Education

A collection of 82 posts

Education

Fundamentalist Christian private schools downgraded by Ofsted for failing to promote British values

This is a timely piece, since I was only talking about these schools recently in sharing a articles concerning the work of fellow Patheos blogger Jonny Scaramanga. This is from the British Humanist Association: A group of fundamentalist Christian private schools in England have been criticised by Ofsted inspectors and

Education

Department for Education ordered to amend ‘misleading’ faith school figures by UK Statistics Authority following BHA complaint

From the British Humanist Association: The Department for Education (DfE) has been forced to amend its education green paper by the UK Statistics Authority, following a complaint made by the British Humanist Association (BHA) over the ‘misleading’ figures it presents on the impact of religious selection at ‘faith’ schools. The

Creationism

Schools in the UK Are Teaching That Same-Sex Relationships Are Sinful, and Ofsted Are Praising Them

This damning and disturbing article featured on Vice recently, but it came out at the same time as Trump's election, so didn't get enough traction. Jonny Scaramanga, also of Patheos Atheist, has been involved in campaigning about this issue for years. Help spread the word. [OFSTED

Creationism

Judge criticises Jewish father for crime of telling his children about evolution

From the British Humanist Association: December 3rd, 2016 In a shocking judgement handed down by a family court in west London last year, but only just published now, a judge has denounced a father simply for exposing his children to basic information about the theory of evolution. The judgment, which

Education

Education Policy Institute: ‘faith schools’ academically no better; increasing them bad for social mobility

The British Humanist Association: December 2nd, 2016 In a new report published today, the Education Policy Institute has found that there is no academic difference between state religious schools (‘faith schools’) in England and others once pupils’ backgrounds are taken into account. It also found that faith schools take significantly

Education

Teach philosophy to heal our ‘post-truth’ society, says Irish President

This is exactly what i was talking about the other day to one of my colleagues. In British education, there is a movement called P4C - Philosophy 4 Children - and it is fab. I think it should be statutory in every school. In order to combat the post-fact reality

Education

Pupils punished after not going to Mass and leaving school

The BBC reports: A Catholic school near Motherwell has handed out detentions to about 50 pupils who failed to go to a Mass. The service at Taylor High School on Friday 30 September was attended by the Bishop of Motherwell, Joseph Toal. Some pupils did not take part and left

Education

Government approves yet more religious free schools just days after faith school admissions announcement

From the BHA: Take action! The principle of integrated education is under attack like never before in this country following the Government’s announcement that it will introduce a new generation of state schools that can religiously discriminate against children for all of their places. We are encouraging everyone to

BHA

Government publishes plans to allow full religious discrimination in school admissions

From the BHA: Take action! The principle of integrated education is under attack like never before in this country following the Government’s announcement that it will introduce a new generation of state schools that can religiously discriminate against children for all of their places. We are encouraging everyone to

BHA

UK Govt Looking to Give Faith Schools 100% Selection on Faith

Theresa May is turning out to be a really bad PM, regressively appealing to the fringe right in the party, some of whom she has put into leadership positions in her cabinet (Liam Fox and David Davis, anybody?). She has decided that social mobility is just something for liberal lefties,

Education

Humanist Activism: Why Buhanga Women Are Humanists - Kabugho Victorina

I was contacted the other day by the Brighter Brains Institute with regard to the humanist work they do with schools in Uganda. I remember reading about them in the New Humanist magazine some time ago and the fantastic projects they are involved in. The BBI mission is as follows:

Education

70 Rabbis challenge Chief Rabbi over religious selection in school admissions

School admissions have been a bone of contention of mine for a long time, especially having once worked in the faith school sector for about a decade. The UK is very different to places like the US. Here, in certain sectors, some 40% of our state schools are faith schools.

BHA

National first: University of Westminster appoints paid BHA accredited Secular Adviser

The BHA reports: The University of Westminster has broken new ground by appointing the UK’s first ever paid pastoral adviser for non-religious people. Isabel Millar, the university’s new Secular Adviser, comes to the university trained and accredited by the British Humanist Association (BHA), the UK’s national charity

BHA

Entirely the wrong direction of travel: Church of England announces 100 more church schools

From the BHA: The Church of England's educational empire-building continues, with its recent announcement of plans to build more than 100 discriminatory Anglican 'free schools', which will have the legal right to select 50% of school places on the basis of religion. As if that weren&

BHA

UN Children’s Rights Committee calls for end to compulsory worship in UK schools

A lot of people in the UK outside of education don't realise that there is still compulsory daily Christian worship (known as collective worship) within the state school system. This has been a valid target for the likes of the National Secular Society and the British Humanist Association

BHA

‘Faith Schoolers Anonymous’: Whistle-blowers’ shocking details about life in UK ‘faith’ schools

This is from the BHA: In a series of shocking revelations marking the launch of Faith Schoolers Anonymous, a new service for pupil whistle-blowers, bloggers from a range of ‘faith’ schools have shared their experiences of the education they received. Their accounts reveal instances of abuse, discrimination, and flagrant violations

extremism

5-Year-Olds, Pond Dipping, Innocent Childhoods, and ISIS

Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man, said the Jesuit priest. The other evening, I was lying in bed with one of my five-year-old twins, Finn. He is learning to read, and we were reading a book for early readers called Pond

BHA

DfE bows to churches’ demands for privilege and protection in face of full academisation

The BHA reports, concerning the ongoing issues in the UK educations system (much of which I have reported on extensively here): The Department for Education (DfE) has published memoranda of understanding formally setting out its agreements with the Catholic Church and Church of England (CofE) on the arrangements that will

BHA

Private religious school failed by Ofsted for teaching young earth creationism as science

This, from the BHA: In news that could have wide implications for the teaching of creationism in private schools, an independent religious school in London has been criticised by Ofsted for having a policy which ‘promotes the teaching of incorrect content’ on evolution and creationism, and told that it does

BHA

BHA: Childhoods stolen, adulthoods ruined: we expose illegal 'faith' schools in London

The BHA reports (which has been taken up in the UK by national media outlets): An investigation carried out by the British Humanist Association (BHA) has revealed that a number of unregistered strictly Orthodox Charedi Jewish schools in north London – which the Government is aware are operating illegally – are nonetheless

Education

New figures show 40% of latest Free School proposals were from faith groups

The BHA reports (and for those who do not know what "free schools" are, see here): The Department for Education (DfE) has now published the names, locations, and religious characters of all Free School applications from the ‘tenth wave’, revealing that two fifths of applications submitted were from

Education

First Female African-American Prof sacked, I Mean Parts Ways, With Wheaton College

There is a very important debate going on about whether higher education institutions should be properly accredited if they constrain their faculty to only believing, or adhering to party lines. These is something deeply anti-intellectual, anti-educational about such conformist and dogmatic approaches to life and learning. Critical analysis and critical

Education

Should We Teach Our Kids Analogue Time? And Board Games vs Computer Games

Okay, so a total digression from my normal topics, but... I was wondering about the skill of reading an analogue clock. Why do we still have them? Are digital clocks far superior, given their 24hr ability? And are analogue clocks' days and associated reading skills numbered, like (arguably) handwriting?

Education

BHA challenges Secretary of State on false allegation of ‘vexatious’ actions in open letter

The BHA (British Humanist ASsociation) write an open letter to (evangelical Christian) Education Secretary Nicky Morgan today. Their preamble and letter follow: Take action! We’ve written to Nicky Morgan to oppose the Government’s moves to prevent us and other civil society organisations from voicing concerns about the many

BHA

Government moves to ban organisations from exposing law-breaking schools unfairly restricting access to children and parents

The BHA reports: Following a report published by the British Humanist Association (BHA) and Fair Admissions Campaign (FAC) last year revealing that almost every religiously-selective school in England is breaking the law, the Education Secretary has announced she now plans to ban groups and organisations from officially raising concerns about