Catholic education chief expresses doubt over religious selection proposals
The Director of the Catholic Education Service (CES) Paul Barber has conceded that ‘the move back to schools of 100 per cent one faith is dreadful’ following the Government’s proposals to drop the 50% cap on religious selection in school admissions. The CES has been the main voice calling for the 50% cap to be removed. For the six years that the cap was in place, the CES chose not to open any schools. It has misleadingly claimed that turning away Catholics was against canonical law.
Responding to the comments, Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association, Andrew Copson, said,
‘It is frankly astounding that the Catholic Education Service has the nerve to claim that you can be on the side of integration and yet support schools in dividing up children from an incredibly early age on the basis of their parents’ religious or non-religious beliefs. This is clearly nonsense.
‘Religious selection in school admissions is the very definition of segregation, and if Paul Barber is genuinely uncomfortable with that, as he now claims to be, he will reverse the position of his organisation immediately and call on the Government to drop its plans to remove the 50% cap at once.
‘The cap has been hugely effective at boosting integration in religious free schools and improving the extent to which local schools are open to local parents. The move back to closed-off, single-faith schools really is dreadful and we hope the Government will move to amend its proposals accordingly.’
www.humanism.org.uk
Notes:
For further comment or information please contact BHA Education Campaigner Jay Harman on jay@humanism.org.uk or 0207 324 3078.
Read the TES’ article ‘Catholic education chief says total religious segregation in schools is “dreadful”’:https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/exclusive-catholic-education-chief-says-total-religious-segregation
See the BHA’s previous news item ‘New evidence shows Government proposals to allow 100% religious selection in schools will lead to increased segregation’:https://humanism.org.uk/2016/09/30/new-evidence-shows-government-proposal-to-allow-100-religious-selection-in-schools-will-lead-to-increased-segregation/
Read the BHA’s news item ‘Exposed: Catholic hypocrisy in calls for end to restrictions on religious selection in schools’: https://humanism.org.uk/2016/09/09/exposed-catholic-hypocrisy-in-calls-for-end-to-restrictions-on-religious-selection-in-schools/
See the BHA’s news item ‘Government publishes plans to allow full religious discrimination in school admissions’:https://humanism.org.uk/2016/09/13/government-publishes-plans-to-allow-full-religious-discrimination-in-school-admissions/
Read the Government’s green paper, where it sets out the proposals:https://consult.education.gov.uk/school-frameworks/schools-that-work-for-everyone/supporting_documents/SCHOOLS%20THAT%20WORK%20FOR%20EVERYONE%20%20FINAL.pdf
Read more about the BHA’s work on ‘faith’ schools: https://humanism.org.uk/campaigns/schools-and-education/faith-schools/
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.
