The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has called for religion to be banned as a criterion for school admissions in England, in what religious leaders and MPs have branded a “secular-inspired attack” on faith schools.
The CRC concluded that “preventing the use of religion as a selection criterion for schools admissions in England” was a priority.
It also recommended repealing legal provisions for compulsory attendance in collective worship. It also called on the Government to establish statutory guidance to ensure that children have the right to withdraw from religious classes without parental consent.
The report has sparked a backlash from MPs, religious leaders and faith school providers who said it was “illiberal” to deny religious families education based on faith.
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