During my 21 years as an RE teacher in a Catholic high school, I taught Muslim and Jewish pupils and some of my best A-level candidates studying modern Christian theology were Jewish girls.

Tony Castle
Great Wakering, Essex

RATIONAL BELIEFS: Of course it is not possible to have a rational discussion with Gill on his perception of “religion”. I shall, therefore, merely observe that after nearly 60 years or so of experience of Catholic and Church of England schools in various parts of the country, as a pupil, parent and grandparent, I simply do not recognise his description.

David Keeling (Letters) states that “we should not pay for faith schools”. It represents a common approach in controversies of this kind. Are those of us (and there are many) who support faith schools not equally taxpayers? And isn’t “the state” supposed to represent all of us? Keeling’s approach is essentially a political conceit.

Tony Lawton
Skelton, York

RELIGIOUS DIVIDE: The debacle over faith schools fails to address a key point — why is it that in an increasingly secular society parents are opting to send their children to faith schools? As a Jewish parent who does not wish to pay exorbitant fees, I welcome the opportunity to send my children to a state-owned Jewish school, not because it is a religious institution but because it offers excellent facilities, maintains high moral and ethical values and achieves good academic results.

Successive government policy aimed at giving all children access to the same standards of education has resulted in greater polarisation than existed before the abolition of grammar schools, except now it is wealth and religion rather than ability which is the divisive factor.

Corinne Fishman
Northwood, Hertfordshire