Responding to the government's announcement of plans to lift the 50% cap on faith free schools prioritising places based upon faith, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders’ union, the NAHT said:

“Schools with a religious character play an important part of the education eco-system and are often popular with parents. Many such schools are made up of diverse communities and work hard to ensure that pupils mix and interact with children from a wide range of backgrounds and with different beliefs from their own.

“However, NAHT is concerned that the move to remove the faith cap is an unnecessary and potentially retrograde step.

"We are concerned that there is a danger that such a move could inadvertently lead to a sense of selection through the back door and could potentially make it harder for some pupils to get a place at their local school.

"Such a change in policy feels inappropriate so close to an election and is something that should be incorporated into a manifesto.”