Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the proposal to drop the 50 per cent cap on religious selection in faith schools, what consideration they have given to the finding of the Education Policy Institute, in its report <i>Faith Schools, Pupil Performance and Social Selection</i>, published in December, that the average faith school admits fewer pupils from poor backgrounds than the average non-faith school.

The EPI report fails to recognise the fact that the government’s proposals are about creating more good school places for more parents in more parts of the country by giving them more choice. Our proposals to expand the number of good school places available to parents will help more young people have the chance to go as far as their talents will take them.

Faith schools are among the highest performing schools in the country, with more primary and secondary faith schools judged good or outstanding than their non-faith counterparts[1]. Faith schools are popular with parents and the removal of the 50% faith cap will enable the establishment of even more good schools.

[1]Ofsted official statistics: Maintained schools and academies inspections and outcomes as at 31 March 2016 shows faith schools are more likely to be good or outstanding as compared to non-faith schools (89% as compared to 86% at primary; 81% as compared to 75% at secondary).