(Christian Education in the UK is facing a huge spiritual battle in 2026. The head of education at evangelical advocacy group Christian Concern Steve Beegoo outlines a grim dystopian picture of what’s already happening and what’s in store.)
Five signs are clearly visible of the spiritual battle to hinder British children from receiving Christ and his ways for their lives, under the oversight of their parents.
Visible for those who have eyes to see and are ‘watchmen on the wall’ regarding our sons and daughters.
1. AN EGREGIOUS BILL
Firstly, at the start of 2026 the Starmer Labour government itself has brought 104 amendments to their own Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
The amendments include powers for local authority officers to have right of access to the home of your sons and daughters, with powers to legally enforce, simply because you decide to take them out of school and to teach them at home for any reason.
Many disturbed parents have rallied outside parliament to protest against the bill.
They are furious at how ‘safeguarding’ is being used to curtail parental freedoms which has never been conscionable before.
2. RAIDS BY EDUCATION REGULATOR
Secondly, this (northern) winter has seen Ofsted inspector police-style raids on home educators who gather to learn together.
Ofsted is the UK’s government agency that inspects and regulates education and child care services in England.
With body cams and brandishing police cautions as they enter church buildings, these officers intimidate home educating families who gather regularly for sessions together with other parents.
Our legal centre and education department has been recently inundated with reports where, under suspicion of running illegal schools, which they are not, parents and church leaders have been warned, threatened, cautioned and even physically pushed out of the way by aggressive state actors.
We are providing legal advice and pastoral support to these groups.
We have warned how the increasing powers of the government will be misused, and we see this happening already.
Any ‘Out of School Settings’ which Christians provide could be in line for such action, including Sunday Schools.
3. VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT)
Thirdly, the imposition of VAT onto school fees, something which no other European country does, is being fought over again by our lawyers in the appeal court.
Parents should not be charged by the government for paying for teachers to teach their sons and daughters in line with their Christian values.
In countries such as Australia, the USA, The Netherlands and Germany, parents are financially helped.
Over 100 private schools have closed due to this measure, including The King Alfred School in Dudley which we have supported, where low and middle income families simply could not afford to pay the VAT.
4. GENDER QUESTIONING
Fourthly, the government continues to prevaricate over publishing its guidance on Gender Questioning Children.
They had said this would be made clear by the end of 2025.
Schools are still supporting and even encouraging the social gender transition of children within their schools, outside the knowledge of their parents.
We are still fighting legal cases regarding terrible practices even in primary schools.
LGBT groups, through activist and trans teachers, Pride clubs and other celebratory events promote the idea that children can have a gender identity different from that of their biological sex, causing untold psychological harm.
5. PROPERTY TAX
Fifthly, in addition to the VAT, the new property tax on schools is now also causing the closing of small, low-cost Christian schools.
The continued removal of business rates relief for private schools is in stark contrast to the U-turn provided to pubs.
The Phoenix Academy in London, based in a home setting with around 30 pupils, used to be charged less than A$300 per month.
Now it has been hit with new charges of A$18,000 after authorities re-evaluated what to charge them.
Other small schools are facing closure, even when their parents rose to the sacrificial faith to find the money to cover their VAT on school fees.
One of these reported to us that they had rates raised from A$1000 per month to A$7000 per month for a school of around 40 children.
GOVERNMENTS SEEING CHILDREN AS “UNITS OF THE STATE”
The Labour party, with its socialist and statist leanings, was always going to put pressure on independent actions of parents, who do not buy in to all the provisions of the ‘benevolent’ welfare state.
Governments across the world increasingly see children, not as sons and daughters of their parents, and certainly not as children created and formed by God in their mother’s womb, but instead as units of the state.
They are considered autonomous beings for whom the government must help assert ‘the rights of the child’ as determined by that state or the international consensus.
This justification can be seen throughout the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, equality impact assessment document.
“WE NEED THE WISDOM OF THE MEN OF ISSACHAR”
There are times in history where social ‘police’ begin to enforce the agenda of the state on its population and their sons and daughters.
We need to have the wisdom of the men of Issachar, who knew the times and what Israel should do (1 Chronicles 12:32).
These five signs add to the concerns that we are currently on a trajectory of a less free society, where suspicion and taxing of Christian parents becomes seen as normal.
A state where the empowerment of ‘neutral’ local authority actors, on unjustified grounds of safety and children’s rights, hinders the Christian message, and the passing on of the beautiful ways Jesus Christ has called us to live.
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