By FRANCIS BECKETT - GUARDIAN
Updated: Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:14:45 UTC

The government is encouraging us to set up our own 'free schools'. One former teacher imagines what his would be like.

The Richard Dawkins Humanist Conservatoire is so far only a gleam in my eye, but once someone rich enough to convince the government that they ought to be running a secondary school comes into partnership with me, we will make it a reality together. And I already have a pretty good idea of what my dream candidate for Michael Gove's "free school" programme would be like.

We humanists do not believe in faith schools – we think children of all faiths should go to the same school, and all the religious traditions there should enrich each other. Unfortunately, other faiths like to lock their children away from external influences, and faith schools have mushroomed until now religions control one third of all state schools. We can't beat them – not yet, anyway – so we are joining them.

Read on

TAGGED: CHILDREN, EDUCATION, REASON, RICHARD DAWKINS