The British Humanist Association (BHA) and Young Humanists published a comprehensive guide (pdf) for non-religious parents and young people in April 2017. It offers support and advice on how to navigate an education system subject to undue religious influence.
‘Religion in schools: a guide for non-religious parents and young people in England and Wales’ aims to ensure that non-religious people are fully aware of their rights and the law as it relates to faith schools and religion in schools more generally.
The advice covers a range of areas, including religious education, collective worship, school admissions, and science teaching – all of which can pose particular problems for non-religious families.
BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson said:
“Despite the fact that as a society we are now much more diverse, and much more non-religious, the school system has only become more and more permissive to religious influence in recent years. This guide builds on the decades of support that the BHA has provided to parents and young people caught in the crossfire of this long-standing tension between religion and education, and will hopefully equip them to challenge unlawful and discriminatory practice wherever they find it.”