Dr Ruth Wareham, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the Spencer Foundation-funded project: 'Faith Schooling: Principles and Policies', at the University of Warwick’s Department of Politics and International Studies, comments on today's announcement that the government will create a new generation of "voluntary-aided" faith schools.

She says: “While some campaigners are hailing the Secretary of State for Education's announcement that the 50% cap on religious selection in new Academies and Free Schools will be retained as a victory, for those who are concerned about religious segregation, there is not a great deal to celebrate.

"The decision comes with the promise of more voluntary aided (VA) religious schools. Since these schools are already permitted to select 100% of their pupils on religious grounds, the real problem - that the children who attend these schools will have insufficient opportunities to mix with those of other or no faith - has simply been relocated to another part of the system. We should worry about segregation in all schools, not just Academies and Free Schools.”

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