BHA welcomes Tristram Hunt’s comments on religion in schools as survey finds widespread public opposition

Responding to Tristram Hunt’s comments to The Observer on religion in schools, and the paper’s findings showing widespread public opposition to their continued funding, BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson commented, ‘As things stand, 100% state funded “faith” schools can and typically do teach one religion as true and all others are false, while non-religious worldviews are often ignored entirely. They turn children away because their parents are of the “wrong” religion or no religion, and they refuse to hire the best qualified staff for the same reason.

‘The proportion of secondary-age pupils in religious state schools has gone up by 20% over the course of this century with no meaningful political debate of whether this is desirable never mind about popular. That Tristram Hunt is now proposing to look again at some aspects of this system is to be welcomed.’