Education|Deep Dive

A collection of 78 posts

BHA

Government publishes plans to allow full religious discrimination in school admissions

From the BHA: Take action! The principle of integrated education is under attack like never before in this country following the Government’s announcement that it will introduce a new generation of state schools that can religiously discriminate against children for all of their places. We are encouraging everyone to

Education

70 Rabbis challenge Chief Rabbi over religious selection in school admissions

School admissions have been a bone of contention of mine for a long time, especially having once worked in the faith school sector for about a decade. The UK is very different to places like the US. Here, in certain sectors, some 40% of our state schools are faith schools.

BHA

National first: University of Westminster appoints paid BHA accredited Secular Adviser

The BHA reports: The University of Westminster has broken new ground by appointing the UK’s first ever paid pastoral adviser for non-religious people. Isabel Millar, the university’s new Secular Adviser, comes to the university trained and accredited by the British Humanist Association (BHA), the UK’s national charity

BHA

Entirely the wrong direction of travel: Church of England announces 100 more church schools

From the BHA: The Church of England's educational empire-building continues, with its recent announcement of plans to build more than 100 discriminatory Anglican 'free schools', which will have the legal right to select 50% of school places on the basis of religion. As if that weren&

BHA

UN Children’s Rights Committee calls for end to compulsory worship in UK schools

A lot of people in the UK outside of education don't realise that there is still compulsory daily Christian worship (known as collective worship) within the state school system. This has been a valid target for the likes of the National Secular Society and the British Humanist Association

BHA

‘Faith Schoolers Anonymous’: Whistle-blowers’ shocking details about life in UK ‘faith’ schools

This is from the BHA: In a series of shocking revelations marking the launch of Faith Schoolers Anonymous, a new service for pupil whistle-blowers, bloggers from a range of ‘faith’ schools have shared their experiences of the education they received. Their accounts reveal instances of abuse, discrimination, and flagrant violations

BHA

DfE bows to churches’ demands for privilege and protection in face of full academisation

The BHA reports, concerning the ongoing issues in the UK educations system (much of which I have reported on extensively here): The Department for Education (DfE) has published memoranda of understanding formally setting out its agreements with the Catholic Church and Church of England (CofE) on the arrangements that will

BHA

BHA: Childhoods stolen, adulthoods ruined: we expose illegal 'faith' schools in London

The BHA reports (which has been taken up in the UK by national media outlets): An investigation carried out by the British Humanist Association (BHA) has revealed that a number of unregistered strictly Orthodox Charedi Jewish schools in north London – which the Government is aware are operating illegally – are nonetheless

Education

New figures show 40% of latest Free School proposals were from faith groups

The BHA reports (and for those who do not know what "free schools" are, see here): The Department for Education (DfE) has now published the names, locations, and religious characters of all Free School applications from the ‘tenth wave’, revealing that two fifths of applications submitted were from

Education

First Female African-American Prof sacked, I Mean Parts Ways, With Wheaton College

There is a very important debate going on about whether higher education institutions should be properly accredited if they constrain their faculty to only believing, or adhering to party lines. These is something deeply anti-intellectual, anti-educational about such conformist and dogmatic approaches to life and learning. Critical analysis and critical

Education

BHA challenges Secretary of State on false allegation of ‘vexatious’ actions in open letter

The BHA (British Humanist ASsociation) write an open letter to (evangelical Christian) Education Secretary Nicky Morgan today. Their preamble and letter follow: Take action! We’ve written to Nicky Morgan to oppose the Government’s moves to prevent us and other civil society organisations from voicing concerns about the many

BHA

Government moves to ban organisations from exposing law-breaking schools unfairly restricting access to children and parents

The BHA reports: Following a report published by the British Humanist Association (BHA) and Fair Admissions Campaign (FAC) last year revealing that almost every religiously-selective school in England is breaking the law, the Education Secretary has announced she now plans to ban groups and organisations from officially raising concerns about

Education

BHA exposé on unregistered, illegal Jewish schools which only teach about Judaism

The British Humanist Associuation are an organisation well worth supporting. And this news item is well worth watching: [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hICjMR7Tj1w&utm_source=BHA+E-Bulletin+2014&utm_campaign=61baa45705-BHA_e_bulletin_2015_09_079_2_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=

BHA

Welsh Government wishes to replace ‘Religious Education’ subject in schools with ‘Religion, Philosophy and Ethics’

This news comes from the British Humanist Association: Taking questions in the Senedd, the Welsh Minister for Education and Skills, Huw Lewis, has announced that he wants to see a transformation of the way in which Religious Education is taught in Wales. Under the new proposals, and in a signif

capitalism

Dealing with replies to my free market skepticism posts

This chap (to whom the series was directed), Scotty M, has replied to some of my points in the series on Free Market Economics. Unfortunately, he would rather rabidly bash away at You Tube than bring a civil discussion here. The most common issue that Scotty faces is his predilection for straw ma

extremism

Pertinent: Government's obsession with faith and free schools 'breeds social and racial segregation'

With another massacre, this time in Parisian France, and the issues with religious extremism, this is as pertinent as ever. This is from The Independent: Exclusive: Chair of Social Integration Commission says Government has ignored impact of education policies, and calls for schools to monitor how well children from different

Education

'Extremist' nurseries to lose funding - Nicky Morgan

The post-Trojan horse shenanigans rumble on. The BHA are riding the secular wave - good on 'em. The BBC reports: Councils are to be given powers to stop funding early-years providers with links to extremism, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has announced. The move, in England, follows a letter-writing campaign

Education

School governors: abolish rules on Christian assemblies

The National Governors' Association calls for the abolition of the 70-year-old rule that requires schools to hold a Christian assembly every day, saying it is "meaningless"

faith schools

The correlation fallacy of faith schools and their 'better results'.

I have often argued about (state-funded) faith schools in the UK, and whether their above-average exam results are used in repeated examples of the correlation fallacy. Well, it seems they are. The reality (and having worked in some, I should know) is that the sorts of parents who want their c

atheism

Taxpayers' cash should not be used to fund faith schools, say voters

OK, so if you have been following the debacle of the schools in Birmingham, UK, which have involved the schools inspectorate in the UK, you will know that there is a huge worry in the UK that certain schools are becoming worryingly victim to Islamic extremism. I will not explain

Education

Concerns over religious hardliners inspecting independent 'faith schools'

These schools shouldn't even be allowed to exist, let alone be policed by their own. As the National Secular Society reports: The National Secular Society has expressed concern that inspectors with extremist views are working for the body responsible for inspecting Muslims and Christian independent

catholicism

Headmaster sacked from Catholic school over marriage split

This, from the Telegraph:   Headmaster sacked from Catholic school over marriage split A top Catholic school retracted its job offer to a new headteacher after governors learnt the chosen candidate had split up with his wife Christopher Belli was offered the top job at Corpus Christi RC High School in

Education

Islamic take-over of UK schools being investigated

The government are continuing to look into the Islamification of certain schools in the Birmingham area as I reported (from the BBC) before. Here, the anti-terrorism unit has got involved. This is close to my teaching and secular heart (from the BBC again):

Education

Education and religion: Invention or not, tactics in alleged Birmingham school plot are familiar

The Guardian reports, following up from a story which I reposted here: Experienced headteachers say they recognise ploy outlined in document about alleged Islamic plot to 'take over' schools

Education

'Islamic takeover plot' in Birmingham schools investigated

As a teacher, I cannot tell you how much this worries me. I will be striking later this month in opposition to this government push on 'free schools' an academies which is thinly veiled attempt to privatise education and politically liberalise it. I could bore you for hours on the ramifications and