Over the last week I have had a series of meetings with faith groups and colleagues in the House and we have made considerable progress. 

We have today exchanged letters with the Catholic Church setting out an agreed way forward to ensure that up to 25% of places in new Catholic schools for pupils from other or no faith would be additional to the demand for faith places.  The Church of England has already pledged to deliver the same for its new schools.

As we now have the support of the two major faith organisations in the country for our proposed way forward, I do not feel the legislative route is necessary or appropriate and no longer propose to lay an amendment to the Education and Inspection Bill.

Consensus was reached with all faith groups to place a new duty on all school governing bodies to promote community cohesion and additionally to ensure that OFSTED inspect all schools on this element of what they do.  We will secure this principle by amendments to the Bill.  I will also bring all the faith groups together again so we can discuss further measures that we can take to promote inclusion and understanding of each other’s faith on the basis of consensus. 

I have listened carefully to colleagues on this issue and recognise that we all share the same goal for a more cohesive society where faith schools play an important part in building understanding and tolerance of other faiths and communities.

Yours sincerely

Alan Johnson