Lawyers acting on behalf of the British Humanist Association (BHA) made an intervention earlier today in the Supreme Court hearing on admissions criteria to the Jews’ Free School (JFS) in Kenton.
David Wolfe, Barrister at Matrix Chambers, supported the Appeal Court judgment that the admissions policy of JFS is in breach of the Race Relations Act 1976, and made the intervention that the admissions policy is also unlawful under the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA).
Andrew Copson, BHA Director of Education and Public Affairs, said, ‘We’ve intervened at every stage of this landmark case. It is our firm position that there can be no justification for discrimination on racial or religious grounds in admissions to any state-maintained school. It would be a travesty if the Supreme Court overruled the Court of Appeal judgment, which made clear that even though there may be a religious motivation for doing so, discrimination against children in admissions on racial grounds is illegal under any circumstances.’
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For further comment or information, contact Andrew Copson on 020 7079 3584.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity representing and supporting the non-religious, campaigning for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief and is the largest organisation in the UK working for a secular society. In education, this means an end to the expansion of faith schools and for the assimilation of those that currently exist into a system of inclusive and accommodating community schools.