Campaign against faith schools

Faith Schools Campaigner appeal · 5 October 2015
The British Humanist Association employs the only campaigner working full time in opposition to the state funding of ‘faith’ schools and against religious discrimination in admissions, employment and the curriculum. Since the beginning of this year, that campaigner has been Jay Harman. He leads the BHA’s efforts to eradicate ‘faith’ schools and religious selection, to rid the classroom of creationism in favour of evolution, to repeal the requirement for collective worship in schools, to ensure all children have access to high-quality sex and relationships education, and to make religious education objective and inclusive, particularly of the non-religious.
To do this, he needs your support, and we need your help in order to continue to employ him through 2016.
Over a third of all state schools in England and Wales – more than 7,000 schools – are religious schools, and that figure is rising fast. These schools can teach a narrow and indoctrinatory religious education syllabus, and they can turn children away if their parents are of the 'wrong' or no religion.
We believe this is wrong and we don’t believe the state should have a hand in funding it.
If schools are to produce tolerant and open-minded citizens, prepared for life in our increasingly diverse society, they must be inclusive of everyone, regardless of religion or belief. Rather than divide children, they should bring them together, and rather than instruct them in what they should or should not believe, they should encourage them to arrive at the answers themselves. Too many schools fail in this regard, and that’s why the work of our Faith Schools Campaigner is so important.
Key successes this year include:
Further successes include:
With your donations, we’ll be able to employ our 'faith' schools campaigner for another year and continue to fund his important campaigning activities. Any money donated over and above our target will be used exclusively on furthering the BHA’s education campaigns.
If you’re a UK taxpayer, please also indicate that the BHA can claim Gift Aid on your donation so that we can reclaim 25p tax from HMRC for every £1 you donate.
The current political climate means that over the next five years we’ll have to work harder to achieve our policy goals and bring about the changes to the education system that are so badly needed. Your contributions are therefore more important than ever. Please donate today so we can continue to employ Jay over the next 12 months. Thank you.
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