Results of Deputy Leadership Candidate Survey:Education and Discrimination

Here are the responses from candidates for the Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party on questions regarding our education system:

What do you say to; (a) parents who can’t send their children to a their nearest school because that school discriminates against them on the basis of their religion or belief; (b) to teachers who are discriminated against and barred from thousands of teaching jobs on the basis of their religion or belief?

Hilary Benn

I was comprehensively educated and my mother was great campaigner for comprehensive education. I am a firm supporter and there are many comprehensive faith schools which reflect what some parents wish to have. The shortest suicide note in history would be an election manifesto promising to abolish faith schools, and I’ve seen in my own constituency how much good the best faith schools do.

What’s important is that our education system promotes tolerance, inclusion and cohesion between communities. It’s right that we’ve made sure that faith schools have to accept at least a minimum proportion of pupils from another faith, and we should look carefully at reforms that take us further.

Hazel Blears

I support faith schools. I have encouraged a new Jewish faith school in my constituency. Faith schools should encourage relations with other schools in their neighbourhoods, and pupils at faith schools should be experience other faiths and points of view.

Jon Cruddas

We should ensure that all children have access to a good local school. Achieving that is a rather more complicated issue than perhaps the parameters of this question allow me to explore in its totality. The public sector should set the highest standards in employment practice and that goes for schools as much as any other service.

Peter Hain

As Northern Ireland Secretary, I have tried to promote integrated education, rather than having an education system which perpetuates sectarian division.

The right of parents to choose to send their children to a school with a particular ethos must not mean compromising on the standards of the curriculum – for example, we must not allow ideology to interfere with science lessons.

I don’t believe teachers should be discriminated against – you don’t need to be religious to teach geography.

Harriet Harman

I have long been a campaigner for equality and a campaigner against discrimination because you cannot be a little bit against discrimination – you are either fighting against it or accepting it.

This is as important in terms of religious beliefs as it is in terms of gender, race, age and disability which we are used to talking about.

We should be tolerant of individuals’ and groups’ rights to their own beliefs, but there is no place for that in any of our public services. We should not condemn religious beliefs through the state – that is absolute – but we should not allow religious beliefs to condemn others through instruments of the state – through schools, through vital local services and through Parliament: as the Labour Humanist Group rightly raises.

And in making policy, the views of religious groups must be taken into account – but not to override the views of others.

Faith schools should only be brought into the state system where there is a particular need, and where they unite communities rather than divide. The focus for our schools should be standards, not structures. I think what people want is a good local school for all children in their neighbourhood. The choice agenda arose when the Tories left state schools in such disrepair that people wanted to choose to get away from the local failing schools, and faith schools are part of that choice. But we need to reverse the trend of allowing education to divide the community – cohesive communities exist where there is religious (and non-religious) tolerance fostered from understanding and shared experienced.

Alan Johnson

I have made my position on faith schools clear as Secretary of State and in this campaign.  Whilst I understand the concern about not being able to send children to the local school, my experience in my time at DfES has shown me that faith schools are, on the whole, providing a good education and a good service to the community. 

Faith schools as a whole are an important part of diversity and they are as strongly committed to community engagement and inclusion as other schools.

The Government is committed to encouraging the participation of faith schools and religious organisations in the state-maintained sector and to supporting schools in their valuable contribution towards community cohesion.  Last year I placed a new duty on the governing bodies of all maintained schools, including but not limited to faith schools, to promote community cohesion.

I do think we need to bring more faith school from the independent sector into the state sector so that they have to teach the national curriculum and are properly inspected by Ofsted.

In terms of staff in faith schools we have made sure that UK rules are in line with the letter of the EU Employment  Anti-Discrimination Directive brought into law in the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003.  But to make sure this is used properly voluntary aided schools will need to make the case that there is a genuine occupational requirement in relation to any post.

The recent debates over Catholic adoption agencies have been healthy for the Government and for the Labour Party.  My position here is very clear: I would never support discrimination against any group in our society, and have opposed any proposed exemptions on the grounds of religion.

Do you agree that any state school should proactively treat children differently by seeking to “nourish” the beliefs of children who are members of a faith and at the same time “challenge” the beliefs of children with non-religious beliefs?

Hilary Benn

I believe all children, regardless of background or belief, should be both nourished and challenged.

Hazel Blears

See the answer above

Jon Cruddas

All state schools should teach the national curriculum and be inspected for their compliance with its requirements.

Peter Hain

If parents want to send their kids to a school with a particular ethos, that’s a matter for them. Parents have the right to determine whether or not their children are taught particular religious beliefs at school.

Harriet Harman

See the answer above

Alan Johnson

See the answer above

Will you support giving all schools more freedom to determine their ethos by repealing the requirement that all schools, including community schools, must carry out collective acts of Christian worship?

Hilary Benn

No. We live in a Christian state, and I think any changes to school practice in this way put the cart before the horse: they should be preceded by a more open and larger discussion about the relationship of the state to faiths.

Hazel Blears

No.

Jon Cruddas

I believe that local communities should be able to determine the ethos of their schools through the proper democratic processes and that local authorities should have sufficient autonomy to ensure that.

Peter Hain

I don’t believe it is for the state to compel all schools to carry out acts of worship.

Harriet Harman

See the answer above

Alan Johnson

I believe that every child should have the right to be withdrawn from religious education and collective worship, and that parents should not have to state their reasons for requesting a withdrawal. I have made sure that schools must act on any such request.

Comments

[Paul]

Absolutely shocking answers from Hilary Benn. Particulary the last one. Why should children be forced into acts of collective worship? This is only a Christian state in name. De-facto the vast majority do not practice Christianity.

It seems Peter Hain is the only candidate in touch with reality on this issue. I can only assume the experience of faith schools in Northern Ireland has been sobering!

[Phil]

^WHS... the experience of the way schools in NI have reinforced the divide in society should be a lesson to politicians that encouraging their development here is a seriously negative step.

[Robert Ede]

Well I think it is quite clear the Labour party is not only pro-religious but anti-humanist, certainly in my dealings with them. They seem to actively dislike any engagement with humanist groups, and quite frankly given their policies I'm amazed there is a Labour Humanist group at all.

Harriet Harmen seems to be the only one amongst the group who has any clue about promoting diversity and inclusiveness.