Teachers' union calls for an end to faith schools
Admissions policies lead to 'segregated schooling', claims NUT as it calls for greater social cohesion
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CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY IMAGES
Pupils in Cheshire attend a class at one of the 36 state-funded Jewish schools in England
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Teachers' leaders will this week demand the phasing out of the nation's 7,000 state-funded faith schools.
As a first step, delegates at the National Union of Teachers' conference will seek a ban on opening any new faith schools – on the grounds that their admissions policies have created "segregated schooling" in many parts of the country.
The move would put the union on a collision course with the Government, which has openly sought sponsorship by religious groups for many of its flagship new academies. Several of the new academies to be opened this year have church backing.
It is also likely to provoke fierce debate within the union, as many of its members work in faith schools.
At present, there are about 7,000 faith schools in the country – 600 secondary and 6,400 primary. The vast majority are Christian: there are around 6,955 Church of England, Roman Catholic and Methodist schools. The rest consist of 36 Jewish schools, six Muslim, two Sikh and one Hindu, Greek Orthodox and Seventh-Day Adventist.
The motion, which is set to be debated at the union's annual conference in Cardiff on Saturday, states: "Religious groups, of whatever faith, should have no place in the control and management in the control and management of schools."
It declares that "all children should have the opportunity and the right to meet and work with children from a variety of backgrounds and faiths within their day-to-day education".
Supporters of the move argue that admitting pupils on religious grounds risks undermining the Government's calls to them to promote community cohesion, which has just become a legal obligation on all schools.
The union's leadership is prepared to back the motion's main aim – to declare a long-term commitment to creating a single community comprehensive system that covers all state secondary schools. However, it would rather place the emphasis on getting existing faith schools to change their admissions policies than campaign against all new proposals to establish religious schools. It will seek to persuade delegates to back a call for all schools to adopt "non-discriminatory admissions procedures".
Christine Blower, general secretary of the NUT, said: "Our preference would be that schools admissions rely on the proximity of the family to the school. The important thing for us is to ensure that all schools have to abide by the duty to promote social cohesion, rather than select on religious grounds."
The drive to create more faith schools gained impetus under Tony Blair's premiership, when he sought to persuade faith groups to become one of the key sponsors of academies.
Since then, Schools Secretary Ed Balls has insisted the Government does not have a policy in favour of creating more faith schools. However, department officials insist that ministers still value the work done by faith schools in the state education system.
Certain religious sectors agree that faith schools should do more to be more inclusive. In 2006, the Rt Rev Dr Kenneth Stevenson, the Bishop of Portsmouth and chair of the Church of England's Board of Education, wrote to then Education secretary, Alan Johnson: "I want to make a specific commitment that all new ... schools should have at least 25 per cent of places available to children with no requirement that they be of practising Christian families. The places would not be left empty if they were not filled by such children so this would technically not be a 'quota' but a 'proportion'."
Religion's role in a nation's education
There are about 6,400 primary and 600 secondary faith state schools in England
Of these, about 4,700 are Church of England, 2,100 Roman Catholic, and 150 Methodist, with 36 Jewish, six Muslim, two Sikh, one Greek Orthodox, one Hindu and one Seventh-Day Adventist
There are a further 140 Muslim schools in the UK which are not part of the state system
The only state faith schools which existed before the 1997 general election were Christian or Jewish
The state pays up to 90 per cent of the running costs
All faith schools have to teach the National Curriculum
For religious education, more than half only teach their own faith, while the remained teach a locally agreed religious syllabus
Admissions are determined by school governors, and schools can insist on proof of baptism and regular church attendance.
National Secular Society claims that 80 per cent of the population disapproves of faith schools
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Comments
An ancient Greek in London
By all means, have religious education lessons to teach children ABOUT other faiths, cultures and religions for awareness, but schools should have an entirely objective standpoint when it comes to religion itself.
According to a study, Uk has the highest level of teenage binge drinking, drunkeness,unprotected sex among girls aged 15 and 16 and alcohal-related problems in Europe.
Muslim schools are not divisive, they develop a strong sense of identity, self-esteem and sel-confidence. Muslim schools are preparing children to face the challenges of life in modern Britain and to also contribute in positive way to wider society. They are promoting tolerance and support the spiritual, moral, social, linguistic and cultural development of pupils. Muslim schools continue to improve in their GCSE results. For the third consecutive year, Muslim schools advanced on their previous results and surpassed the national average. All Muslim schools are oversubscribed. In state schools, Muslim children are victim of racism and bullying. According to DCSF, 56% of Pakistani and 54% of Bangladeshi children has beern victim of bullies.
In the 60s and 70s, Muslim parents were happy to send their children to state schools, thinking their children would get a much better education than back home. Then little by little, the overt and covert discrimonation in the system turned them off. They grew conscious of the failure of the school system and of hostility from the school system for Muslims. Muslim parnets would like their children to recieve western eduucation with Islamic ethos. They want boys and girls segrated and girls to wear viels. There are 15 areas where Muslim parents find themselves ofended by state schools.
I set up the first Muslim school in 1981 in East London and now there are over 130 Muslim schools and only ten are state funded. There are hundreds of state and church schools where Muslim children are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools with Muslim teachers as role models.
Iftikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
"According to a study, Uk has the highest level of teenage binge drinking, drunkeness,unprotected sex among girls aged 15 and 16 and alcohal-related problems in Europe"
Interesting how the girls are having sex alone. Quite safe I would have thought! Oh I forget, only girls behaviour matters, boys are off the hook.
And although they may want to segregate our children by religion and further, as you point out, by gender, we have anti-discrimination laws in this country to protect against this.
And to be 'offended' by anything is NOT a substantial argument for its destruction. When will you learn that? If it was, I guarantee you Islam and its proponents would be banned.
The vast majority of Europeans and Americans know very little about Islam. They know hsrdly any thing about its history and its teachings and do not particularly want to learn, according to a German academic. Very few westerners are bilingual. On the other hand, majority of Muslims are bilingual and have an associated knowledge of other cultures. In this respect, they are far ahead of many western citizens.
Islamic studies is a "Strategic subject" that, when accurately and effectively taught, can aid community cohesion and extremism, according to British Ministers. Islamic studies should be part and parcel of National Curriculum instead of citizenship education so that all state , church and private school children could learn and understand Islamic traditions and values. The subject must be taught by Muslims.
Sending children to a religious schools is the most destructive thing for a child and does not prepare them for the world. I have 2 small children and never dream of sending them to a faith school, infact I would be horrified if any of my friends or family did.
If you want to teach religion then teach it out of hours.
I am atheist. I would like to think religion can eventually be eradicated. However I fully accept the rights of others to hold different views. But I find it abhorrent that parents indoctrinate their children. It may be impossible to stop that until we eradicate religion but surely we must stop sponsoring this wrongdoing by funding faith schools. Not by banning religion; by educating people...to THINK.
Is this OK?
If so, why are believers not allowed to do the same?
Or is it only believers who indoctrinate?
You instil your opinions every day into your child.
If you believe nothing, and we all believe something, then you instil this into them.
Now I am going to ignore your copywrite on this term and use it shamelessly!
(But I was still right!)
Regards to you!
Glad you like DWDW; it is copyright free. Please spread the word. Who knows, maybe in a couple of thousand years there will be millions of followers all over the world. Makes as much sense as anything else. Maybe even I will be watching over...but I think not. (More likely looking up!)
Cheers.
Muslim schools are not only faith schools but bilingual Schools also. Bilingual Muslim children need to learn and be well versed in standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. The also need to learn and be well versed in Arabic, Urdu and other community languages to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry.
A Muslim is a citizen of this tiny global village. He/she does not want to become notoriously monolingual Brit.
I would like to see existing faith based schools eradicated, bur slowly since they are woven into the social fabric. I would like to see an absolute ban on all new ones. Islamic schools are a greater worry than Christian Schools. British Christianity has adapted itself to British culture. So far as I can see, Islam will not do that for very many years; it is rooted in medieval age ways, as was Christianity at that time.
Personally I believe that education should be a secular activity.
That's my choice. If you want to send your child to a faith school, that is your choice.
If a school adopts national standards, plus a faith based component it should national receive funding.
Think, for a moment, about the word "tolerance", "allow the existence, occurrence, or practice of (something that one does not necessarily like or agree with) without interference"
It's not something we accept, but we put up with it. We condescend to allow it.
The NUT has always had one abiding principle, lowest common denominator. All schools should be the same. Any attempt by a school to differentiate itself, in any way, is a bad thing. Any power of selection by parents is a bad thing.
Its about freedom of choice, the NUT have never supported that.
I didn't know Bloody Mary was a member of the National Union of Teachers (a NUT).
I wonder who they asked?
No-one asked me, or anyone around here I bet!
I suspect the NUT is following the usual anti religion line pandering to the liberal left.
Those who tolerate anything as long as it does not have standards.
The 'intolerance' of the 'tolerant,' is a wonder to behold!
>>>"I was a worthless waste of oxygen, and that I should commit suiside to promote more community cohesion. Fortunately, I did not listen to them, and fortunately I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior at college. I wish I had gone to a faith school, for I would have learned more and had a happier childhood."
Or did a Christian association provide a haven from difficulties in your life? That would not make the faith true. However, at times of vulnerability, people can be persuaded to believe anything that provides comfort.
"Believers have their places of worship to indoctrinate their children"
I agree, but I have a problem with indoctrination anywhere. What amazes me is that educated people from backward countries fail to see religion is just a hangover from the days there was a need to control primitive (though perhaps intelligent) people.
What about the detrimental effect of choosing school leaders from the small pool of potential applicants who follow that religion? Also, how are my rights not affected when I am prevented from applying for a middle or senior post in a religious school, where I could make a big contribution to the children's education, on the basis of my religion?
People just don't take the NUT seriously and extreme pronouncements like this don't help. It just makes them easy to dismiss as liberal/PC nutters.
People don't take the NUT seriously and extreme pronouncements like this don't help. It just makes them easy to dismiss as liberal/ultraPC nutters.
?? tell that to the middle east, or closer to home, Ireland.
If the schools where instead Communist schools, or Republican schools or Democrat schools (of course, with a couple hours a week of "dissident political views, awareness class" added in for political correctness) would you say that is "Ok" with you?
if religious schools do a better job than non-religious schools, then we need to fix that, not just roll with it.
teaching unprovable stories as facts is the work of Sunday church or the mosque, not in schools with children too young to know the difference between history vs myth, or fact vs fiction.
the time where religious segregation was considered harmless is well past, and to be honest, I don't think there was ever a time where religious segregation wasn't a problem. Religions thrive in the US vs THEM mentality, the theme we 'heaven' them 'hell', we "righteous" they "lost" is how they to grow in numbers and keep the ones already in hooked. (sometimes throw in 'death for apostasy' if fear of hell is not enough)
Having all of that nonsense as part of the school curriculum is social suicide.
Having a single faith school adds nothing to learning about other religions. This can be done in secular schools very well. And it guarantees impartiality, and learning about all of them, and not one above the other.
the point of a single faith school to reinforce and indoctrinate the religion of your parents choice. And good job at avoiding the big question. How you explain away the fact that religions segregate by definition? And explain in what way a single faith school helps society to mix better?
school is for learning, Churches Mosques and Synagogues are there for religious indoctrination. Don't preach in my school and I won't think in your church. Simple.
and as the news show every day, religious violence is everywhere, and bringing up a generation of citizens each with his own set of unshakable incompatible dogmas is indeed, social suicide.
Faith schools do help to broaden the mind regarding other religions. At the Catholic school I attended, They spent a term teaching us about Islam and Judaism before they started with Christianity. The teaching did not treat these faiths as inferior in any way, and there was certainly no "indoctrination". As a result, I think I can empathise with Muslim commentators in this thread. Indeed I feel I have something in common with them. I don't regard them as opponents, but fellow pilgrims honouring their own traditions, and seeking the truth as it is presented to them.
You could teach about faiths in non-faith schools (don't they do that now?), but set against an officially agnostic or atheist background, it would just be a history or geography lesson. And an atheist teacher would be able to convey little of the humanity behind religious faith, and certainly nothing by example. It would be like having a PE teacher who never does any exercise.
Regarding religious segregation in schools. Well any human organisation - a company, a club, or just culture - that unites people based on a common theme will in some degree segregate them from others. The answer is not to destroy the organisations - but to respect others, both individually and as groups. It is not an easy answer, but it is the right one in my view.
I can't agree with your dismissal of believers as thoughtless drones. I am sure that believers question their faith a thousand times. I certainly do. It is too easy to blame people in the other camp for all the violence and to say they are driven by "unshakable dogmas". What causes violence are the old enemies - our own greed, hate and pride.
Muslim schools provide an outstanding standard of education for a couple of thousands young children across the country.Ex-pupils of Muslim schools have developed into examplary citizens and participate in all aspects of civic society. Independent analysis and thorough OFSTED inspections have demonstrated that academic achievement, behaviour, social and emotional development in Muslim schools is consistently and subtantially better than local and national averages. Higher standard meant that an increasing number of Muslim parents choose to enrol their children in a Muslim school. There is a dire need for more state funded Muslim schools and the only solution is that those state and Church schools where Muslim children are in majority, may be designated as Muslim community schools.
Muslim parents would like their children to learn and be well versed in standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. But majority of Muslim children leave schools with low grades because monolingual teachers are not capable of teaching English to bilingual children. At the same time Muslim children need to be well versed in Arabic, Urdu and other community languages to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry. They leave schools without learning such languages. If you ignore or neglect the mother tongue of a child , he is not going to learn a second language. Bilingualism is an asset but the British schooling percieves it as a problem. Therefore, it is crucial that Muslim children must have their own state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods, otherwise, they will keep on suffering academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. In all western countries, each and every Muslim child must be in a state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers.
A 13 years old Pakistani girl has written a 760 pages novel in English and was honoured by the President of Pakistan. She is well versed in Urdu and English because she has bilingual teachers who are well versed in Urdu as well as in English.
Iftikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
And so, faith schools shouldn't admit on basis of faith - fine! They take everyone in and then Richard Dawkins and his cohorts bring in a lawsuit claiming that their "freedom" is being violated by students around their children saying the Our father as part of the morning prayer. And tht would make the faith school a non faith school after that. Clever. or maybe just simply stupid. Like everything else.
No state money or sponsorship should take place of faith schools. This is outrageous.
In the 1980s, the Muslim community in Britain started to set up Muslim schools. The first was the London School of Islamics which I established and which operating from 1981-86. Now there are 133 schools educating approximately 5% Muslim pupils. Very few schools are state funded.
The needs and demands of Muslim children can be met only through Muslim schools, but education is an expensive business and the Muslim community does not have the resources to set up schools for each and every child, and only eight Muslim schools have achieved grant maintained status.
This leaves a majority of children from Muslim families with no choice but to attend state schools. There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models.
Prince Charles, while visiting the first grant maintained Muslim school in north London, said that the pupils would be the future ambassadors of Islam. But what about thousands of others, who attend state schools deemed to be "sink schools"?
The time has come for the Muslim community - in the form of Islamic charities and trusts - to manage and run those state schools where Muslim pupils are in the majority. The Department for Education would be responsible for funding, inspection and maintenance.
The management would be in the hands of educated professional Muslims. The teaching of Arabic, Islamic studies, Urdu and other community languages by qualified Muslim teachers would help the pupils to develop an Islamic identity, which is crucial for mental, emotional and personality development.
In the east London borough of Newham, there are at least 10 state schools where Muslim pupils are in the majority.
The television newscaster Sir Trevor McDonald is a champion of introducing foreign modern languages even at primary level in schools in Britain. The Muslim community would like to see Arabic, Urdu and other community languages introduced at nursery, primary and secondary schools along with European languages so that Muslim pupils have these options.
In education, there should be a choice and at present it is denied to the Muslim community. In the late 80s and early 90s, when I floated the idea of Muslim community schools, I was declared a "school hijacker" by an editorial in the Newham Recorder newspaper in east London.
This clearly shows that the British media does not believe in choice and diversity in the field of education and has no respect for those who are different.
Muslim schools, in spite of meager resources, have excelled to a further extent this year, with two schools achieving 100% A-C grades for five or more GCSEs. They beat well resourced state and independent schools in Birmingham and Hackney.
Muslim schools are doing better because a majority of the teachers are Muslim. The pupils are not exposed to the pressures of racism, multiculturalism and bullying.
Iftikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
The Muslim community has been vicitm of Paki-bashing in all walks of life by the British society and Establishment for the last 60 years. Now it is vicitm of terrorism by the British Establishment. Thousands of Muslim youth are being serched in the streets and hundreds of them are behind the bar without any trial.
State schools with non-Muslim monolingual teachers are not suitable for Muslim children. This is the reason why majority of them leave schools with low grades.
Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models. Muslim schools are not only faith schools but they are more or less bilingual schools.
Bilingual Muslim children need to learn standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. They need to be well versed in Arabic to recite and understand the Holy Quran. They need to be well versed in Urdu and other community
languages to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry.
Bilingualism is an asset but the British schooling regards it as a problem. A Muslim is a citizen of this tiny global village. He/she does not want to become notoriously monolingual Brit. Pakistan is only seven hours from London and majority of British Muslims are from Pakistan.
More than third of British Muslim have no qualifications. British school system has been failing large number of Muslims children for the last 60 years. Muslim scholars see the pursuit of knowledge as a duty, with the Quran containing several verses to the rewards of learning. 33% of British Muslims of working age have no qualifications and Muslims are also the least likely to have degrees or equivalent qualifications. Most of estimated 500,000 Muslim school-aged pupils in England and Wales are educated in thestate system with non-Muslim monolingual teachers. Majority of them are
underachievers because they are at a wrong place at a wrong time.
Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers during their developmental periods. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school. As far as higher educationis concerned, Muslim students can be educated with others. Let Muslim
community educate its own children so that they can develop their own Islamic, cultural and linguistic identities and become usefull members of the British society rather than becoming a buden.
We are living in an English speaking country and English is an international language, therefore, we want our children to learn and be well versed in standard English and at the same time well versed in Arabic, Urdu and other community languages. Is there anything wrong with this approach?
It is not only the Muslim community who would like to send their children to Muslim school. Sikh and Hindu communities have started setting up their schools. Last week. British Black Community has planned the first all black school with Black teachers in Birmingham.
Scotland's first state funded Muslim school could get the go-ahead within months after First Munister Alex Salmond declared he was sympathetic towards the needs and demands of the Muslim community.
Iftikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk