Academies and faith schools

Perhaps they could answer these points: 1. To quote from Oasis's website: Ethos and Values Our ethos is an expression of our character - it is a statement of who we are and therefore the lens through which we assess all we do. The work of Oasis Community Learning is motivated and inspired by the life, message and example of Christ, which shapes and guides every aspect of each of our academies. This is foundational to our belief that all people are created and loved by God as equal and unique beings, and to our commitment to model inclusion and compassion throughout all aspects of the life and culture of the academy community.

Where does it say in those ethos and values anything about, Sikhism, Hinduism, Judaism, the only mention is Christianity?

It is what it seem to be a faith school but they are not coming out and saying that.

2. Why is it that when Oasis tender for the running of a school all staff have to sign an agreement to their Christian ethics? Is this right, if so what would have happened to someone who was not Christian, would they have been made redundant? In which case I think that is illegal.

3. When you look at Oasis, how come they managed to get a multi-million pound contract? When you look on the Charity Commissions' website you can see accounts for them, they were only incorporated as a charity on May 3, 2005, and in their first year as a charity brought in £3,948,855 and had expenditure of £515,618. I would have thought that the council would have expected a longer trading history than that to award a multi-million pound contract to.

4. Why is it that there will be no local education authority governors on the governing board?

People need to remember that this money that is being paid to the charity has come from your taxes raised locally and centrally, and the school will have no accountability through the local education authority to democratically elected councillors.

5. Could someone tell me what will happen if you suddenly end up getting loads of parents from outside the city who want to send their children to these schools, and they have to be bussed in each day? Who is going to pay for those buses - parents, Oasis, or is it going to fall on the shoulders of the local education authority, and further deplete their accounts and deny schools and children the resources need to educate them?

If Oasis want to set up a faith school in the city then that is all right, but do it openly, not taking over LEA schools.

John Read says: "No matter how many hundreds of parents from other areas might apply in the hope of getting their children admitted". What will happen if there is a choice between a child from outside the area whose parents have the support of the local vicar, and a child whose religion is something other than Christianity?

Who is going to be admitted, with Oasis ethos and values, it is clear, the child that has the support of the local vicar, i.e. Christianity. In other words a faith school all but in name.

The best thing that could happen now is that the transfer of engagement is called in by the Secretary of State and looked at more closely. If this goes ahead all this could end up being detrimental to the children who live in the city, they will not be learning about Sikhism, Hinduism, Judaism, only Christianity. That could be dangerous as that sort of thing leads to scenes that we seeing in Iraq, India, and saw even closer to home Northern Ireland.

DAVID GRIFFITHS, Shirley, Southampton.