Good news for church schools

Reports that seven out of ten people think Church of England schools play a positive role in education today is encouraging, says diocesan board of education director, Leslie Stephen.

But he says the diocese has no time to rest on its laurels: ‘These are interesting and challenging times for education and we will work hard to lead our schools towards a positive future with continuing high standards.’

Next month headteachers from the diocese’s 280 schools will meet for their annual conference. High on the agenda will be discussion on the role of church schools in the vision of the diocese, along with the implications of the Government White Paper, on education and other national developments such as the introduction of Academies. The challenges of leading a church school in a multi-faith context will also be addressed.

The recent survey by ORB, revealing public support for church schools, is linked with research on ‘Church Schools: Faith in the Future’, which shows that they serve a wide range of society and, across all age groups, have higher levels of achievement than non-faith schools.

Figures also demonstrate a positive view of church schools within other faith communities, with 62 per cent of respondents from non-Christian faith groups agreeing they have a positive role in society.

Responding to criticism that church schools ‘cherrypick’ bright pupils Leslie says: ‘Governors in our aided schools are responsible for setting admissions criteria and, in doing so, are very conscious of the need to be inclusive to their communities as well as serving the needs of Christian parents wanting a church school for their child.

The diocese has also embraced the recent agreement by the Department for Education and Skills (DFES) and faith leaders that faith schools should teach pupils about other religions besides their own.

Leslie says: ‘All of our schools already ensure pupils learn aspects of other faiths as part of their curriculum.
‘Understanding promotes harmony. Many of our schools include pupils of different ethnic backgrounds and, while they will obviously learn about Christian beliefs,  it is important that respect for other religions begins at school age.’