Accord Coalition briefs Lords ahead of Academies Bill debate
The Accord Coalition has briefed Peers on the Academies Bill ahead of it reaching the Committee stage in the House of Lords on Monday (June 21st).
The Academies Bill proposes to give new Academy schools considerable more operational freedom, including being able to opt out from teaching the National Curriculum. Significantly, it will also compel all faith schools that become an Academy school to have the legal status of an independent school with a religious character.
The Chair of the Accord Coalition, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain said ‘we are incredibly worried by some aspects of the Bill. Independent schools with a religious character are able to discriminate against pupils and teachers on the basis of religion and conferring this legal status upon new Academy schools risks extending discriminatory practices to many more state funded schools.’
Accord is a wide coalition of organisations which includes religious groups, humanists, trade unions and human rights campaigners. The British Humanist Association is a founding member of Accord.
I strongly suggest anyone with any interest in protecting children read the follwing article, including the two comments atached to it, which link to Schilling’s solicitors letters, written on behalf of ARK, Absolute Return for Kids:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/06/454599.html