It would alarm me if any member of our school or any parent felt excluded because they did not share the faith on which the school is founded.

By definition, a Christian school offers an unconditional welcome to all, which we believe is a sign of the God in whom we trust. If it encourages hypocrisy among the staff, a faith school denies its own basis the search for truth in all its forms.

Since there is no unambiguous proof that God does or does not exist, atheists must also make a faith commitment when they decide not to believe. A school that has no overt faith commitment will have faith in something agreed values or an ethos which all will be expected to adhere to. But because it will not be expressed in religious terms, it may not appear to be about faith.

All schools depend on faith, some of it religious and some not. Let us not allow some kinds to be to be denigrated because they are religious while others go unexamined because they appear to be objective.

Tim Evans

Primary school chair of governors, Kendal, Cumbria