Two thirds of British Muslims would not choose a Muslim faith school for their child

February 27, 2015

A new poll commissioned by BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme has shown that most Muslim people in Britain would not choose a Muslim faith school for their child. The poll, undertaken by ComRes, reveals that only 31% of respondents agreed that they ‘would like my children to go to a Muslim state school if I had the choice’. 66% disagreed.

Chair of the Accord Coalition, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, said ‘The survey echoes what other opinions polls have shown, but it is especially encouraging given the enormous disadvantage that Muslim people currently face in accessing the best schools. State funded faith schools often top local leagues tables – which has been put down to socially selective admission procedures – but 99% of them are Christian or Jewish, meaning for many Muslim people the best local state schools are effectively closed to them.’

‘Many of those who oppose faith schools losing their ability to discriminate by faith claim to do so on the grounds of the wishes of parents, but they simultaneously ignore what most parents actually think. This poll should provide the government with another prompt to create a school system that is genuinely open and accessible for all, regardless of people or their family’s religion or non-religious beliefs.’

 

Notes

An Opinium survey in June 2014 found that 58% of adults in Great Britain were opposed to faith schools, with 35% of the full sample believing the state should not fund them and 23% recording that they should be banned entirely. Accord argues such figures show that maintaining the status quo around how religion and belief is currently negotiated in state funded schools is unsustainable.

A YouGov survey undertaken in June 2013 and carried for the University of Lancaster asked respondents to pick two or three factors that would influence their choice of a local school for a child, from a  list of nine options. Only 5% chose ‘Grounding of pupils in a faith tradition’ and 3% ‘Transmission of belief about God’.

A November 2012 poll commissioned by Accord and conducted by ComRes showed that 73% of respondents agreed that ‘state funded schools, including state funded faith schools, should not be allowed to select or discriminate against prospective pupils on religious grounds in their admissions policy’, half (50%) stated that they agreed “strongly”. Only 18% of respondents disagreed.

A YouGov survey in September 2010 for the ITV breakfast news programme ‘Daybreak’ showed a school’s religious character was not important for most parents. The survey asked respondents to choose up to three factors from a list of eleven that they considered important when choosing a school for their child. Only 9% listed the ‘Religion of the school’ as important.

An ICM poll from August 2010 for Channel 4 found that 59% thought ‘Schools should be for everyone regardless of religion and the government should not be funding faith schools of any kind’.

One Response to Two thirds of British Muslims would not choose a Muslim faith school for their child

  1. […] Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Romain: “…especially encouraging given the enormous disadvantage that Muslim people currently face in accessing the best schools.” […]

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