Make faith school admissions fairer, says Clarke

More effort should be given to devising “fairer admissions policies” for faith schools, which should also address a range of serious concerns about how pupils are selected, according to a report written by former Education Secretary Charles Clarke, writes Joanna Moorhead.

The report describes the advantages of devising a policy that “relies on each and every faith school making explicit what kind of faith formation it offers”.

It calls into question the policy of selecting pupils on church attendance, explaining: “If ­parents and children are willing to accept that in-school formation and not ‘opt out’ then that – rather than pre-existing family practices – would serve to demonstrate their commitment to the faith.”

This approach would remove many of the shortcomings of the current system, the report says, and “where over-subscription remained, random systems of selection, such as a lottery, would be needed”.

The report said this approach would lead to greater fairness and transparency. At the same time, it said that a disadvantage would be that it “removes some control over setting admissions criteria from faith schools and churches and it does not fully safeguard access for worshipping families.”

Paul Barber, director of the Catholic Education Service, said this suggestion was worrying for the Catholic community, as it would reduce the rights of governing bodies to select on religious practice – but he pointed out that in its recommendations the report stated that children of families of faith should where possible be able to attend schools of that faith, “and that their current right to be given priority in the admissions process should not be removed”.

The report, co-authored with Linda Woodhead of Lancaster University, also calls for the obligation on state schools in England and Wales to provide a daily act of collective worship to be scrapped and suggests the establishment of a new national syllabus for teaching religion.