FAITH schools are to be instructed to teach pupils about other religions besides their own.

Leaders from the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist faiths have signed a joint statement backing the teaching of an awareness of the “tenets” of other faiths in schools.

The declaration, made jointly with the Department for Education and Skills, says that religious education enables pupils to “combat prejudice” and helps them to develop respect and sensitivity to others.

The agreement commits faith schools to using the National Framework for Religious Education, drawn up in 2004, which encourages the teaching of the tenets of the five major religions but which is non-statutory.

Many religious schools teach about faiths other than their own, but there is no legal requirement for them to do so. The statement says that religious education offers “opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual development”.

Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary, said that the best faith schools promoted inclusion and appreciation of other faiths. She said: “This is part of the vital role that faith schools have played in education. By promoting core values, they have also strengthened communities and our society.”

Of 22,000 state-maintained schools in this country, about 7,000 are faith schools. Most, 4,700, are Church of England. The remaining Christian schools are Roman Catholic, with a handful of others, including some Methodist and one Greek Orthodox. There are also more than 30 Jewish schools, a few Muslim schools, one Sikh school and a Hindu school about to open.

Critics have charged faith schools with promoting sectarianism. Government plans to give more schools control over admissions have also aroused fears of greater segregation by faith or other criteria.

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