7/4/2008 7:30:00 AM
Letter; The Times 4 July
Is Cristina Odone right to call for more faith schools?
Sir, Cristina Odone accuses me of a “witch-hunt against faith schools” and of alleging they are “selective, divisive and a law unto themselves” (Opinion, June 30). This is absolute nonsense, and I have ordered no investigation into their admission practices.
First, all schools, faith or not, have to comply with the School Admissions Code, introduced last year to outlaw unfair admission arrangements which in the past have penalised low-income families and vulnerable children. We announced further action in March to strengthen the law, passed by Parliament and supported by all the political parties at the time. This included asking the independent admissions watchdog to assess compliance across all of England’s 23,000 state schools. All the faith groups are committed to the code, and these additional measures have been publicly supported by the Board of Deputies, Catholic Education Service and the Church of England. Secondly, faith schools are popular, successful, thriving and the oldest established part of the schools system — I am 100 per cent committed to that continuing. There is no doubt that faith schools play a leading role in fostering understanding and integration in their communities. One of the first actions I took in this job was to sign the Faith in the System statement, alongside all the large faith groups. It is the first time any government and all the leading religions in England had ever set out a long-term joint statement about faith schools’ wider role in society and the importance of nurturing young people in their own faiths. There can be no clearer demonstration of my support for the faith sector or supporting new providers, including faith groups, to establish schools in the state sector.
Ed Balls
Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
General
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