Thirty British Schools Using Textbooks Which Claim Aids Can be Avoided by Studying Bible

More than 30 schools in the UK are using Christian textbooks which claim Aids can be avoided by studying the bible and evolution is a myth.

The US-based Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) curriculum is currently been used in 33 private Christian schools. The textbooks contend that homosexuality is a choice and abortion is wrong.

One passage states: "Some people mistakenly believe that an individual is born a homosexual and his attraction to those of the same sex is normal.

"Because extensive tests have shown that there is no biological difference between homosexuals and others, these tests seem to prove that homosexuality is a learned behaviour."

One biology textbook also says: "As astonishing as it may seem, many evolutionists theorise that fish evolved into amphibians and amphibians into reptiles.

"However, the fossil record does not have the evidence of transitional forms."

Teaching creationism in school as fact has been banned in state schools. However, the private schools using the ACE textbooks do not have to follow the national curriculum.

Christian Education Europe (CEE) – which provides the curriculum - say the textbooks only form a part of the education to ensure a "biblical worldview" for the children.

Prof Alice Roberts, president of the Association of Science Education, criticised the schools for teaching pupils "a lie" about the theory of evolution.

She told Newsnight: "The government is quite clear that science should be taught as a comprehensive, coherent and extensively evidenced theory."

The ACE King of Kings School in Ancoats, Manchester, is one of the schools using the texts. Headteacher Brenda Lewis defended using the controversial books as part of the curriculum.

She told the Manchester Evening News: "The textbooks in isolation only show a very small part of a very large curriculum. It's a starting point not a finishing point.

"As Christians we believe the Bible and we believe what the Bible says, and it does say a number of those things, but we are not single-issue people and we teach our students to think for themselves and realise there are a vast number of issues."

In the last Ofsted inspection, Kings of Kings school was graded "inadequate".

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "All independent schools — including those run by Christian Education Europe — must ensure that pupils are taught respect for others of different cultures and beliefs."