How faith schools destroy parental choice

Here's a shocking example of how the policy of handing over community schools to religious organisations and other Blair-inspired experiments have destroyed any hope of meaningful school choice for liberal or progressive parents who don't wish to send their children to non-selective, non-sectarian or non-fee paying schools.

From Hansard for October 22nd 2006

                Ken Purchase (Wolverhampton North East, Labour) Link to this | Hansard source

"The hon. Gentleman mentioned church schools, which are bedevilling—forgive the pun, which was not intended—education in his constituency. The reason given for establishing academies there is that they will provide more parental choice. My constituency has three private schools, a girls grammar school, four Church schools, two foundation schools, a city technology college, Walsall academy, St. Thomas More Catholic school and a raft of specialist schools. In fact, the situation has become impossible for a liberal-minded parent who wants a school for their child that is non-selective, non-sectarian and non-fee-paying. This is how, in the hon. Gentleman's constituency, like mine, the choice agenda has resulted not in a wide liberal choice for progressives, but in a narrowing down of opportunities, which are restricted basically to those of a regressive understanding of education."

Later in the same debate:

                Bob Russell (Colchester, Liberal Democrat) Link to this | Hansard source

"Although I have a Christian upbringing, I am not an Anglican, but come from good nonconformist stock. I have serious misgivings about two of Colchester's local secondary schools being shut down and their replacement academy handed over to the Chelmsford diocese. If the diocese wants to have a secondary school to promote Anglican teachings then let it, like the Brentwood Roman Catholic diocese, organise its own school in Colchester to serve the whole of north Essex for those parents who wish to have such a denominational school—not impose itself on a particular geographic area of the town whose parents may not necessarily wish to have their children taught under a religious regime. What parental choice will there be for those in Monkwick and Shrub End who do not want their children to attend a religious academy? Will other secondary schools in Colchester have places available to accept them?"