House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement
Faith School designation reforms
01 May 2024 · Department for Education
Proposed by Gillian Keegan Con Chichester
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
At a glance
Key points
- The government is consulting on removing the 50% cap on faith-based admissions for oversubscribed mainstream free schools with a religious designation.
- The proposed reforms would allow new and existing free schools and special academies to be designated with a religious character without a cap on faith-based admissions.
- The consultation period will run until June 20, 2024, for a total of 7 weeks.
Issue summary
The statement discusses proposed reforms to allow new and existing free schools and special academies to be designated with a religious character without a cap on faith-based admissions.
Action requested
The government is consulting on removing the 50% cap on faith-based admissions for oversubscribed mainstream free schools designated with a religious character, and allowing special academies to be designated with a religious character. The consultation will run for 7 weeks until June 20, 2024.
Key facts
- Over half of state-funded schools are now academies, totalling 10,839 compared to just 203 in 2010.
- Faith schools represent a third of all schools in England and are judged 'Good' or 'Outstanding' at a higher rate than the national average.
- The consultation will run for 7 weeks until June 20, 2024.