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Leading humanist Andrew Copson and religious affairs journalist Clifford Longley debate whether the state should be funding religious schools.

A recent poll suggested a majority in Britain felt faith schools that were able to give priority to pupils of their faith and were free to teach only about their religion should not get state funding. Do such schools promote division and segregation in a multicultural society or are they an important part of the country’s education system?

Copson is chief executive of the British Humanist Association (BHA) and former director of education and public affairs for the BHA. He is a regular commentator in the press and on television. He argues that the question of religion in schools should be one of the biggest educational debates of our time. Longley is a journalist specialising in British and international religious affairs. He has written for The Times, Daily Telegraph, and, more recently, for The Tablet. He has advised the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales and he is also the author of several books including The Babylon Contingency.

In association with the British Humanist Association.