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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

That's a wrap - thanks so much for joining us!

All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Q: Certain types of schools can potentially select up to 100% of pupils by religion when oversubscribed. Why isn't the media covering this? A: @humanists.uk is working on stories right now, especially as it happens at a local level, we will hear more and more about this discrimination.

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Andrew Copson @andrewcopson.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Great to open tonight's @apphg.bsky.social meeting & hear from MPs & education experts, incl. @tedcantle.bsky.social, @deborahweston.bsky.social & @yewisloung.bsky.social, on the opportunities & challenges ahead for RE in schools, collective worship, school admissions, and tackling illegal schools.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

@humanists.uk has called for Ofsted once again to inspect how well schools promote community cohesion. This was stopped in 2011 but I think if cohesion is a national priority, we should have a meaningful way of checking whether schools are actually contributing to it.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The Government’s Protecting What Matters strategy rightly recognises that schools have an important role in bringing young people from different backgrounds together. But that needs to be reflected in how schools are regulated and inspected.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

We welcome The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 - The new Act represents a major step forward. It strengthens Ofsted’s powers to investigate suspected illegal schools and tightens the law around which institutions must register.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Perhaps the clearest area of progress is illegal schools. For years @humanists.uk has highlighted children – particularly boys in some highly religious communities – receiving effectively full-time education in unregistered settings, with little or no oversight of the education they receive.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

We now hear from Dr Lewis Young, @humanists.uk's Policy and Campaigns Manager: 'Last year, the Supreme Court’s judgment in JR87 made clear that, for RE and worship, the state has to respect the religious and non-religious convictions of families, simply offering withdrawal is not always enough'

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

'RE should be about enabling students to understand religious and non-religious worldviews without pushing them towards or away from any view... RE must be educational not confessional, it must not tell students what to believe.' - Deborah Weston lays out what the Government wants to achieve.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Deborah Weston: 'Young people need the tools to understand the complexity of different religions and the views within them. Religious education should be taught in an objective, critical and pluralistic way.'

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Deborah Weston OBE, a lead drafter of the RE Task and Finish Group, former Company Secretary of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales says the Gov has already set out expectations - all children must be able to experience intellectually stimulating RE

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

'Residential areas themselves become more segregated... these faith schools become the engines of segregation their local areas'.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

'By separating the children, we separate the parents themselves - by taking children out of non-faith schools into faith schools, even those other schools become less diverse... - Professor Ted Cantle

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Professor Ted Cantle, expert on community cohesion: 'We have now more faith schools and more schools representing different faiths. We now have schools that are more segregated where children do not grow up with children who are different to themselves'

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

From left to right: - Professor Ted Cantle, expert on community cohesion - Dr Lewis Young, Humanists UK’s Policy and Campaigns Manager - @lizzicollinge.bsky.social - @andrewcopson.bsky.social - Deborah Weston OBE, a lead drafter of the RE Task and Finish Group

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

@lizzicollinge.bsky.social calls for a Westminster Hall debate on religion and belief in education!

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

On schools, we remain concerned about new legal loopholes that would allow fully selectively religious schools to open in England, as well as existing loopholes that may be exploited by illegal schools to avoid being shut down - even with the new Schools Act in place

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

On marriage equality, while we welcome the government’s renewed commitment to grant legal recognition to humanist marriages, we continue to push the Government to move faster on the matter.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Inclusive Religious Education is a major opportunity, says Copson, welcoming plans for a national curriculum programme that includes humanism. His message to government on the promised consultation: 'We need that to happen soon.'

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

We're back for the AGM of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group in Parliament. We start with Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson reflects on a year of hard-fought successes and fresh challenges, and thanks the cross-party MPs and peers driving change.

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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

This is very good on the hurdles assisted dying now faces. It is possible if the government gets behind it, which it should. The behaviour of the Lords last time around was a disgrace to the Chamber and should be overruled. theconversation.com/can-the-assi...

theconversation.com

Can the assisted dying bill be brought back? It’s possible – but supporters face four challenges

There are said to be around 200 MPs who are willing to reintroduce it as a private member’s bill.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

That's a wrap! Thank you to Janet Ellis for being an excellent spokesperson for us! @lizzicollinge.bsky.social, @andrewcopson.bsky.social

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Question: How can humanists get their message across on social media? Janet: 'Children can get held prisoner by that black screen. But have hope that children are better than you think at understanding. Some of the content is so creative - we have to find the positive.' The kids are alright.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

@lizzicollinge.bsky.social: 'What gives me hope is people who are doing really good stuff are finding good and local audiences. I get hope from the people online bringing new and diverse voices.'

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Janet: 'Broadcasting should allow different voices to come together. We can noisily support it when broadcasters do it right, when it moves beyond binary, black and white outreach.'

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Andrew Copson @andrewcopson.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Lovely to join @lizzicollinge.bsky.social & @humanists.uk president Janet Ellis for another successful @apphg.bsky.social mtg. Thank you @cateccles.bsky.social, @sianberry.bsky.social, @lewisatkinson.bsky.social, @jeffsmithmp.bsky.social & Lord Watson for joining. A packed room!

Andrew Copson, Janet Ellis, and Lizzi Collinge sat in a Committee Room at Westminster

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Question: ‘Does it annoy you that the BBC don’t allow non-religious people to do Thought for the Day?’ Janet: ‘Yes. It baffles me. The BBC is excellent and can add so much to the world, but that does baffle me.’

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Turning to assisted dying @lizzicollinge.bsky.social explains the current situation. Janet replies: ‘Assisted dying is a common-sense decision; it makes sense to me that we want to live and die. Of course, all the guardrails need to be in place.' Her message to politicians: ‘Get it through.’

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Janet says: 'If the best school in the area is a faith school, I can’t blame people for just wanting the best and filling up the pews to get that. All children deserve hope, choice and opportunity'

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

The discussion has moved to education. Humanists UK campaigns against fully selective faith schools because publicly funded schools should bring children together, not divide them by religion or belief.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Many people live by humanist values long before they discover there is a word for them: reason, compassion, fairness, and making the most of the one life we know we have. A big theme tonight is how we help more people recognise humanism as something positive and shared.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Janet says: ‘Humanism to me was a realisation. To me, humanism is exploration, curiosity about people, and a deep love of people and what we are capable of.” ‘I’m not an “evangelical” humanist, you can do as you like. But it’s about the people who connect us.’

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Janet says 'Blue Peter is a gift to the curious’, with every episode exploring a new experience and everything that the world has to offer. She recalls the controversy when she left. Her pregnancy was brought up in parliament as an ‘epidemic’ of young, unmarried presenters becoming pregnant.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Janet Ellis is known to generations from Jigsaw and Blue Peter, but her career has also spanned television, radio, theatre, writing, gardening, and charity. In 2016 she was awarded an MBE for services to theatre and charity, a fitting public record of a life of creativity and service.

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All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group @apphg.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

We’re in Parliament this evening for the AGM and meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, with Janet Ellis, broadcaster, actor, writer, and Humanists UK’s new President! We're going to have a conversation about humanism, public life, and the reforms humanists are pursuing.

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