The days when Catholic schools in England were filled by the children of Catholic parents are long gone. Many children from Catholic families are going to non-faith schools and their places are being filled by Christians from other denominations and children from other religions. One-third of the total number of pupils in Catholic schools in England is now non-Catholic and in some major predominantly metropolitan dioceses, such as those of Southwark and Leeds, the proportion is much higher.

Religious diversity has become the norm in many Catholic schools and we need to explore the implications of this. If our schools are to live up to the label of being faith schools, how will they ensure they support and nurture the differing faiths of all their pupils?