The subject of segregation in faith schools was debated in a special interest group led by the Accord Coalition. The chair of Accord, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain MBE, argued that Judaism and the United Reformed Church have a common cause of fairness, which is not always what happens in admissions to faith schools. Children of all faiths should attend the same school, he said, and church schools should teach all religions, not just their own.

 

The second member of the panel, Revd Ian McDonald, argued that Christianity is incompatible with favouritism. He said that the present system encourages hypocrisy - going to church purely to get a school place. The third panellist, the Revd Tim Meachin, shared his experience as a teacher, that faith schools can operate fairly, giving pupils a strong sense of mission and what they can go on to achieve, but can also be highly exclusive.

 

It emerged in the discussion that there are both state schools and private schools operating under a URC banner, but that delegates didn’t know a lot about them as there is no central oversight. The questions were raised: Could more information be made available? Could a URC policy statement be made on fairness in school selection?