Faith schools - the great debate, or no debate?

The UK Government's passionate commitment to 'faith' schools grows ever stronger, despite protests from main teachers' unions such as the NASUWT  and the ATL - whose conference last year called the policy "an assault on tolerance" and called for state funding to end in 2020 for newly created religious schools.   Today we learn that there will be more funding particularly for Hindu , Muslim and Sikh schools to level the playing field (most UK state faith schools are Christian).  The requirement for such schools to take a large percentage from outside the faiths seems to have faded.
   

Teachers express grave concern: Mary Bousted of the ATL says "We question whether faith schools, particularly those where staff and children are chosen on a faith basis, provide an environment for 'interaction between different faiths and communities...and we question why schools, in which the majority of funding comes from the state, should, as the Government proposes, nurture young people in a particular faith."  She also challenged the "restrictive admissions, employment and curriculum practices operated in many of this country's faith schools".   Evidence of restricted admission policies emerges from studies in 2005  and 2006 confirming that disadvantaged and difficult families are under-represented in faith primary schools.   The argument goes that their academic results are only better because they select - not necessarily the brightest children, but the ones with families of steady, churchgoing habits. 
    A Times comment says with sharp flippancy; "All well and good catering for "Jewish Children", "Musilm Children" and "Christian Children", but where are "Conservative Children", "Marxist Children" and "Anarchist Children" going to study?"

Comments

[Coel]

Government-commissioned research by the LSE suggests that the better performance of `faith' schools results from selection of pupils, not from the religious ethos.

http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/pressAndInformationOffice/newsAndEvents/archives/2006/FaithPrimarySchools.htm

The Government have, of course, been very quiet about this.

[Arnold Ward]

Faith schools are child abuse through indoctrination and merit nothing from the public purse.

[Babbling Brook]

It is, indeed, a legitimate debate but I would contest the need for 'a level playing field' when, to do so, would give financial, legal, political and, especially, moral support, to an ideology, Islam, the teachings of which intentionally and emphatically inculcate intolerance for others, encourage violence towards non-adherents and avow degradation and subservience while denying free will, reasoned debate and freedom of speech. I particularly object to being asked to pay for it; why should the British public pay for the circumstances most likely to induce civil war and possible destruction of the nation?

[Ray Warren]

It is just more spin to try and buy votes from aliens at the taxpayer's expense. If the word faith was replaced by "superstition", I wonder how we'd feel about it?

I am not happy. The only "parental demand" is going to come from some Moslems, Polish Catholics, "Creationists" and maybe some Jews with another agenda.

I don't see the ethnic majority of this country campaigning for more C of E or nonconformist schools - it wouldn't be British. I do wish the "defender of the faith" would do a bit of defending. Religious apathy is just about our only surviving faith related tradition.

[Mark]

Faith should be a personal matter. If a family wants to raise their child buddhist, christian or whatever that is their choice, but religious worship and state sponsored faith schools should have no place in a modern society.
Schools should of course include an element of comparative religious education - no one would deny religion's influence on the world, for good and bad.
However, faith schools will only encourage further segregation in our society. Will it really be in this country's best interest if Christian, Muslim and other children go to separate schools. Surely greater understanding and tolerance will occur if they grow up together, play together and learn together.

An end to faith schools would be in all of our children's interest.

[Delilah]

I have a good, atheist friend who sends her children to the local CofE school because it is the nearest pukka free school. I've never liked it, because I have noticed a Lord of the Flies sort of playground ethos that might have something to do with the waffling moral relativity and religious shame exhibited from the Head downwards. (My kids go to a very secular school, and to church every Sunday). That apart, we found ourselves unexpectedly in agreement last year about an OFSTED inspector who told the Head that the school needed to spend more time on religious education and practice. My friend was incensed because of course she would prefer secular education, if she could find a decent free provider; I was incensed that a government bureucrat was dictating religious practice and observance. Where was the vicar, or the bishop? Seemed very rum to me, and a recipe for lots of trouble in future. I really think state schools should be kept completely secular. If people want religious education, it should be funded privately (by them or the religious establishment promoting it) and the religious practice therein kept largely free of state interference.