Claims that Oldham’s Blue Coat Church of England Academy has a discriminative admission policy have not been upheld by the Office of the Schools Adjudicator. The objection concerned “the overall extent to which preference is given to children from Christian families and its effect of excluding applications from children from the local South Asian families”.
“Conclusion
49. I do not uphold the objection that the admission arrangements indirectly discriminate against the South Asian families who live in the local area. I conclude that the over subscription criteria are in line with the Code.
50. I do not uphold the objection that the school contravenes the Equality Act because I am of the view that the admission arrangements are a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. I conclude that as a Church of England academy school it is justified in its aims to provide a Christian education for children of the Diocese of Manchester.
51. I do not uphold the objection that the school has not paid due regard to the PCED. I acknowledge the school’s intention to include children of other faiths by ring-fencing the newly created school places.
52. I do not uphold the objection that the school should change its faith based over subscription criteria to fall in line with other faith schools who do not use faith-based criteria. The degree to which admission authorities prioritise pupils by the use of over subscription criteria is a decision for them. I conclude that the admission authority which has chosen to use these over subscription criteria is in line with the Code and the law.”
Chronic-Oldham is of the opinion that there should be no public funded faith schools or academies, religion causes exclusivity & divisions in society between both followers of conflicting versions of theism & those who consider all religions as superstition. Using implied racial discrimination as an argument is little more than a dirty tricks ploy as all religious institutions & their devout champions are discriminative it is a symptom of mislead piety not an issue of race. Cultural cohesion can only be achieved when religious considerations are taken out of politics, education & matters of the public realm & placed in people’s personal private lives where they truly belong.