Accord is a wide coalition of organisations, including religious groups, humanists, trade unions and human rights campaigners. We share a common view on many issues to do with state-funded schools and believe that the current legislation on faith schools in particular is counter-productive.
We campaign to make admissions and recruitment policies in all state-funded schools free from discrimination on grounds of religion or belief.
We want schools to follow an objective, fair and balanced syllabus for education about religious and non-religious beliefs.
We want accountability under a single inspection regime for Religious Education, Personal, Social & Health (PSHE) education and Citizenship.
We believe all schools should provide their pupils with inclusive, inspiring and stimulating assemblies in place of compulsory acts of worship.
The Accord Coalition has welcomed the Government's decision not to remove the cap that prevents faith free schools in England from selecting more than half of their pupils on faith grounds.
A new study has found many state funded secondary faith schools in England teach homosexual acts, abortion and using contraception are wrong in their approach to sex education.
The former Education Secretary, Justine Greening, has queried the Government's proposal to abolish the rule that new faith schools should not be able to select more than half of their pupils on religious grounds.
St Helens Council has revealed that it finds it 'very difficult' to engage with local Catholic schools about sex education and hopes new statutory Relationships and Sex Education guidance will provide it with a platform to better work with the schools.
A new survey has found that a majority of the public think the common practice of families attending Church to get their child into a religiously affiliated school is 'unacceptable'.