The Designation of Schools Having a Religious Character (England) Order 2026
Designated Barnet Hill Academy as a school with an Islamic religious character effective 27 August 2026.
This Order designates Barnet Hill Academy in Barnet as a voluntary aided school with a religious character, specifically identifying its religion as Islam.
It authorizes the school to provide religious education and collective worship in accordance with Islamic tenets under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.
The Order also enables the school to apply specific religious criteria to staffing matters and employment decisions as permitted for designated faith schools.
Arguments For
The order states that the Secretary of State followed the procedure specified in the Religious Character of Schools (Designation Procedure) Regulations 1998.
The explanatory note asserts that designation provides a legal mechanism for determining the form of religious education to be provided under Schedule 19 to the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.
The document indicates that designation establishes the framework for collective worship under Schedule 20 of the Act.
The explanatory note states that designation allows for the determination of school staffing matters under sections 58 to 60 of the Act, which concerns the ability of faith schools to consider religious criteria in employment.
Arguments Against
Legal scholars have noted that the designation of schools with a religious character can lead to exemptions from standard equality legislation regarding employment and admissions, which may be contested by secular advocacy groups.
Administrative critics might argue that the case-by-case designation of individual schools via Statutory Instrument creates a fragmented regulatory landscape compared to a universal standard.
Civil liberties organizations often raise concerns regarding the impact of religious designation on the diversity of the curriculum and the inclusivity of the school environment for families of different or no faiths.
Citation, commencement and extent
- —(1) This Order may be cited as the Designation of Schools Having a Religious Character (England) Order 2026 and comes into force on 27th August 2026.
(2) This Order extends to England and Wales.
This section establishes the official title of the statutory instrument and sets the date it becomes legally active as 27 August 2026.
It specifies that while the order applies to a school in England, its legal jurisdiction extends to both England and Wales.
Designation of schools
- —(1) Barnet Hill Academy, Barnet, NW4 3ES, a voluntary aided school, is designated as a school having a religious character.
(2) The religion in accordance with whose tenets religious education is, or may be, required to be provided in accordance with Schedule 19 to the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, is Islam.
This section grants Barnet Hill Academy the legal status of a school with a religious character.
It identifies Islam as the specific faith that governs the school's religious curriculum and collective worship.
This designation allows the school to depart from the standard locally agreed syllabus for religious education in favor of one aligned with Islamic teachings.
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