The National Secular Society has told a multi-academy trust its plans to merge a nonreligious school into a faith school would be “a step in the wrong direction”.
The Bristol-based Cathedral Academy Trust (CST) is consulting on plans to merge Hotwells Primary School, which has no religious character, into Cathedral Primary School, which is a Church of England school.
The resulting school would be spread over the sites of both schools but would take on the name and Church of England ethos of Cathedral Primary School.
The plans have prompted protests from children and parents at both schools. Hotwells Primary parents have launched a campaign website and a petition urging CST not to “erase Hotwells Primary school, losing the only local secular primary choice”. The petition has over 1,200 signatures, while a separate petition by parents as Cathedral Primary has over 600 signatures.
The NSS is supporting parents opposing the plans.
Majority of Bristol residents are nonreligious
Responding to the consultation, the NSS told CST the loss of the local area’s only nonreligious primary school “would put children and families from nonreligious and non-Christian religious backgrounds at a significant disadvantage”.
If the amalgamation takes place as planned, every primary school in the Clifton ward and the Hotwells and Harbourside ward would be CofE. For Hotwells Primary pupils, the nearest school that is not CofE would be 30 minutes walk away.
CST’s FAQ document suggests it expects parents who do not wish their child to have a Christian education to move to a different school. In response to a parent’s question asking how it is “deemed acceptable to take the right of religious choice in school away from parents and families”, CST says: “The city will continue to have a range of schools of different types including faith and non faith schools that provide choice to parents”.
The NSS said Cathedral Primary School’s religious ethos is “unambiguous”, highlighting the Church of England’s recent religiosity inspection of the school which described it as a Christian community” with a Christian vision “rooted in scripture”.
The Church of England stated in a 2023 report that it aims to use schools to “double the number of children and young people who are active Christian disciples by 2030”. The document makes it clear the Church intends to use state-funded schools to achieve this goal.
The NSS said closing a nonreligious school like Hotwells Primary would be “extremely shortsighted and out of step with local demographics”.
According to the 2021 census, the majority (51%) of people in Bristol are not religious, compared with the national average of 37%. Bristol has the third highest proportion of people with no religion of all local authorities in England. Christians make up only 32% of Bristol’s population – a 15% drop since the last census. There are over 45 religions represented in Bristol, with many non-Christian religions growing rapidly.
NSS: Closing only nonreligious school in area will cause “division and segregation”
NSS head of campaigns Megan Manson said: “To close a nonreligious school and allow the Church of England to establish a monopoly on primary schools in the Clifton, Hotwells and Harbourside area is a step in the wrong direction.
“A diverse community like Bristol needs secular schools which treat families of all religions and beliefs equally – not faith schools which promote one religious ethos above all other religions and beliefs.
“Closing the area’s only nonreligious school will add to the division and segregation which already threatens Bristol’s community cohesion.
“Furthermore, parents at both Hotwells Primary and Cathedral Primary have made it clear that they do not want this merger to happen.
“We therefore urge CST to ensure Hotwells Primary remains open and retains its inclusive, nonreligious ethos.”
The consultation deadline has been extended to Friday 19th September 2025. Responses can be submitted here