Faith schools accused on employment

8:44am Saturday 30th August 2008

The Government is being urged to reform faith schools to ensure they cannot discriminate against pupils and teachers on religious grounds.

A coalition of academics, clergy, teaching unions and other leading public figures is calling for fairer admissions policies in faith schools and equal employment rights for staff, regardless of their beliefs. The coalition, named Accord, will be officially launched on Monday.

The call comes as new rules comes into force which allow voluntary controlled faith schools to reserve a headteacher's post for someone who is appointed specifically to teach religious education in line with the school's faith.

Jonathan Bartley, of the Christian think-tank Ekklesia and a member of the new coalition, said: "Reforming admissions policies would be a good place to start in stopping discrimination.

"There are faith schools that are 90% or even 100% funded by the tax payer and yet they only cater, or prioritise 5% of the population. Often faith schools take pupils only from their own faith or even from their own denomination within a faith."

He added that there were concerns around the new rules regarding recruitment of staff.

For schools to advertise for a someone of a particular faith means that "90% of the population have been ruled out straight away," Mr Bartley said.

He added: "If they can actually recruit from 100% rather than 10% of those available they will get a better calibre of teacher."

A coalition of religious figures representing more than 6,000 schools of various faiths refuted allegations that such schools are discriminatory or represent a divisive force within British society.

In a statement they said: faith schools deliver "excellent" academic results and instil a sense of social responsibility.