The Accord Coalition has today published a major new resource of information collating a wide variety of contemporary evidence and research about information on the policy implications of state funded faith schools and their practice.
Accord’s ‘Databank of Independent Evidence on Faith Schools’ has been made freely available on the organisation’s website and has been produced to help journalists, researchers, legislators and members of the public. All of the information dates from 2001 or later, and the majority was produced in the last three years.
Topics covered in the report include research looking at faith school’s impact upon social and community cohesion, their level of attainment, religious discrimination in employment and admissions, the provision of Religious Education, Collective Worship, Sex and Relationships, as well as various statistical information and opinion polls.
Chair of the Accord Coalition, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, said ‘Debate over faith schools often suffers from people arguing from fixed ideological positions. The aim of this databank is to bring together and summarise high quality research from reliable and trusted sources to provide objective facts and help give the debate focus.’
‘The databank will be continually updated with new information over time, so we hope that interested parties will revisit the website in future to find out more about the latest research’.
In my opinion Faith schools should not receive funding from government. Faith & religon is something that should be tought by church & family not government (education should be tought in school). Education constructive of Interfaith & religon as a whole subject should be tought to all in society with an open mind towards the views of others with understanding & acceptance as the aim. Whether someone follows a religon or not they should be enlightened to the views & opinions of others in the name of community social interaction unity & cohesion. We are Human.