"Trojan Horses" and schools

All the political fuss and agonising about some UK schools and their governance could have been avoided if the state did not fund faith schools. It is the purpose of a school to educate young people to think for themselves not to indoctrinate them with religious or political beliefs. Religious education should be reserved for the private sector where, even there, minimum curriculum standards should be maintained.

No-one should be prevented from sending their children to a synagogue, church or mosque or any other religious place of worship and "Sunday, Saturday and Friday school " activities should not be controlled by the state. Religious practise, however, is best left to the home and the place of worship.

School governors and teachers in state schools should not be selected on the basis of faith or the lack of it but they should be selected on the basis of whether they are qualified to run an educational establishment or teach in one.

School governors and teachers should keep their religious and political views to themselves in state funded schools. Young people should not be subjected to any form of indoctrination.

If someone wishes to pray at school they should be allowed to do so. No young person, however, should be coerced into praying and teachers should not be allowed to inform on pupils who do not wish to pray or wear religious symbols etc.

It is difficult to define British values; some values have been fought for by generations of Britons and these are: the right to have freedom of conscience, the right to free speech, the right to be a member of a religion or to become an apostate without sanction. These values are not unique to Britain.

British society is in the main secular even if the official religion is the Church of England. Contrary to the belief of some religious leaders most secularists do not want to impose restrictions upon religious belief or the right of people to worship. We believe that there is a time and place for everything within the law. The time and place for religion  is not in state funded schools.

The best way to defend the interests of the religious and non-religious alike is to support secular state funded schools and a secular society in general. How else can we all live together in peace? Let everyone have equal human rights and obligations with regard to their conscience, freedom of thought and speech. Let us all play by the same rules and then there will be no need for the unfair "Trojan Horse" accusations.