From the editor’s desk

Future of Catholic education

The pastoral letter published this week by the bishops of England and Wales, confirming the Catholic Church's commitment to education and the provision of schools, can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, it can be seen as a proud affirmation of the Church's record. Its schools are popular with parents for their traditional ethos, high expectations of pupils, strong sense of community and record of educational attainment. At a time when education in Britain has become dominated in recent years not so much by the three Rs as the three Ts - targets, tests and tables - many parents want more from schools than a relentless emphasis on examinations.

But the letter is also a robust defence of faith schools. A year ago, the Catholic Church flexed its political muscles to fight off what it saw as a concerted attack on its schools when the then Education Secretary, Alan Johnson, sought to alter the admissions criteria by imposing a quota system, forcing Catholic schools to offer a quarter of their places to non-Catholics. Certain Catholic schools already have substantial numbers of non-Catholic pupils but a quota system would have meant turning away from oversubscribed establishments those who wanted Catholic schooling in favour of those indifferent to it. The dispute was worth fighting on that basis alone, but, if it had been lost, it would probably have led other incursions to limit Catholic provision and secularise it.

That this defence has been made indicates that bishops realise there may yet be further assaults by critics. A common complaint against faith schools is that they are socially selective. The facts suggest otherwise. The average percentage of children in Catholic schools having free school meals - a recognised indicator of poverty - is akin to the national average. Similarly, Catholic schools have more or less the same proportion of ethnic minority pupils as other state-maintained secondary schools. And with their more rounded approach to education and pastoral care, recognised regularly by schools inspectors, they are in an advantageous position to help more marginalised pupils and those with behavioural problems. Certainly, the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education has been clear that schools should first and foremost be for the benefit of the poor. If the system in Britain, through league tables and competition for places, pushes schools the other way, then the Church's schools will struggle to fulfil this vocation.

Educational provision could not of course continue without those who are willing to serve as governors, teachers and head teachers. At the moment the Catholic sector survives by employing many thousands of non-Catholic teachers. Understandably, Catholic schools want to appoint practising Catholics to senior posts but in recent years schools have struggled sometimes to find heads and deputies. Tackling this can take many forms - prayer, recruitment drives, appeals such as the bishops' letter for Catholics to get involved. But there is another way of dealing with it. There are talented, Catholic teachers available but they are excluded because some dioceses object to their lifestyles, on the grounds that they are gay, or divorced or remarried. The Church has long had a deserved reputation for pastoral care for pupils. A more nuanced approach to recruitment, focusing on professional skills rather than private lives could help fill the gaps in the classroom.