The Sunday Times reported on 5 February 2017 that 20 Church of England and 15 Roman Catholic schools have significantly more
pupils from Muslim families than Christian ones. Two primary schools were named as having 98-100% pupils coming from a Muslim background. According to Professor Alan Smithers, Director of the Centre for Education at the University of Buckingham, the situation must be "uncomfortable" for Muslim pupils and "very confusing for the handful of Christian pupils", hence: "It would seem logical these schools become secular institutions".
David Davidson, working at World Watch Research, comments: "That many church schools have high percentages of Muslim pupils is no surprise. The state-school system has been registering this fact for years. In 2011, according the Muslim Council of Britain
2015 report, one in twelve school-age children countrywide was Muslim. No one is suggesting that Christian pupils are being persecuted by Muslim pupils at these schools or that these latest statistics are to be read in connection with the so-called "
Operation Trojan Horse" which allegedly ousted head teachers through Islamist pressure in Birmingham in 2014. What it does show is that the high birth-rate among Muslim families in Britain is affecting school life and this is causing pressure to be exerted on at least 35 church schools to become secular institutions. If they do, that will be one more step down out of the public arena for Christian witness in the UK."
