Schools are forbidden from promoting, showing favouritism to or discriminating on the grounds of partisan politics. Alastair Lichten asks why partisan religious beliefs are treated so differently.
Sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 (applying to England and Wales) require schools not to promote partisan political views, and to treat political issues in a balanced way, and for staff not to direct partisan political activity in an any official capacity. The restrictions apply to academies through their funding agreements and even to independent schools through their standards. Even if they put up 100% of the costs, the Monster Raving Loony Party can’t run a school that promotes their political beliefs.
The ‘NSS articles’ category contains links to my opinion pieces, written while a campaigns officer or head of education for the National Secular Society, before June 2022. You can read the full original of this article here >>>
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