Accord welcomes creationist and extremism clamp down at school nurseries

August 11, 2014

Inclusive-schools-logo-version-3-300x202The Accord Coalition has welcomed a commitment from the Government that nursery places at schools that promote creationism or extremism are to no longer be state funded. Responding on Friday (August 8th) to a consultation about child minding and nurseries, ahead of plans to extend government provision in this area, it stated that:

‘The Government is clear that it is not appropriate for public money for early education to go to providers which do not promote fundamental British values, or which teach creationism as science. Our final regulations will set out that local authorities must not fund the early education entitlement through providers that fail to actively promote fundamental British values, or which promote as evidence-based views or theories that are contrary to established scientific or historical evidence.’

Although the Government has taken action to prevent state funded schools from teaching pseudoscience, many nursery places are publicly funded at schools that provide the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum, which until recently taught that the Loch Ness monster disproves evolution and that there is no biological basis for homosexuality. Some schools have also been accused of extremist links, such as the Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation nurseries in Haringey and Slough by David Cameron when he was Leader of the Opposition in 2009.

Chair the Accord Coalition, Rabbi Dr Jonathon Romain, said ‘The Government’s comments are broadly welcome and important. However, it is highly embarrassing that it should have to make a commitment to not fund schools that have extremist links or that teach pseudoscience in the first place.

‘In addition, these cases should not be treated as exceptions, when a great many state funded schools can and do provide a narrow curriculum, such as around Sex and Relationships Education and matters of religion and beliefs. The Government still has a very long way to go to show that it really wants pupils at state funded schools to have an entitlement to broad and balanced education, which prepares them for life in our increasingly diverse society.’

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Accord depends on your support

Please give.

Sign up

find us on Facebook

News history