In purely secular terms, Easter has come to be characterised not only by chocolate eggs and Easter bunnies, but also the now annual rehearsing of the teacher union’s opposition to schools with a religious character, popularly known as faith schools. This is a great shame. Surely we should all be working together to ensure that every child has a good education, in whatever type of school, and with the continued choice of education that characterises the current system?
Education at it best should be a reflection of the virtues and values of the society that it serves. We are one in which faith matters. This is patently demonstrated by the high number of parents choosing faith schools and by the results of various surveys. A recent Guardian/ICM poll revealed that, of a pool of more than one thousand respondents, 60% of those surveyed thought children benefit from a faith-based education, while 69% of those with school-age children supported a religious ethos at school. Another poll, commissioned by the BBC found that 62% were in favour of religion and religious values playing an important role in British public life. Meanwhile, 63% of those questioned agreed that laws should respect and be influenced by the UK's religious values.
If faith schools were to be abolished and attempts made to secularise education, it would be tantamount to saying that, despite what the majority of the British public think, “Faith should not matter”. Any such move suggests that faith ought to be relegated to being a secret activity, out of sight and out of mind. This helps no one. This contradicts what faith is and what faith has to offer our society; faith is a lived experience, not an embarrassed, behind closed doors gathering.
To try to eliminate faith from education would only divide society further by undermining those parents who wish their children to experience an education rooted in faith. They do not seek to remove the choice of a community school from those who prefer it and by the same token, no one should remove the opportunity to seek a school with a religious character.
Schools with a religious character are undoubtedly successful by any measure. They work well in terms of the behaviour of young people and the development of their sense of community and good citizenship, the teaching and learning and in terms of what young people attain and achieve. According to Ofsted 60% of Catholic secondary schools were rated as excellent or very good with regard to “respect for others”, compared to 30% of other schools. Across the board, a higher number of Catholic schools are rated excellent, very good or good.
Instead of dismantling such schools, teachers and their leaders would be better placed working to support one another across the whole family of schools, and putting their energies into getting the resources, respect and successful outcomes to which every school aspires. Let us pay more attention to what unites us, to what we have in common and to what we can share, so that all schools are places where pupils can flourish and where teachers can enjoy fulfilment and security in their professional roles.
