The government’s radical plans to open more faiths schools were spearheaded by Labour MP Ed Balls, Schools and Families Secretary. The government intend to not only open more schools but to remove some of the barriers which stop children of certain faiths obtaining an education within a religious school.

The plans were presented as a joint initiative with Church of England, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Greek Orthodox and Sikh representatives. Mr Balls rejected claims that this decision was following the wake of a previous failed initiative to get faith schools to admit a quota of pupils from outside of their faith group. He rather insisted that the proposals reflect the government’s appreciation of the importance of the faith section in education.

The joint statement, called ‘Faith in the System’, said that the Government and religious groups’ provision of faith schools “confirm our commitment to continue to work together and with schools with and without a religious character to improve the life chances of children, to build bridges to greater mutual trust and understanding and to contribute to a just and cohesive society.”

In addition, the document aims to dissolve some of the myths around faiths schools, such as viewing them as places which act as breeding grounds for fundamentalism and as centres of indoctrination. Rather, Mr Balls insists, the development of British faith schools can encourage and promote greater respect between different faiths and different faith groups.

Mr Balls, speaking at the launch at the British Library last week, said that faith schools played an integral part in today’s society. “For hundreds of years faith groups have had a long and noble tradition at the heart of our education system – from medieval times down to the present day. Today, around one-third of all schools have a religious character.

“I fully recognise that faith schools are popular with many parents and make a valuable contribution to the way in which this country educates its children. “Faith in the System is a ground-breaking document representing the Government’s and religious groups’ commitment to ensuring that every child, wherever they start in life, gets to experience the best our education system has to offer.”

The government’s enthusiasm for faith schools was taken up by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who said it was a step forward for interfaith relations. "I very much welcome the clear commitment to the role of faith-based schools within the system of education in this country which the government is affirming,” he said.

“The more that religious schools form an integral part of our overall educational provision, the better the chances of educating all students sensitively in what it actually feels like to share convictions of faith.” He added: "Church of England schools are proud of their distinctive ethos: they offer not a programme of indoctrination, but the possibility of developing a greater level of community cohesion through the understanding of how faith shapes common life. This matters for the lives of individuals, whether they are believers or not – because the failure to understand how faith operates leaves us at sea in engaging with our neighbours at local and global level.”

Other faith leaders have welcomed the government’s intentions also. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O' Connor said he welcomed the “Government’s very public recognition of the contribution made by faith schools to the harmony of our society as a whole”.

He continued: “An ongoing partnership between the Catholic Church and the Government based on the right of Catholic parents – under the Human Rights Act – to choose a Catholic education for their children is a proven way of forming youngsters as good British citizens of the future.

“I welcome this Vision Statement and the support of the Government for faith communities in this educational endeavour.”

Henry Grunwald, QC, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “This is an important document – one that needs to be read again and again by elected officials, the media and anyone interested in the health of education in Britain. ‘Faith in the System’ goes a long way towards dispelling the myths, preconceived notions and negative stereotypes surrounding faith schools and demonstrates their role in ensuring that British society continues to aspire to the highest ideals of toleration and mutual respect.”

Dr Mohamed Mukadam, Chairman of the Association of Muslim Schools UK, said: “The ‘Faith in the System’ initiative presents a historic opportunity for all faith schools to work collaboratively and help British young people develop a better and deeper understanding of God and utilise this knowledge to become successful individuals.”

Dr Indarjit Singh, Director of the Network of Sikh Organisations said that the proposals echoed Guru Nanak’s teaching that different religions could lead to an understanding of God. Also, Nitesh Gor, Director of I-Foundation, said that the Government’s proposals indicate a “bright future for faith schools in a multi-cultural, multi-faith society”.

But the secularists, who have so ravaged Mr Balls’ proposals this month, say that more faiths schools will only have a negative effect on British education. Keith Porteous Wood, the director of the National Secular Society (NSS) said: “The Government is arguing against all the evidence. Schools based on religion are divisive, they create injustice in their admissions procedures and they cause parents to lie and cheat to get places in publicly funded schools.”

He continued: “The academic success of church schools has been shown repeatedly to be because of their ability to select – which they do in many instances quite ruthlessly, and this is why they are popular with some parents. A poll in the latest edition of Readers’ Digest shows that the majority of parents do no agree with the existence of faith schools and yet the Government -- known for its high proportion of believers -- is about to create more. Parents want good schools, not religious, schools.”

Terry Sanderson, President of the NSS, told The Church of England Newspaper that he was appalled by the proposals and that it would encourage segregation. “We really can’t understand how separating children on the basis of their parent’s religion will help – it is beyond me,” he said.

“Children need to know about each other’s religion and understand their differences – this is not the way to do it.”

Research from the London School of Economics (LSE), he added, proved that inter-cultural cohesion was at a high while pupils attended primary school. Once out of primary education children begin to develop their prejudices towards other religious groups, he argued. Therefore this was a fundamental time for pupils to be mixing together in an environment which has not been defined by religious boundaries.

This week two leading educationists studied in depth the intake patterns registered for faith schools, using data obtained from the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Rebecca Allen, of London’s Institute of Education and Professor Anne West, Professor of Education Policy at LSE said that many secondary faith schools effectively cherry picked their pupils and that their students often do not reflect the underprivileged areas within the school’s neighbourhood. But the Church of England has denied these observations.

“The LSE study focuses purely on London, which has a very different demographic to the rest of the country,” a spokesman said.

“The Church always has, and always will be, committed to serving the communities within which our schools are located.”

The Church of England continues to remain unshakeable in its defence of their schools. In a previous edition of this newspaper the Rev David Whittington, Head of School Development for the Church of England, said that running a school on a Christian ethos provided the firmest foundation for education. “It’s our firm belief that only an educational experience with faith at its heart can offer the maximum development for individuals and maximum potential for cohesive integrated community,” he said.

And considering that schools were first established by the church in the first place, who can blame the Church of England’s willingness to adopt the government’s latest plans with such gusto? The Church has every leg to stand on in this argument, it seems.