This week Accord was the topic of a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group at Westminster, giving us the chance to put our views on faith schools directly to MPs and peers.  Speaking at the event, ATL Policy Adviser Alison Ryan explained how the union’s concerns about the impact of faith school arrangements on communities, schools, staff, pupils and their families contributed to the creation of Accord.  In particular she focused on the way that issues around admissions, employment, the curriculum and school accountability are reflected in ATL and Accord policy.

Alison’s speech was followed by comments from Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, Chair of the Accord coalition.  Jonathan explained how Accord came about and what we hope to achieve:

“Now that this initial glare of publicity is over, the task begins of campaigning for these reforms. It is hard work, but not impossible. There is definitely a new mood in the air.

“That is partly because people are waking up to the fact that there has been a rapid expansion of faith schools in the last decade without much public attention – and both the expansion and the way those schools operate is now being challenged by people who are uncomfortable at what has happened while they were looking the other way.

“Accord is a shining example of  not only giving out a message about building bridges between those of different faiths and non-faith, but in living out that message ourselves – as we are a coalition that includes atheists and Chistians, agnostics and Muslims, humanists and Hindus…..and a sprinkling of rabbis.

“We have the disadvantage of operating on a shoe-string against powerful vested interests, but we passionately believe in children of different religious backgrounds attending schools that are tolerant and transparent, growing up in harmony and seeing each other as equals and developing good social relationships based on mutual knowledge and regular interaction.  Our mission is to ensure that is a reality rather than wishful thinking.”