I am happy to join the No More Faith Schools campaign. Education must be secular.

I wholeheartedly support the No More Faith Schools campaign. Education should level the playing field despite background and give access to the latest advances in science and human progress and encourage freethought and inquiry whilst religion contradicts and/or discourages all of the above. Children are not extensions of their parents but individuals with human rights. Why must they be divided and segregated based on their parents’ beliefs when no such divisions are acceptable when it comes to parents’ race, sexuality or political opinions. An end to faith schools would mean that we finally see our children as citizens and not as the property of their parents and that we as a society value them more than any faith or belief.

If we are aiming for an inclusive society, the fewer divisions we can impose on our growing children the better.

I am a political secularist - I believe the State should adopt a level playing field when it comes to religious belief. Even many religious people now recognise that the State funding of religious schools involves giving special privileges to religious communities that are not afforded to the rest of us. This is unjust, anti-democratic, and should stop.

Collectively we have an obligation to provide children with equal access to education, for that to be as inclusive as possible it needs to be secular. In a world marked by so many divisions it is important we protect our education system as something free from religious prejudice.

I support this campaign as a parent whose only catchment choice is Church of England. I despair at the thought of sending my child to a school that includes worship, I see it as indoctrination. Christian values are not compatible with British values of tolerance and acceptance. The Church is not only sexist, promotes the idea that good and evil are black and white, that children should live in fear and even be ashamed of who they are. The C of E states clearly for instance that homosexuality is not what god intended, placing them as second-class citizens. I don't want my child to be raised with these outdated views. Recent investigations have shown none of the major religions hold the highest ethical standards. I cannot comprehend why organisations known to have concealed child abuse are allowed to run schools, and taxpayer funded at that. Leave religion out of schools.

If we want ALL our children to grow up in a cohesive and respectful society free from prejudice and a ghetto mentality, faith schools will not achieve that aim. It is for parents and their church leaders to bring their children up in their chosen faith, the state should not fund faith schools.

I was shocked to learn of the number of Buckinghamshire children who were allocated a faith school against the wishes of their parents. It's now more important than ever that children are educated to distinguish real facts from myths and fake news. Having a major part of the curriculum devoted to getting children to believe in supernatural nonsense is hardly likely to assist this process. I wish you every success in your campaign.

Religion should be a personal choice for the child, a choice made when they are old enough to form their own opinion. Faith schools are simply a recruitment drive for a belief system.

When I was at school in the 1970s, I had religious dogma force upon me every day. It is an appalling offence against freedom of belief that this practice continues today and the promotion of the role of faith schools in our country today is even worse. Faith schools are damaging to the development of children, are used by religious groups to indoctrinate pupils with anti-scientific nonsense and exacerbate divisions in society.