Faith-based school admissions policies

As a committed Christian I have always disliked faith-based admissions policies. They are a form of social selection where schools get to acquire students who have parents motivated enough to jump through the hoops of church attendance for long periods of time.

From a faith perspective they make no sense; by definition those families who have attended church have heard the gospel so they don't need to attend a church school. As a Christian it would make more sense for admission to a church school to prioritise those who have never attended church!

I am not opposed to schools having a faith-based ethos; all schools have an ethos and a set of values, whether explicitly secular or based on a particular creed. The issue at hand is whether these are used as a form of social selection.

The new Children and Wellbeing Bill holds out a ray of hope in this area. In its draft form it is quite vague, but it looks as if there is a genuine attempt to get all schools in an area to collaborate with the local authority in ensuring appropriate place provision for all children (https://comprehensivefuture.org.uk/childrens-wellbeing-and-schools-bill-brings-admission-reform).

I, for one, hope that this leads to examination of the iniquitous practice of filtering access to educational provision by overt parental commitment to particular faith. The detrimental effect of these selection policies upon churches, schools and children in areas such as Blackburn and Lancashire (where faith-selective church schools are prevalent) is profound.

If you are a parent or carer adversely impacted by these selection processes and would like to talk these things through further, please get in touch.

James Harris

james@findingcommonground.org.uk