To ask the Minister for Women and Equality whether provision will be included in the Equality Bill to permit any publicly funded faith schools to require teaching staff to promote the ethos of the relevant religious faith; and if she will make a statement. (318476)

We would expect all staff at schools to act in accordance with the ethos of their school, as we would expect them to maintain standards of behaviour and a high educational standard.

The Equality Bill maintains exceptions contained in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (SSFA), which permit faith schools to discriminate on religious grounds in relation to certain staff. These exceptions are different according to the different types of maintained faith schools.

Voluntary aided schools may apply religious criteria to all applicants to teaching posts. Voluntary controlled and foundation schools are required to have reserved teachers who are appointed specifically to teach religious education. These reserved teachers must be appointed for their fitness and competence to teach religious education according to the tenets of the relevant faith; they may account for up to a fifth of all the teaching staff and may include the head teacher. In these schools such religious criteria cannot be applied to any other teaching posts.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equality whether provision will be included in the Equality Bill to empower governors of any publicly funded faith school to decline employment to staff or applicants for teaching posts who are not prepared to teach pupils in accordance with the ethos on values of the relevant religious faith. (318477)

The Equality Bill maintains exceptions contained in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (SSFA), which permit faith schools to discriminate on religious grounds in relation to certain staff. These exceptions are different according to the different types of maintained faith schools. Voluntary aided schools may apply religious criteria to all applicants to teaching posts.

Voluntary controlled and foundation schools are required to have reserved teachers who are appointed specifically to teach religious education. These reserved teachers must be appointed for their fitness and competence to teach religious education according to the tenets of the relevant faith; they may account for up to a fifth of all the teaching staff and may include the head teacher. In these schools such religious criteria cannot be applied to any other teaching posts.