Pressure grows on faith schools

Ministers are facing mounting pressure to open up faith schools to represent all sections of their communities.

Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs are framing an amendment to the education bill before Parliament which would make it illegal to make religious affiliation the over-riding criterion for admission to a school.

That would add teeth to the Government's plans to encourage new faith schools to be "inclusive", either by admitting children of different faiths or none or by forming "partnerships" with other local schools.

At the same time, the Church of England, which plans to open 100 more Anglican secondary schools, is asking the Government to give diocesan education authorities the power to force them to reserve places for children of other faiths.

Ministers are said to be sympathetic, but would find it difficult to back the Church's request without forcing other faith groups to ensure their schools are equally "inclusive". Education Secretary Estelle Morris announced the Government's plans to the Church of England Synod last month, against a background of deep concern over the Government's encouragement of more schools backed by religious groups.

That grew still further last week after a Home Office inquiry into this year's race riots in Northern cities found local schools reflected a religious and ethnic segregation.

The amendment to the education bill is being framed by Liberal Democrat education spokesman Phil Willis, who said: "What Estelle Morris told the Synod won't work. At present, there are many faith schools which make it a criterion for admission that children have to be brought up in that faith. The better the school, the more oversubscribed it is, the more this criterion bites."