ABSTRACT
A major argument against Faith schools, as we have already seen, is that a central aim of publicly funded education, (namely, the pursuit of the ‘common good’ through the creation of a socially cohesive society) is under threat partly, it is claimed, because of educational discrimination and segregation on religious grounds. Such an accusation is exacerbated by the further accusation that such discrimination leads to ethnic and social class selection, though this is strongly denied by the religious bodies, as indicated in Chapter 3. The Butler-Sloss Report (2015) on Religion in Public Life (referred to in Chapters 2 and 3) had argued that it would be community schools, through their non-discriminatory intake and curriculum (thereby recognising the significance of diversity) which fostered ‘the common good’. Thus, Andrew Copson, chief executive of the British Humanist Society, in supporting that report, argued that ‘vital to the future of Britain as a cohesive society will be the ability of people of all religions and non-religious beliefs and identities to act together for the common good’.
