Place for faith schools

SIR – I was disturbed by your report (December 13) that Ofsted is demanding new powers to target conservative faith schools which do not subscribe to “shared values”.

In a free society, shared values must always be those of principle and not particularity. Principles of respect, kindness, excellence and inquiry are universal and must be broadly applied. However, in the past, Ofsted has used its powers to demand that particular views are adopted by faith schools, notably in respect to sexuality.

Demanding that all pupils share the same conclusions on moral issues is not just an attack on religious schools and parents; it is an assault on intellectual freedom itself. Thomas Pascoe

Campaign Director, The Coalition for Marriage Nutfield, Surrey