Integrated schools

SIR – In a speech delivered at a Birmingham school, David Cameron highlighted the problems caused by children of different faiths being segregated in separate schools (report, July 21).

He is right: if we want our children to grow up in harmony, they should sit next to each other in the same classroom, share lessons, free time and personal friendships, visit each other’s homes and understand each other’s cultures. This wouldn’t stop them from maintaining a strong faith tradition.

The Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, should extend to all schools the rule governing new academy faith schools, which states that they cannot select more than 50 per cent of pupils on the grounds of faith.

The assumption that religion and integration are incompatible is simply not true.

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain Chairman, Accord Coalition London EC1