faith schools

Further evidence, if any were needed, that Education Secretary Michael Gove is determined to destroy our secular (i.e. comprehensive) education system, a process that began under the last government, and favour faith schools. The Catholic Herald reports that he advises that Catholic schools can avoid “unsympathetic meddling” by secularists if they take up the Government’s offer of academy status.

Read the report by clicking here.

Today's Telegraph reports that students at St. Benedict's in Colchester staged a protest after two were told off for holding hands. The headteacher, John O'Hara, said, "If we see students being overly familiar we always deal with it in an appropriate and tactful way." Overly familiar? Can't help wondering if this is about a fear of lesbianism? Girls have always been "familiar" with one another, with hugs and hand-holding. I remember photos of my mum as a teenager, arm in arm with her friends, or with their arms around each other's shoulders. Displaying affection is normal, Mr O'Hara.

Ekklesia reports on the results of a YouGov poll commissioned by ITV at around the time of the Pope's visit. They show that a school's religion doesn't necessarily come top of their priority list.

Factors such as performance of the school, how easy it is to get into, the area the school is in, curriculum (which may of course have a religious influence), class sizes and facilities all seem to have been more important for parents.

Thank you if you emailed your MP about the Academies Bill in response to an urgent appeal a few days ago, but it doesn't look as though we've had much success. One of our members had an email from his MP, as follows:

Thank you for your email ... and I note your concerns.

However, I have a different view to you on this matter and am a great advocate of faith schools.

I think you will find that there are safeguards for a balanced curriculum and I will not be tabling any amendments.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Therese Coffey MP
Suffolk Coastal

The Academies Bill is being rushed through Parliament with undue haste to try to get it sorted before the summer recess, which starts on 27 July. Amendments tabled by Dr Julian Huppert MP, vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, would have prevented or restricted religious discrimination in the new Academies’ admissions policies.

You may have read elsewhere about the shameful way that the House of Commons voted for Ed Balls' amendment to the Children, Schools and Families Bill, which means that the Catholics are crowing that they've won the right to teach a different version of sex education to other schools. Mark Steel (in the Independent) asked,

How can there be so many lunatics opposed to sex education? And apart from anything else, what makes them think a lesson about sex is going to make kids go out and immediately have sex? It's education about it, not an instruction to get it done before dinner break. Maybe they should demand an end to history lessons as well on the grounds that "I don't want my fourteen-year-old learning about Napoleon as he's too young to invade Italy."