Board of Deputies welcomes Education Secretary's aim to lift entry cap on faith free schools

Damian Hinds, the new Education Secretary, has indicated he is ready to lift the restriction on entry to religious free schools.

Although the Conservatives promised in their general election manifesto last year to lift the 50 per cent cap on selecting children by religion, the policy appeared to have been put on the backburner after the party lost its majority.

But Mr Hinds suggested he will implement the election pledge in an interview with the Sunday Times yesterday.

“There are thousands of faith schools all over the country and almost none of them have a cap on their admissions,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “The cap relates only to new free schools of a religious character.”