Oasis Community Learning, a chain of Academies and Free Schools with no legally designated religious character, has been establishing churches in its schools and employing chaplains who are present in the schools and ‘contribute to the curriculum and pedagogy’. Oasis is one of the largest Academy chains with some 41 Academies and Free Schools and several more on the way. The British Humanist Association (BHA) has called Oasis’s behaviour ‘bizarre’ and expressed alarm that a network of churches has been established, often rent-free, thanks to the state funded Academy system.
Oasis started off as one evangelical Church in London but in 2007 began establishing Academies. The Academies have grown in number very rapidly, with five more approved for opening in December and three more in May. None of the schools are designated with a religious character, and when being established and attracting parents the schools they present themselves as ‘inclusive’. But elsewhere they state they have a Christian ethos – despite not legally being ‘faith’ schools. Before Academies and Free Schools were introduced it was not possible for a school to not legally be designated as a religious school and yet in some sense still be religious.
As Oasis has set up new schools and expanded into more areas, it has established local ‘hubs’, consisting of the schools and the newly established churches. In response to a freedom of information request submitted by Waltham Forest campaign group Our Community – Our Schools, Oasis defended the practice by commenting that ‘While the name “church” is used, Oasis churches are not what would be understood as traditional church groups. They are small groups of local people who are keen to serve the Academy students, their families and the wider community as an expression of their faith. They are made up of parents, teachers and members of the local community who are committed to the Oasis ethos and the process of community transformation.’ The Churches often meet at the schools rent-free, which is justified on the basis that ‘An assessment is made about any one group’s ability to add value to the academy and the overall purpose of Oasis in the local community and charges are set accordingly.’ They also have not contributed to the cost of building the venues, which is justified for the same reasons ‘and because the church groups would not have been in existence at the time of the build.’
Out of private funding Oasis also employs chaplains who ‘build chaplaincy teams in our Academies to support staff and students. They are also responsible for building churches in order to engage the wider community in the Hub.’ The chaplains ‘contribute to the curriculum and pedagogy through RE lessons… PSHE (personal, social, health and economic )education and SMSC ( social, moral, spiritual and cultural) education and all have a pastoral function for staff and students.’
BHA Faith Schools Campaigner Richy Thompson commented, ‘Oasis presents itself as being an inclusive organisation establishing schools for the whole community, and we were indeed impressed that none of its schools are religiously designated. But we are deeply alarmed to have discovered that the state-funded Academy system is enabling this organisation to establish a parallel network of churches, often rent-free. This raises questions as to whether proselytising is taking place thanks to public funds. We are also alarmed by the employment of chaplains to work at the schools. We are not aware of any other schools that are not designated as religious behaving in this manner and we believe that it is extremely bizarre and a misuse of public property.’
Speaking of her experience with a proposed school in Walthamstow, Scarlet Harris of Our Community – Our Schools added, ‘Oasis presented themselves to local parents as a school whose faith ethos was in the small print rather than a defining feature. The truth is that the schools appear to be closely linked to the expansion of the Oasis church. It is deeply worrying that public funds are being used in this way and again raises concerns about the risks of the Government’s rush to get Free Schools approved at all costs.’
Update, 8 April, 2.30 pm: Since publishing this news item Oasis has asked us to publish their response, which we have agreed to do: ‘Oasis has a proud history of inclusion. To include, to treat everyone equally regardless of background, is our raison d’etre. Each of our academies has a fully inclusive admissions policy, based on proximity to the school gate. We do not recruit staff based on faith background. While our organisation has a Christian basis we are very clear in all our communications, recruitment literature and other materials that we never seek to impose any belief system.
‘Therefore we utterly reject the BHA’s accusation that we are using state money to ‘proselytise’ people, or indeed that we are trying to ‘proselytise’ people at all. Oasis Churches work for the good of the whole community establishing foodbanks, debt advice centres, mentoring schemes and inclusive community events. Where it is the policy of an academy that community groups using the space pay rent, Oasis Churches do so; where an academy has decided that community groups may use the space free of charge, Oasis churches are treated like everyone else.
‘Oasis Chaplains are not paid for out of state funds. They work tirelessly to help look after the pastoral needs of the community, engage in inter-faith dialogue to encourage community cohesion and help keep their local expression of Oasis on track with its core mission of lifting communities out of poverty.
‘We regret that the BHA has not chosen to enter into a dialogue with us if they have concerns.’
By way of response, we note the following. First of all, we welcome Oasis’s inclusive policies in terms of admissions and employment. But if Oasis’s raison d’etre is truly to treat everyone equally regardless of background, then why does it have a Christian basis at all? That would be the logical conclusion of an inclusive ethos and seeking to not be divisive on the basis of faith, and it would not stop individuals within the organisation from being privately motivated by their faith.
Secondly, while the good work that Oasis churches do is very admirable, the simple fact of the matter is that the establishment of the chain of Academies has allowed Oasis’s network of churches to grow considerably from the one church Oasis ran a few years ago. More people are attending Oasis churches than would be if it were not for the wholly state-funded Academies that the organisation now runs. These churches are promoted through the schools’ websites which variously describe them as ‘inspired by the life, teachings and ministry of Jesus Christ’ and say ‘We are spiritual people, which means that we believe that spirituality is real – and behave accordingly, looking for God in unexpected places, and shaping our lives to listen.’
This does not seem to us to be appropriate given that the churches have only been able to come into existence thanks to state funds for the Academies; but that it has been allowed to happen is more a criticism of the current and previous Governments’ lax rules in this area, than it is of the organisation that has taken advantage of those rules (in fact, the Government was not aware of Oasis’s behaviour before our statement was issued).
Third, we say very plainly in our news item that the chaplains are paid for out of private funds. However, that does not mean their involvement in the schools is appropriate.
We did not think it was necessary to discuss these issues with Oasis prior to publication, as we were confident enough in the conclusions we reached from the evidence Oasis provided in response to the FOI. Indeed, our views have not changed since publication. However, we are happy to meet with Oasis going forward.
Notes
For further comment or information, please contact Richy Thompson at richy@humanists.uk or on 020 3675 0959.
Read Our Community – Our Schools’ further concerns about Oasis, including with respect to sex and relationships education being provided by pro-abstinence and anti-homosexuality group Challenge Team UK: http://ourcommunityourschools.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/who-are-oasis-and-why-are-we-concerned.html
Read more about the BHA’s campaigns work on ‘faith’ schools: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/religion-and-schools/faith-schools
Read more about ‘faith ethos’ schools: http://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/bha-briefing-faith-ethos-academies-and-free-schools-explained.pdf
View the BHA’s table of types of school with a religious character: https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/schools-with-a-religious-character.pdf
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.