigns/religion-and-schools