Campaigners for the reform of church schools have warned that the anticipated boost that the Church of England will get to church attendance this Christmas will come at a cost to children.

Runnymede Trust, a respected multi-ethnic research body, has said that schools backed by religious bodies can play a valuable part in the education mix, but only if they are prepared for radical reform.

One in four young people from across all religions are being bullied because of their religious beliefs. That is finding of a report by Beatbullying, the UK’s leading bullying prevention charity, published today.

Accord, the coalition concerned about the way faith schools currently operate and its impact on society, the new report by the Schools Adjudicator highlights the dangers of discriminatory admission policies and lack of regulation.

Accord, a new coalition promoting inclusive education and seeking the reform of faith schools policy, has expressed reservations over the opening of the Krishna-Avanti School in Edgware, the first publicly-funded Hindu school in Britain.

The Archbishop of York has called on the Government to give fuller recognition to the work carried out by faith groups in delivering social services and has dismissed those concerned about equalities and other issues.

Parents in Northern Ireland, which is seeking to recover from years of conflict and sectarianism, would like to see single-faith denominational schools replaced by integrated ones, a new survey has shown.