Government Backs Expansion of Faith Schools

Government ministers have announced Monday that they will take steps to remove "unnecessary barriers" holding religious groups up from establishing state-funded faith schools.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families issued a joint document together with a number of faith groups including the Church of England Board of Education, the Association of Muslim Schools, and the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

In the Faith In The System document, ministers and faith leaders stated: "The government and faith school providers believe that all schools - whether they have a religious character or not - play a key role in providing a safe and harmonious environment for all in our society, thereby fostering understanding, integration and cohesion.

"The Government recognises that, in relation to the overall size of their populations, there are relatively few faith school places in the maintained sector available to Muslim, Sikh and Hindu children compared to the provision available for Christian and Jewish families."

There are currently just seven state-funded Muslim schools across England, educating only around 1,770 of England's 376,000 Muslim children between the ages of five and 15.

The document has also received the backing of other faith bodies, including the Catholic Education Service, the Hindu Council UK and the Network of Sikh Organisations.

Teachers' group the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, came out to criticise the statement. ATL's General Secretary, Mary Bousted, questioned "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".

The Faith in the System document, however, confirmed Government support for more faith schools: "The Government will work with local authorities as the commissioners of schools and school places in each area and with faith organisations to remove unnecessary barriers to the creation of new faith schools."