Including – Christian police officer exonerated after sacking – Pro-life rally in Belfast – Christian schools cutting staff because of VAT – and more…
by Andrew Halloway
Police officer exonerated after sacking for criticising Islam
A Christian Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) has won a settlement after suspension for questioning Islam during mandatory diversity training.
Luke Salmons had been found guilty of “gross misconduct” by North Yorkshire Police and permanently barred from policing. The Culture, Race and Religion course the former PCSO attended was supposedly a ‘safe space’ where officers could raise difficult questions. Yet two days after Luke respectfully asked about Hamas’ atrocities and jihad, he was suspended.
Former PCSO Luke Salmons
With the help of the Christian Legal Centre, the dispute was settled without the need for an Employment Tribunal, and Luke was removed from the barred list. Christian Concern commented: “Luke’s case offers a rare insight into the level of political and ideological control being exercised through so called ‘diversity’ training within the UK police, raising serious concerns about freedom of religion, freedom of expression and the treatment of Christians…in public institutions.”
During one session, Luke says that trainers repeatedly chanted “Islam is a religion of peace”, and the course focused heavily on Islam, whereas Christianity was virtually excluded. Luke had previously encountered op- position to his Christian views whenever he attempted to share them, was reported for being “combative and critical of the views expressed in the training” and was warned not to discuss his morals in the workplace.
Pro-life rally in Belfast unites people from both sides of the border
Thousands of people demonstrated against abortion on 4 July in Belfast, including unionists and nationalists from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Organisers Precious Life and Life Institute claimed the Rally for Life, Liberty and Faith was one of the capital’s largest pro-life demonstrations in recent years. Politicians, church leaders and pro-life campaigners addressed the crowd, warning that freedom of speech and religion is under threat.
Bernadette Smyth, Director of Precious Life, said: “Today, we stand together and send a powerful message that we
will not be silenced. We marched for the little ones who cannot march, cannot speak and cannot vote. We marched be-
cause every child deserves the freedom to be born and every mother deserves real support and compassion.”
Christian schools are closing or cutting staff
The Labour Government’s decision to impose VAT on private schools has caught out Christian schools, which, unlike Muslim and Hindu schools, receive no Government funding
by Heart staff
Christian schools are losing pupils and having to axe staff because parents cannot afford the higher fees caused by the
addition of VAT. The UK is the only country in Europe to put additional taxes on private education, according to Christian Concern, which is campaigning on behalf of a number of independent Christian Schools, parents and pupils across the
country.
Christian Concern adds, “This has severely impacted low-cost Christian schools and, when combined with attacks on home-educating families, demonstrates just how far the UK has moved away from its Christian heritage.” Two Christian schools have already had to close because parents have been unable to afford the increased fees. Trinity Christian School in Reading and King Alfred School in Dudley will not be opening their doors this September. They were members of the Christian Schools Trust, which, according to its website, has “around” 35 member schools across England, Scotland and Wales.
One member, Emmanuel Christian School in Leicester, for ages 4 to 16, has reluctantly made two much-needed staff members redundant. One of its governors, Caroline Vickers, told HEART: “The recent VAT on fees, which are already lower than other independent schools, has meant that our projected intake for September 2026 is lower than it has been for several years, so we are having to lay off an LSA (Learning Support Assistant) and an admin assistant.”
Emmanuel began in 2003 with 11 pupils, and now has around 60. Caroline Vickers told HEART, “We have jumped through many hoops, passed inspections, become a member school of ISA (the Independent Schools Association),
an exam centre, and expanded our site. The amount of work, commitment, dedication and endurance of a small Christian staff under the leadership of headteacher Andy Harris cannot be underestimated.”
Christian schools have to charge fees because, unlike Muslim and Hindu schools, they receive no government funding, due to teaching the biblical version of Creation. Caroline adds that Emmanuel, like other Christian schools, has had particular success in helping SEND (Special Educational Needs) children flourish as provision for them in mainstream
schools is limited: “They thrive in our small school with pastoral support and a family atmosphere. Each day begins with a biblical assembly and praise and worship to God and lessons are taught from a biblical perspective.”
Staff and governors go many extra miles by actively promoting the school through fundraising events, while the head and governors speak in churches on the importance of “capturing our children’s minds and hearts with the truth of God’s Word before they are polluted by the world.”
The school’s staff, who already receive “significantly lower” pay than in mainstream or other independent schools, have had their salaries reduced in 2025-26 and will have another pay cut this September. But Caroline says: “They have chosen to work in a Chris- tian school for the cause of Christ.”
Meanwhile, a group of independent Christian schools, parents and children, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, have won the right to appeal the Government’s VAT decision in the Su-
preme Court. Emmanuel belongs to the Christian Schools Trust (CST), which is a registered charity and a group of independent Christian schools working together to put faith and a relationship with God central to the process of education. Varying greatly in their profiles and backgrounds, member schools are drawn together by a common vision and strong partnerships.
Although each school is autonomous in its government, CST claims its schools work together in many ways to enhance the effectiveness of the education they provide. “The amount of work, commitment, dedication and endurance of a small Christian staff cannot be underestimated”
Other Christian parents, concerned at the secularisation of the national curriculum, are looking to open schools in the near future. Caroline Vickers comments: “This is no mean feat, given the increasingly hostile environment in which independent schools find themselves operating.”