I fully agree with Professor Brighouse when he says children from atheist homes need exposure to religious views to become autonomous thinkers, but strongly disagree that this can only be achieved through faith schools. He implies “secular” schools do not succeed in helping young people to explore a range of views, from the secular to the religious. This is profoundly misinformed.

Challenging RE can be found in schools up and down the land and should always seek to create opportunities to provoke pupils to question their assumptions.

But Professor Brighouse is correct to raise concerns over private faith schools, which are free of any restrictions. The possibility of fundamentalist doctrines being paraded in our schools is a concern to all who value our education system for creating independent, autonomous thinkers.

Ed Pawson, Head of religion, philosophy and ethics, The King’s School, Ottery St Mary, Devon.