Faith Schools and Social Cohesion: Opening up the Debate

Abstract

In February 2001, the British government announced its willingness to expand the number of faith schools where there was ‘clear local demand’. Predictably, the decision aroused widespread controversy, with much of the criticism centring on the allegedly divisive nature of such schools; segregated education was seen by some detractors as inevitably posing a threat to social cohesion. This article engages with the charge of divisiveness, arguing the case against inevitability on both theoretical and empirical grounds. In relation to the latter, extensive reference is made to the findings of a recently completed ethnographic study of the way Jewish schools approach cultural diversity.

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Geoffrey Short

Geoffrey Short is Reader in Educational Research in the School of Humanities and Education at the University of Hertfordshire, Aldenham, Watford, Herts, WD2 8AT. His e‐mail address is [email protected]