Plans being considered by a senior government education adviser may see church and other faith-based schools lose their power to select pupils - something which has led to widespread accusations of discrimination against them.

Protests from secular and teaching groups have met an announcement by the government that many more faith-based schools are to be brought into the state-funded sector with a pledge to remove "unnecessary barriers" to religious groups.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), which wants equality in admissions and policies across the school sector, has defended its reforming stance on faith schools after an attack in the Church Times newspaper.