Faith schools are state-funded schools with a religious character — typically Church of England, Roman Catholic, Jewish or Muslim — that can give priority to families of that faith when places are oversubscribed. Non-faith state schools, including comprehensives, academies and free schools, admit pupils on proximity or other non-religious criteria. Both must follow the National Curriculum.
What is a faith school?
A faith school is a state-funded school that has a religious character, designated by a religious organisation (such as the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, a Jewish authority or a Muslim organisation) and recognised by the DfE. In England, around one in three state-funded schools has a religious character — approximately 6,800 schools — making faith schools a mainstream part of the state education system, not a niche minority.
Faith schools come in several legal forms:
- Voluntary aided (VA) schools: the religious organisation owns the school building and appoints the majority of governors. These schools have the most control over their admissions policy, including the ability to give 100 per cent of places to families of the relevant faith if oversubscribed.
- Voluntary controlled (VC) schools: the local authority controls admissions. These schools have a religious ethos but are less selective by faith in admissions; many operate like community schools in practice.
- Faith academies: some academies also have a religious character and retain admissions policies aligned with their founding faith.
What is a non-faith state school?
A non-faith state school (also called a community school or secular school) has no religious character. Its admissions criteria are set by the local authority or academy trust and typically prioritise children with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan naming the school, then siblings of current pupils, then distance from the school gate. Neither religious practice nor church attendance plays any role in admissions.
Non-faith schools include community schools, most academies, most free schools, and independent schools without a religious affiliation. They deliver Religious Education as part of the statutory National Curriculum (the subject is compulsory for all pupils in state schools), but RE at a non-faith school covers a range of religions without promoting any single one. Collective worship is also required at all state schools, though the law on this is complex and many non-faith schools fulfil this duty in a broadly reflective rather than specifically religious way.
How do faith and non-faith schools compare?
| Factor | Faith school (VA) | Non-faith school |
|---|---|---|
| Admissions criteria | Can prioritise families of that faith | Proximity, siblings, EHCP (no faith criteria) |
| Religious worship | Regular worship in school tradition | Collective worship required; usually broadly reflective |
| Religious Education | Aligned with school's faith tradition | Covers range of world religions |
| National Curriculum | Must be followed | Must be followed |
| Ofsted inspection | Subject to Ofsted (and SIAMS for CofE) | Subject to Ofsted |
| School ethos | Shaped by faith values | Shaped by school community and trust |
| Who can apply | Any family (non-faith applicants may get places if undersubscribed) | Any family from the catchment area |
| Legal form | Usually voluntary aided or voluntary controlled | Community school, academy, free school |
Do faith schools get better results than non-faith schools?
Published school performance data shows that many faith schools, particularly Roman Catholic and Church of England secondary schools, achieve above-average GCSE results. However, the research picture is nuanced. Faith schools often serve more socially mixed or affluent catchments in some areas, and their admissions criteria may filter for more engaged families. When researchers control for socioeconomic background and prior attainment, the academic advantage of faith schools is smaller and less consistent than raw headline averages suggest.
The quality of teaching, pastoral care and school leadership matters far more for outcomes than whether a school has a religious character. Ofsted inspects both types of school on the same framework, and Outstanding non-faith schools frequently outperform Good-rated faith schools and vice versa.
What do faith schools teach differently?
The most significant difference is in Religious Education and the school's general ethos. At a Church of England VA school, for example, RE lessons will be explicitly Christian in orientation, daily assembly will include Christian prayer or reflection, and the school's values and community events will be shaped by Christian tradition. At a Catholic school, the same applies with Catholic doctrine, Mass attendance (in some schools), the liturgical year and Catholic social teaching playing significant roles in school life.
For families who share that faith, this can be a positive and coherent environment. For families of a different faith or no faith, it is worth visiting the school, talking to current parents, and judging how inclusive the daily culture feels in practice — because schools within the same faith designation vary considerably.
What happens if I am not of the school's faith?
At oversubscribed voluntary aided faith schools, families who do not meet the faith criteria (such as regular churchgoing or church membership) may not get a place if the school is full of faith-qualifying applicants. At undersubscribed faith schools, non-faith families are offered places alongside faith families. The majority of faith schools in practice do offer places to non-faith families, particularly outside the most oversubscribed urban areas, and many families choose a faith school for reasons of reputation, proximity, or community rather than for its religious character.
Check the school's published admissions policy — all state schools are required to publish these — to see exactly what proportion of places (if any) are reserved for faith applicants and in what order other criteria apply.
Frequently asked questions
Can a non-religious family get into a faith school?
Yes, in many cases. Whether a place is available to a non-faith family depends on how oversubscribed the school is and how far down the admissions criteria order they fall. A voluntary aided Catholic school that receives twice as many applications as it has places from Catholic families may have no places left for non-Catholic applicants. A voluntary controlled Church of England school in an area with fewer local children may offer places to any family that applies. Always check the admissions policy and contact the school directly to understand your realistic position.
Does attending a faith school mean my child will be required to practise that religion?
No. Children are not required to adopt the faith of the school or to participate in acts of worship against their or their parents' conscience. Parents have a legal right to withdraw their child from collective worship and, at secondary level, pupils aged 18 can withdraw themselves. However, the school's daily culture and values will reflect its religious character, and families who are actively opposed to that tradition may find the environment uncomfortable regardless of the legal withdrawal right.
Are faith schools inspected differently from non-faith schools?
All state schools — faith and non-faith — are inspected by Ofsted under the same framework. Church of England and Methodist schools are also subject to a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS), which inspects how well the school lives out its Christian vision and ethos. Catholic schools are subject to a Catholic Schools Inspection. These additional inspections are conducted separately from Ofsted and report on the school's religious character, not its academic performance.
Do faith schools have to follow the National Curriculum?
Yes. All state-funded faith schools in England must deliver the National Curriculum to all pupils, in the same subjects and to the same standards as non-faith schools. The only significant variation is in Religious Education, where faith schools' RE content is determined by the religious body rather than the local SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education). Faith schools cannot opt out of any other National Curriculum subject.
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