Local authorities to get powers over admissions to church schools
-19/10/06
Plans to en
Local authorities to get powers over admissions to church schools
-19/10/06
Plans to encourage new state-funded faith schools in England to take up to 25% of pupils from other backgrounds, and devolve more decision-making over admissions to local authorities, are to be drawn up by the government.
Education Minister Lord Adonis told peers an amendment would be made to the Education and Inspections Bill.
But he said it would not be mandatory, adding: “There will be no quotas.”
Peers had considered an amendment from Lord Baker to make taking 25% of pupils from other faiths, or of no faith, statutory. The plans have now been withdrawn.
The Conservative former education secretary told the House of Lords he saw some faith schools as “divisive”, saying: “I just think it’s wrong to divide children by religion at the ages of five and 11.”
“And where that has happened, in societies like Northern Ireland, that crop has produced a savage harvest.”
Many Church of England schools currently discriminate in their admissions policies, in favour of children of parents who attend churches connected to the schools.
A survey in 2004 found that more than a quarter of parents were willing to lie, including about their faith, to get their children into good schools. Some said that the move by the Church of England to open up 25% of its places in new schools to equal admissions, fell dismally short of what was needed.
Lord Baker withdrew his amendment at the end of the debate, after Lord Adonis’s announcement.
Lord Adonis said an amendment would be brought forward to give local authorities the power to require new faith schools to offer 25% of places to children of other faiths or no faith.
Where there was a lot of local opposition, parents and others will be able to appeal to the education secretary, he said.
Lord Adonis said: “We do not believe it right for there to be a mandatory, national 25% requirement in respect of new faith schools.
“However, we would wish to give local authorities, in their role as guardians of community cohesion, a power to require that new faith schools have admissions policies which include an offer of at least 25% of places on the basis of local preference, not faith preference alone.”
Local authorities to get powers over admissions to church schools
-19/10/06
Plans to encourage new state-funded faith schools in England to take up to 25% of pupils from other backgrounds, and devolve more decision-making over admissions to local authorities, are to be drawn up by the government.
Education Minister Lord Adonis told peers an amendment would be made to the Education and Inspections Bill.
But he said it would not be mandatory, adding: “There will be no quotas.”
Peers had considered an amendment from Lord Baker to make taking 25% of pupils from other faiths, or of no faith, statutory. The plans have now been withdrawn.
The Conservative former education secretary told the House of Lords he saw some faith schools as “divisive”, saying: “I just think it’s wrong to divide children by religion at the ages of five and 11.”
“And where that has happened, in societies like Northern Ireland, that crop has produced a savage harvest.”
Many Church of England schools currently discriminate in their admissions policies, in favour of children of parents who attend churches connected to the schools.
A survey in 2004 found that more than a quarter of parents were willing to lie, including about their faith, to get their children into good schools. Some said that the move by the Church of England to open up 25% of its places in new schools to equal admissions, fell dismally short of what was needed.
Lord Baker withdrew his amendment at the end of the debate, after Lord Adonis’s announcement.
Lord Adonis said an amendment would be brought forward to give local authorities the power to require new faith schools to offer 25% of places to children of other faiths or no faith.
Where there was a lot of local opposition, parents and others will be able to appeal to the education secretary, he said.
Lord Adonis said: “We do not believe it right for there to be a mandatory, national 25% requirement in respect of new faith schools.
“However, we would wish to give local authorities, in their role as guardians of community cohesion, a power to require that new faith schools have admissions policies which include an offer of at least 25% of places on the basis of local preference, not faith preference alone.”