Religious pupils 'not catered for'

Children who transfer from faith primary schools to secular secondaries can be forced to compromise parts of their everyday religious practices, according to the inspectorate's reports.

Some parents felt schools were reluctant to provide a place for pupils to pray, with one questioning why a state school could provide a space during Ramadan, but not the rest of the year.

Inspectors visited 51 independent primary and secondary faith schools from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu religions for the survey, which was conducted at the request of Schools Secretary Ed Balls.

It was commissioned to assess the fitness for purpose of the regulations and standard which all independent faith schools must meet for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It also looked at schools' contribution to preparing pupils for life in Britain.

The survey found that all the schools visited are at least good at making provision for these areas of development.

But it highlighted concerns raised by parents about transfers between schools.

It says: "While preparation for transition to other schools was good within the faith schools, how pupils were treated, or perceived they were treated, when moving from faith primary schools to non-faith secondary schools was variable.

"For example, parents and headteachers described the difficulties pupils faced in maintaining their religious obligations and practices when they transferred to state schools. They felt some schools were reluctant to provide space for prayers.

"One parent questioned why a state school could provide facilities for prayer during Ramadan but not allow prayer for the rest of the year.