The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) has also noted that higher levels of segregation are evident in local authorities with the highest number of religious schools, particularly those with restrictive admissions or curriculum.154
6.10 Religious Schools & Admissions Polices Evidence exists to indicate that where religious schools are their own admission authorities, they are ten times more likely to be unrepresentative of their surrounding communities, typically reflecting only one part of that community.155 Given that so many religious schools have VA status – thus affording them greater control over governance, school admissions and the teaching of RE for instance – the issue of admissions becomes critical and pivots on whether religious schools see themselves as having a role in contributing to the education of all children in a community or only those who share a particular religious affiliation.This crucial distinction shapes the debate and also the ability of religious schools to contribute to community cohesion. In a response to consultation by the Runnymede Trust,156 the DCSF stated that for schools to promote community cohesion they should aim to be community-based and focused, taking into account the different ethnic, religious and non-religious and/or socio-economic groups that make up the local demographic.While some religious schools have sought to address this issue, many have been less forthcoming.The Catholic Church, for example, has said that it will only consider ‘the scope’ for new Catholic schools to admit pupils of other faiths, and no agreement has so far been reached with Jewish, Sikh, Greek Orthodox or Muslim schools. That being said, there are encouraging signs that voluntary aided schools are improving in this regard. Recent research found that more voluntary aided schools had an admissions criterion giving priority to children of ‘other faiths’ in 2008 than in 2001 (42% versus 23%).157 Yet despite this, there would seem to be existing structures in place that might be able to facilitate and improve equal access to religious schools including the establishment of admissions forums and the need for ethnic monitoring amongst others. However, early research undertaken by the DCSF into the implementation of the Schools Admissions Code has highlighted that religious schools are disproportionately likely to have used practices deemed unfair, including asking about parents’ ability to contribute funds, refusing to admit children in care as a priority (despite legal obligations to do so), and refusing to admit children with ‘special needs’. 158 Taken overall, the picture is one where religious schools appear to be rather more exclusive than inclusive. The potential implication of this trend for community cohesion in local areas is yet to be explored fully.
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ATL Position Paper on Faith Schools,ATL, (2007) IPPR, School Admissions – Fair Choice for Parents and Pupils, (2007) 156 Runnymede Trust, Right to divide, (2008), p. 47. 157 See West,A., Barham, E., Hind,A., Secondary School Admissions in England: Policy and Practice, RISE, (2008) http://www.risetrust.org.uk/Secondary.pdf 158 Quoted in the Independent Newspaper, Garner, R., Faith Schools:A Law unto themselves, Independent Newspaper,April 3rd, (2008) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/faith-schools-a-law-unto-themselves-803978.html 155
The ‘Religion Or Belief’ Equality Strand In Law And Policy
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