No More Faith Schools - Jun 2020 Update - National Secular Society

Hello,

Ending faith schools is a gargantuan task, but it is possible. The problem isn't the mythical popularity or performance of faith schools. The problem is that it takes a lot more organising and effort to challenge the establishment and status quo.

Before lockdown, I'd started on a list of activities for our supporters to get involved in the campaign. In the blog below, I outline 20 ways you can help us make the case against faith schools.

Many of these can be done from home and while not every activity will be everyone's cup of tea, if all our supporters could take just a couple of these actions, we can build an incredibly powerful movement.

One of the best ways to support the campaign (covered in my blog) is to share your experiences with faith schools, as Eric has in our second blog this month.

Thank you very much for your support.

Kind regards,

Alastair Lichten
NMFS campaign coordinator

News & opinion

20 ways you can support an end to faith schools today

If you're a supporter of the No More Faith Schools campaign you can help to make the case by lobbying your representatives, writing about your experience or supporting us on social media, says Alastair Lichten.

Scotland's faith schools are a divisive anachronism

Dividing children by religion is inefficient and out of step with Scottish society - and giving religious groups control over schools undermines children's religious freedom, says experienced teacher Eric from Edinburgh.

Should faith schools have a place in modern Britain?

Alastair Lichten represented the No More Faith Schools Campaign in this online discussion organised by Vichaar Manthan UK, an independent voluntary organisation which holds events and study groups aimed at exploring modern issues through a Hindu lens.

Recent petition comments

"We have a toddler and a baby on the way. We've looked into the primary school options around us and ALL are faith schools of one denomination or another. The admissions require some sort of Christian practice, and don't mention/accept other faiths. I am an atheist and my wife is a Hindu. Whilst we really don't want ANY faith thrust on our innocent child, we are actually considering 'faking it' just for our child to get a local primary school. This is an unbelievable situation to find ourselves in within 'secular Britain' in 2020." - Rishi from ENFIELD

"As a recently retired headteacher of a Junior School with Church of England status I am acutely aware of the pressure that leadership teams and governors are under to provide a 'distinctively Christian education' and to promote this form of spirituality." - John, from NOTTINGHAM