The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams today spoke of the importance of church schools in providing an environment for children to become good citizens.

 

Preaching to a packed Westminster Abbey congregation of school children, teachers and church and education leaders Dr Williams said that whether pupils were of the Christian faith or not church schools provided a vision for them “to see the biggest possible picture of humanity and the world they live in.”

Church school children from across England and Wales* carried specially made banners to celebratethe founding of the Church of England's National Society in 1811 offering education to the poor in every parish - 50 years before the state joined in.

 

Among them were children from Chalfont St Peter CofE School in Buckinghamshire who won a contest held in the Oxford Diocese to design a banner to take along to the service.

Liz Underwood, acting headteacher, said: “We were all really excited when we found out we were going along to the service. The children had come up with suggestions about what they thought should be on the banner. Our Year Six pupils have been working since the start of term to create this.”

 

The Archbishop praised the founders of the National Society who believed it was “inhuman and unjust” to send children up chimneys and down mines and offered them an opportunity of education.

In a Church of England podcastpublished today the Revd Jan Ainsworth the CofE’s Chief Education officer said it was important to celebrate the past while looking to opportunities in the future. “Our task is to make sure our Church schools find a place within the new system and to bring other schools into relationship with us.”

 

The Choir of St Aidan’s School, Harrogate, dancers from Parish Church CE Junior School, Croydon and performers from Manor CE School, York, all took a lead part in the service,conducted by the Dean of Westminster the Very Revd John Hall.