Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg is considering sending his three sons to the London Oratory, one of the most sought-after schools in the country.
Clegg, an athiest and an opponent of faith-based schools has toured the Catholic school, despite several schools being more conveniently located near their home.
The schools admission policy requires parents demonstrate their active involvement in the church.
Clegg defended the move.
“My kids are more precious to me than anything else in the world and the fact [is] that my wife is Catholic, I married in the Catholic church and my children have been brought up by Catholics and go to a Catholic state primary school.
“It therefore shouldn’t be entirely surprising that maybe, maybe just maybe, my wife might consider, we might consider as parents sending our children on to a state-funded Catholic secondary school.”
The Liberal Democrats have been particularly pushy about the admissions policies of faith schools, claiming that they are too exclusive.
In their manifesto last year, they outlined their intention to force faith schools to adopt an “inclusive admissions policy”.
Keith Poreous Wood of the National Secular Society accused Mr Clegg of hypocrisy.
“It reeks of elitism and goes against just about everything he has said about faith schools.”
Sources
- Christian Today
- Image: Urban Times