'Our' faith schools

One of the oft-unspoken assumptions of those who support the academies scheme is that certain faith schools are all right, and should be encouraged. 'Normal' religions and denominations will be fine in the way they run schools, won't they?

This report suggests otherwise.

"In Fit for Mission, the document written for schools in the Lancaster diocese, O'Donoghue wrote: 'The secular view on sex outside of marriage, artificial contraception, sexually transmitted disease, including HIV and Aids, and abortion, may not be presented as neutral information ... parents, schools and colleges must also reject the promotion of so-called "safe sex" or "safer sex", a dangerous and immoral policy based on the deluded theory that the condom can provide adequate protection against Aids.'

The bishop also called for any books containing polemics against the Catholic faith to be removed from school libraries. 'Under no circumstances should any outside authority or agency that is not fully qualified to speak on behalf of the Catholic church ever be allowed to speak to pupils or individuals on sexual or any other matter involving faith and morals,' he said."

Secular school barred by Whitehall | UK News | The Observer

Secular school barred by Whitehall | UK News | The Observer

The school in question was the country's first 'trust' school. The basis of this site was the assumption that the greater powers over a school gained by an academy school sponsor would allow them to override the legal stipulation that there be an act of religious worship (specifically Christian worship) in every school every day. It appears that this might not be so. you could have a Wiccan academy school, but not a faithless one.

"One senior figure at the then Department for Education and Skills, told Kelley that bishops in the House of Lords and ministers would block the plans. Religion, they added, was 'technically embedded' in many aspects of education."

Unity has some insightful comments about the CofE's statement that: "Either overtly or by default, this country is still a Christian one." over at Liberal Conspiracy.

Oxbridge snub to government on academies | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics

Oxbridge snub to government on academies | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics: "Only one offer of a place at the university has so far been made to a pupil from any academy, but the student missed the grades required, it says."

The university in question is Cambridge. I realise that academies are meant to replace 'failing schools, but this hardly suggests that they are succeeding where the other schools failed. They are just failing more expensively...