Faith Schools: Joint Activities (Hansard, 9 January 2002)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland)

We recognise the importance of promoting a range of joint activities between children from different faiths and cultures to encourage tolerance, respect and understanding. However, our policies are not specific to faith schools. All schools with predominance of one ethnic or religious group have a responsibility to reach out to other schools.

Specialist and beacon schools are required to form partnerships with other schools and the wider community; and Excellence in Cities is a programme delivered by local partnerships of schools to give deprived inner-city pupils the same opportunities as their peers elsewhere.

We are also preparing guidance for school organisation committees so that in future, when decisions are made on proposals for new schools, including faith schools, their potential for inclusiveness and partnership working with other faith-based and non-faith schools will be taken into account. We will give promoters of new schools examples of possible partnership arrangements, including the promotion of joint cultural and sporting activities.

The department is funding the educational strand of the Spirit of Friendship Festival that aims, in 2002, to draw together children and young people in shared sporting activites, and in active engagement in the celebration of cultural diversity.