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Sources · State-funded faith schools

This house would continue state funding for faith schools.

Fact bank v1 · 13 cards

  1. FTH-01True

    “About a third of state schools in England are faith schools.”

    Confirmed: in January 2023 England had 6,806 state-funded faith schools, about 34% of mainstream state schools. They made up about 37% of primary schools but only 18% of secondary schools.

    Around 2 million pupils went to faith schools in 2023: 28% of primary pupils and 18% of secondary pupils. Almost all faith schools are Christian. Church of England schools were 26% of all primaries, and Catholic schools were 9% of all secondaries. Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu and other non-Christian faith schools together were less than 1% of state schools. Government figures for January 2026 show faith schools are still about a third of the total.

    “there were 6,806 state funded faith schools in England (around 34% of all state-funded mainstream schools)”
    House of Commons Library, UK Parliament·Faith Schools: FAQs (House of Commons Library Research Briefing SN06972)Government / parliament · 29 May 2024 ↗

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  2. FTH-02Mixed

    “Faith schools get better results than other schools, which proves they are better schools.”

    Partly true: on average, faith schools do get slightly better inspection grades and exam results. But these raw figures do not prove the school is the reason, because faith schools also take a slightly different mix of pupils.

    In 2016 the government said 89% of faith primary schools were rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, compared with 86% of other primaries. For secondary schools it was 81% compared with 75%. At faith secondaries, about 4 more pupils in every 100 got 5 good GCSEs including English and maths. But faith schools also have a slightly smaller share of pupils on free school meals, a sign of low family income. Raw comparisons like these cannot show how much of the gap is down to the school and how much is down to who goes there.

    “In all cases, faith schools are more likely to be good or outstanding as compared to non-faith schools”
    Department for Education (UK government)·Schools that work for everyone: government consultation (faith schools evidence section)Government / parliament · 12 Sept 2016 ↗

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  3. FTH-03Mostly true

    “Research shows Catholic schools help pupils succeed, even after allowing for the kind of pupils who go there.”

    Mostly true, but mainly for finishing school: a major US study found Catholic high schools substantially raise the chance of graduating from high school, and possibly of going to college. It found little sign that they raise test scores.

    The researchers used methods designed to separate the effect of the school from the effect of the kind of family that chooses it. Another US study found the gains were big for minority pupils in cities, modest for white pupils in cities and close to zero for white pupils in the suburbs. It suggested minority pupils in cities gained most because the public schools near them were quite poor. These studies are about the US, so they may not tell us much about faith schools in England.

    “Catholic high schools substantially increase the probability of graduating from high school and, more tentatively, college attendance.”
    National Bureau of Economic Research·Selection on Observed and Unobserved Variables: Assessing the Effectiveness of Catholic Schools (NBER Working Paper 7831; published in the Journal of Political Economy, 2005)Independent research institute · 1 Aug 2000 ↗

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  4. FTH-04Mixed

    “Faith schools are less ethnically mixed than other state schools.”

    It depends on the age group. In 2023, faith primary schools had a smaller share of pupils who are not White British than other primaries, but faith secondary schools had a bigger share than other secondaries.

    33% of pupils at faith primary schools were not White British, compared with 39% at other primaries. At secondary level it was 44% compared with 36%. Government school data for January 2026 show the same pattern. Ethnic group is not the same as religion, so these numbers do not show how mixed schools are by faith. In 2016 the government said pupils at Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Hindu free schools mostly came from similar ethnic backgrounds, while Catholic schools were much more ethnically mixed.

    “there were higher rates of non-White British pupils in faith secondary schools than the non-faith secondary average (44% compared to 36%)”
    House of Commons Library, UK Parliament·Faith Schools: FAQs (House of Commons Library Research Briefing SN06972)Government / parliament · 29 May 2024 ↗

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  5. FTH-05Mostly false

    “Churches pay a big share of the cost of faith schools, so they save taxpayers money.”

    Mostly false: by law, the day-to-day running costs of faith schools, like teachers' pay, are paid with public money, just like other state schools. The main exception is voluntary aided schools, where the church or faith group pays part of the cost of building work, usually 10%.

    All state schools, faith or not, get their funding through the local council or straight from the government. In voluntary controlled faith schools, the council pays all the costs. Voluntary aided schools are another type of faith school. By law, the government can pay up to 90% of their building costs, or all of it in exceptional cases. In 2018 the government said new voluntary aided schools would need a 10% contribution from the provider towards building costs.

    “subject to a 10% contribution from the provider to the capital costs”
    Department for Education (UK government)·Drive to create more good school places for families (press release)Government / parliament · 11 May 2018 ↗

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  6. FTH-06True

    “Other countries, like the Netherlands and Ireland, also use public money to pay for religious schools.”

    Confirmed: in the Netherlands, both public and private schools, including religious ones, can get government funding if they meet the rules. In Ireland, most primary schools are state-aided parish schools.

    The Dutch constitution (Article 23) gives people the right to set up schools based on their religion, their other beliefs or their ideas about teaching. To get funding, schools must meet rules on things like pupil numbers and lesson hours. In Ireland, the state pays most of the building and running costs of state-funded primary schools. Ireland lists making its school system fit growing religious diversity as one of its key challenges.

    “Both privately and publicly run schools are eligible for government funding, provided they meet statutory requirements on pupil numbers and classroom hours, among other things.”
    Eurydice, European Commission (European Education and Culture Executive Agency)·Netherlands: Organisation of primary education (Eurydice Eurypedia)Official statistics · 22 Feb 2024 ↗

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  7. FTH-07Mostly true

    “Faith schools take fewer poor children than other schools.”

    Mostly true, but the gap is small: in January 2023, 20% of pupils at faith primary schools could get free school meals, compared with 25% at other primaries. In secondary schools it was 21% compared with 23%.

    Free school meals go to children from low-income families, so they are often used as a sign of poverty. These numbers compare faith schools across all of England with all other schools, not schools in the same neighbourhood. Government figures for January 2026 show a similar gap, with fewer free school meal pupils at faith schools.

    “20% of pupils at state-funded primary faith schools were eligible for free school meals compared to 25% at non-faith primaries”
    House of Commons Library, UK Parliament·Faith Schools: FAQs (House of Commons Library Research Briefing SN06972)Government / parliament · 29 May 2024 ↗

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  8. FTH-08Mixed

    “Faith schools can turn away children who are not of their religion.”

    Only when the school is full. A faith school with spare places must offer one to any child who applies, whatever their faith or none. When more children apply than there are places, it can put children of its faith first.

    Voluntary aided faith schools can choose up to 100% of their pupils by faith when they are full. New faith free schools must give at least half their places without looking at faith when they are full. In 2024 the government asked for views on scrapping this 50% limit. In October 2026 the consultation page still said it was looking at the answers.

    “offer every child who applies, whether of the faith, another faith or no faith, a place at the school if there are places available”
    Department for Education (UK government)·School Admissions Code (paragraph 1.36)Government / parliament · 1 Sept 2021 ↗

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  9. FTH-09Mostly true

    “Faith schools can choose teachers based on their religion.”

    Mostly true for many faith schools: voluntary aided faith schools can prefer teachers who share their faith when hiring, paying and promoting them. Voluntary controlled and foundation faith schools have tighter limits.

    In those schools, only up to one fifth of teachers, including the head teacher, can be 'reserved teachers' picked to teach religious education in line with the faith. Faith academies and free schools generally follow rules like voluntary aided schools. For support staff, such as office workers, a voluntary aided school can only require a religion if the job really needs it.

    “The governing body in a voluntary-aided school may give preference with regard to the appointment, remuneration and promotion of teachers at the school”
    Department for Education (UK government)·Staffing and employment guidance for schools (section on schools designated with a religious character)Government / parliament · 15 Sept 2025 ↗

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  10. FTH-10False

    “State-funded faith schools are allowed to teach creationism as science.”

    False: the government says state-funded schools, including free schools and academies, should not teach creationism as a scientific theory.

    Schools may talk about creationism in religious education lessons, as long as this does not undermine science teaching. Academy and free school funding agreements ban teaching any idea as if science backs it when the scientific evidence says otherwise, and they require evolution to be taught. A school that breaks these rules could lose its funding agreement.

    “State-funded schools, including free schools and academies, should not teach creationism as an evidence-based scientific theory.”
    Hansard, House of Commons (UK Parliament)·House of Commons written answer on creationism (HC Deb 30 June 2014, column 351W)Government / parliament · 30 Jun 2014 ↗

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  11. FTH-11False

    “The Trojan Horse affair in Birmingham happened in Muslim faith schools.”

    False: Ofsted said none of the 21 Birmingham schools it inspected in 2014 was a faith school. They were state schools without a religious character.

    Ofsted found that some governors were trying to push a narrow set of religious ideas in these non-faith schools. The government's investigator, Peter Clarke, also said the schools were state non-faith schools. He found that some people had worked together to bring an intolerant and aggressive Islamic culture into a few schools. A committee of MPs later said it had seen no evidence of an organised plot to take over schools across England.

    “All of the schools that were inspected are publicly funded and none is a faith school”
    Ofsted (UK government)·Advice note on academies and maintained schools in Birmingham to the Secretary of State for Education (Sir Michael Wilshaw, HM Chief Inspector)Government / parliament · 9 Jun 2014 ↗

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  12. FTH-12False

    “Faith schools can opt out of teaching sex and relationships education.”

    False: in England, relationships education is compulsory for all primary pupils and relationships and sex education is compulsory for all secondary pupils, including in faith schools.

    These rules have applied since September 2020, and updated guidance started in September 2026. Faith schools may teach their religion's view of relationships, but they should be clear when lessons reflect religious belief. Parents can ask for their child to be taken out of some or all sex education, but not out of relationships education.

    “make relationships education compulsory for all pupils receiving primary education and relationships and sex education (RSE) compulsory for all pupils receiving secondary education”
    Department for Education (UK government)·Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education: statutory guidance (in force from 1 September 2026)Government / parliament · 15 Jul 2025 ↗

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  13. FTH-13Mixed

    “Faith schools have to teach the same national curriculum as other state schools.”

    Only partly true: council-run faith schools must follow the national curriculum, but faith academies and free schools do not have to. That is true of all academies, not just faith ones.

    Academies, including faith academies, must still teach a broad and balanced curriculum that includes English, maths, science and religious education, and they must teach evolution. Many faith schools are now academies. In voluntary aided faith schools, religious education follows the school's own faith. In voluntary controlled faith schools, it normally follows a plan agreed by the local council.

    “Faith academies do not have to teach the national curriculum and have their own admissions processes.”
    GOV.UK (UK government)·Types of school: Faith schoolsGovernment / parliament · 5 Jan 2016 ↗

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