Dr Paul Kelley, head of Monkseaton High School in Tyneside - the first to join the government's flagship 'trust school' scheme - wanted to challenge the legal requirement in all state schools for pupils to take part in a daily act of worship of a broadly Christian nature. There are only a handful of exceptions at faith schools where the daily worship can be based on a different religion.

He also wanted to change the way that religious education was taught, introducing tuition about a number of world views, some that involved faith and some that did not. He intended to follow a 'third way' that neither banished religion from the classroom completely nor had children attending daily worship.

'We wanted a fundamental change in the relationship with the school and the established religion of the country,' said Kelley, talking about the proposals he put forward towards the end of Tony Blair's premiership. 'They accepted it would be popular but said it was politically impossible.'

One senior figure at the then Department for Education and Skills, told Kelley that bishops in the House of Lords and ministers would block the plans. Religion, they added, was 'technically embedded' in many aspects of education.

'I feel that children have a right to not having a particular point of view,' said Kelley. 'They should not be promoted to a political party, nor should they to a religion. The daily act of worship is, I think, inappropriate at school.'

However, he added that moral discussions about religion and world views were appropriate and could take place in lessons. Although many schools are not classified as being of religious character, if they do not carry out the daily act of worship they lose points during inspections by Ofsted. Kelley said he wanted to change that.

The details of his meeting with government officials emerged when Kelley was speaking about a book he has written on the subject, entitled Making Minds, What's Wrong with Education and What Should We Do About It? In it Kelley argues against the existence of faith schools. He praises the Church of England for setting up schools in a time that the government did not offer education to all but says there is no longer a reason to maintain those schools as faith-based.

The schools, says Kelley, 'directly or indirectly influence children into a belief that a particular faith is preferable either to other faiths or to a lack of faith'. He adds: 'That is not, in my view, fair to a child and it is not offering them the opportunity to choose freely. The problem we are left with is a 19th-century architecture of education in a 21st-century environment.' He argues that there should be no legal requirement for religious education teaching, although he would still teach pupils about different religions.

Kelley said he had not given up on his plans but realised he could not change things by himself. Instead, he is hoping other schools might join his campaign.

Jim Knight, the Schools Minister, said: 'The majority of schools do not have a religious character, and are not affiliated to any faith group. But where the local community wants a school of a religious character, the government continues to support them as part of our commitment to enable parents, where possible, to send pupils to schools of their choice.

'All schools, faith and non-faith alike, must teach religious education as part of the basic curriculum. In maintained schools without a religious character, this will focus on learning about different religions and the role they play in today's world, not religious instruction.'

A spokesman for the Church of England said: 'If he is arguing for a way for individual schools to opt out of those bits of the act he does not like that is not something we would support. Either overtly or by default, this country is still a Christian one.'