Accord Coalition

17/02/2022

Our fine coordinator, Paul Pettinger, has moved on after nearly 12 years service... but we are delighted that he is remaining as an Accord Coalition consultant and helping with one specific area of work.

Paul Pettinger, who has been the Accord's National Coordinator since May 2010 has formally left the employ of the Coalition after nearly 12 years service -...

10/02/2022

Teacher unions are threatening legal action over an attempt to force a Diocese's local authority maintained schools to all become academies. It is a worrying case where public officials are helping a Diocese try and ride roughshod over the opinions of school governors. Sponsors of state funded faith schools gaining further power and control over the schools is sadly too often placed ahead of other considerations.

Teacher unions have urged the Education Secretary to confirm that a direction issued to all Catholic voluntary aided schools in the Diocese of Hallam to jo...

07/02/2022

Some state funded faith schools (voluntary controlled ones) have their admission arrangements set by their local Council, and a minority of Councils permit these schools to operate a religiously discriminatory admission policy. But there is now one fewer thanks to Suffolk County Council. It has decided the voluntary controlled schools it controls must not religiously select pupils. A welcome example for the minority of local authorities still facilitating religious discrimination.

Practising Church of England families will no longer get priority admission at oversubscribed faith schools in Suffolk from September 2023.

12/01/2022

Misrepresenting religious belief or commitment has today again been found to be the most common way that school admission rules are being cheated. We are calling upon the sponsors of religiously selective faith schools to stop being complicit and phase out religiously selective admission arrangements, which are repeatedly shown to be more open to misuse and exploitation than other forms of selection.

Misrepresenting religious belief or commitment has again been found to be the most common way school admission rules are cheated, inviting further opprobri...

04/01/2022

We are delighted to announce that Simon Barrow has become our new interim Chair. Simon has spent decades working in support of diversity and freedom of religion and belief, and brings a wealth of experience to the role. He is currently Director of the beliefs, ethics and politics think-tank, Ekklesia.

We extend our enormous thanks to his outgoing predecessor, the Revd Stephen Terry, who has served admirably as the campaign's Chair for the last four years. More details available on our website at: https://accordcoalition.org.uk/2022/01/04/accord-welcomes-simon-barrow-as-its-new-chair/.

The writer, commentator, public policy analyst and practical theologian, Simon Barrow, has today been announced as the Accord Coalition’s new Chair.

15/10/2021

The former Bishop of Oxford, Lord Harries of Pentregarth, last month voted and spoke in favour of a Private Members Bill which sought to remove the requirement for compulsory daily Christian worship at non-faith schools in England. Today he has expanded upon his views in The Church Times. He powerfully writes that in his opinion the compulsory worship "... degrades the whole concept of worship, reinforces the indifference with which people now treat it, and brings the Church of England into serious disrepute."

It is time to change a law that threatens to bring the C of E into serious disrepute, argues Richard Harries

15/10/2021

10/09/2021

A Private Members Bill seeking to replace requirements for daily Christian worship in non-faith schools, with instead inclusive assemblies, passed its second stage this week. Sadly opposed by the Government, the Bill's support further demonstrates the wide backing for reform.

The debate heard from Peers of different religious and non-religious beliefs, including the former Bishop of Oxford, Lord Harries of Pentregarth. Explaining his support for the Bill, he stated "... the current law does not reflect where we are as a society and does a disservice to the Christian faith".

Lord Desai suggested some pupils should be given the option of an extra hour in bed during time allotted for assemblies.

02/09/2021

Today's Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse report charts a shocking failure by faith organisations to protect children in their care from s*xual abuse. The age of excessive deference towards such groups, at the expense of the welfare of children, must now end. It should include, as the Inquiry argues, better regulation of illegally unregistered schools and other education settings, many of which are faith based.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has today published damning findings of its investigation into the child protection practices and procedur...

17/08/2021

Newly published survey findings reveal that, like public opinion in Britain, an overwhelming majority of the Northern Irish public support having a religiously inclusive school system. It reaffirms the need for those who want schools to treat people of different religions and beliefs equally and fairly to continue to work together, to overcome the religious and ethnic tribalism that is being permitted to frustrate reform.

An overwhelming majority of the Northern Irish public support having a religiously integrated school system newly published survey findings reveal.

22/07/2021

Ofsted has admonished a private faith school for stocking a library book that advocated killing people for homos*xuality. The material is truly shocking and extreme, and it shouldn't be easily dismissed as an aberration. Various curriculum exemptions mean that religiously justified homophobia is a worse problem in the school system, and we continue to lobby for change.

Ofsted has admonished a private faith school for stocking a library book that advocated killing people for s*xual behaviour with members of the same s*x.