Speaking on Radio 4’s Thought for the Day slot this morning, Christian novelist and broadcaster Rhidian Brook argued that Jesus would not support exclusive school admission policies. Mr Brook is by no means the first Christian to make these arguments, although to our knowledge it is the first time they have been aired on TftD....
Accord has been at the party conferences recently. Because we went to the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Harrogate this year – and successfully lobbied for changes to their policy – this autumn we thought that we should focus on making sure that Labour and the Conservatives also got to hear Accord’s message for...
Accord has put together a major new resource to help researchers, journalists, campaigners and members of the public to find out about the consequences of current policy on faith schools. The aim is to bring together and summarise high quality research from reliable sources. With the exception of the 2009 poll commissioned by Accord...
Lord Glentoran, Conservative Shadow Minister for Northern Ireland and Wales & Shadow Minster for the Olympics, has put his name to the Accord campaign for inclusive schools. The peer, who has seen firsthand the problems of religious division, told us: “I have had Northern Ireland as my home since the war and have seen...
Following comments by the Archbishop of Wales criticising the decision of the Welsh Assembly to allow sixth fomers to withdraw themselves from collective worship, Accord has called for an end to compulsory collective worship in all schools. Under laws dating back decades, all schools except non-Christian faith schools are required to have a daily...
The Guardian has reported that the popular headteacher of St Patrick’s primary school in Sheffield has had to resign because he is a divorcee but wishes to remarry in the autumn. Michael Cassidy is well liked and respected in the school, and parents have started a petition protesting against his departure. One parent told...
Accord has used the opportunity of a government consultation on Religious Education to make clear the need for broad-based and balanced RE in all schools. Although RE must be taught in all schools it is not part of the National Curriculum. The government is about to issue new guidance on how the subject should...
Accord is supporting a campaign to make religious education objective and balanced for which we need your help. We think that RE should teach about a wide range of different beliefs (religious and non-religious), not tell children what they ought to believe. Although all schools are legally required to teach RE, at the moment...
A judgement by the Court of Appeal last week found that the admissions criteria of a Jewish state school, the JFS, were in breach of the Race Relations Act. The admissions procedures of the school prioritised those with a Jewish mother over those who practised Judaism but were not Jewish by descent. Under Jewish...
It has been revealed that the proportion of capital funding provided by religious organisations to voluntary aided faith schools has been falling year on year. By law, the religious bodies that run voluntary aided faith schools are responsible for 10% of the capital costs for new buildings. Only when spending is deemed “exceptional” does...
