This week peers debated amendments to the Equality Bill that aims to improve the rights of teachers working in faith schools. Speaking for the amendments, Baroness Turner of Camden said: “Why should such requirements be imposed on, for example, physical education or maths teachers when the same rules do not apply to charities or...
Accord Coordinator Alex Kennedy has had an article published on Guardian Comment is Free this week which sets out the arguments for changing the laws on religious discrimination for teachers in faith schools. An extract is below and the full article can be found here. “To be clear, teachers in faith schools that are...
The influential Muslim organisation, British Muslims for Secular Democracy (BMSD), has announced that it is joining the Accord Coalition, which encompasses religious and other groups concerned about the way faith schools operate. BMSD Director, Tehmina Kazi, said: “Our goals in this area coincide, as BMSD wishes to see more faith schools embrace a broad...
On Monday the House of Lords will debate the Equality Bill, a major piece of legislation which aims to improve and simplify laws on discrimination and equal treatment. Although the Bill contains many measures that will be broadly welcomed, Accord has very serious concerns about exemptions it contains for faith schools. Foremost among these...
Accord has welcomed the Supreme Court judgement on the admissions criteria of the JFS (formerly the Jews’ Free School), which lessens the power of state-funded faith schools to discriminate. The case was brought by the father of a child who was denied admission to the school in 2007. The admissions policies at the time...
On Tuesday the House of Commons debated amendments to the Equality Bill that would greatly improve the situation for teachers in state-funded faith schools. The amendments—tabled by the Lib Dems and supported by Accord—sought change the law so that teachers in faith schools would enjoy the same protections against religious discrimination as other employees...
This week there has been a great deal of news coverage about alleged links between three independent schools funded by the taxpayer and the extremist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir. It transpired that some of the details used by David Cameron when he raised the issue in Prime Minister’s Questions were wrong, and that has been...
Accord has responded to an article by Professor Harry Brighouse claiming that children from secular and atheist homes should be sent to faith schools. In it he argues that it is important that children develop into autonomous thinkers and that this is helped by the existence of state-funded religious schools. Prof Brighouse has good intentions...
A new paper published by Christian think-tank Theos and Christian educational charity the Stapleford Centre has cast doubt on overstated claims about the effectiveness of faith schools. In a review of the existing literature, researchers found some grounds to think that Christian schools have a positive impact, but cautioned that the evidence is “very limited”...
Accord has welcomed the news that the government review into personal social and health education has ruled sex education should be taught in all schools. However, the coalition is concerned that faith schools will remain able to teach issues such as homosexuality and contraception from the perspective of their denomination and that parents will...
