Welcome
Our policy
Quick background (revised)
Reasons for opposing religious schools
Answers to the arguments for religious schools
Legal background
Numbers of schools, teachers and pupils
History
Quotations from experts and interested parties
Government policy
Extracts from the Church of England's report
Who we are
Useful links and resources

Welcome to the LEARNING TOGETHER website.

LEARNING TOGETHER is a resource for the campaign for inclusive schools for all our children and against segregating them in faith-based schools - those that select pupils by their religion (or rather the religion of their parents). There is wide support for this objective, as illustrated by some of the quotations on this site.

About one in three schools in England is a religious school, and the Government is rapidly increasing their number, as part of its policy of creating specialist schools. Most "new" schools are actually existing schools handed over (without charge) to faith groups.
 

Children should not be segregated at school according to their parents' beliefs but should learn together, about each other and from each other.

All publicly funded schools should admit and respect children of all races and backgrounds, of all religions and none.

There should be no discrimination on religious grounds in the selection of pupils or staff.

Education in all publicly funded schools should include impartial, fair and balanced "beliefs and values education" about the main religions and non-religious ethical life stances. It should also include effective moral education, both by explicit teaching and by the experience of shared values in the school community.

School assemblies should seek to inspire the pupils and widen their horizons but should not include any act of worship.

Publicly funded schools should, however, provide facilities for optional religious worship and instruction at the wish of the parents or of the older pupils themselves.

Publicly funded schools should allow the wearing of costume etc on religious grounds, should provide school meals suited to religiously required diets, should recognise by holidays or otherwise the major religious festivals that pupils observe, and should in other ways "accommodate" the religious requirements of their pupils.

Simultaneously with the implementation of the above changes, faith-based schools should be given a timetable for withdrawal of their subsidies so that they can decide between independence and joining the community school system and observing the guidelines set out above.