Bill threatens future of Catholic schools

Poorly performing Catholic schools could be taken out of diocesan control and made secular academies using powers in the Education Bill currently under scrutiny in the House of Lords.

The Catholic Education Service (CES) says it is fighting hard for the preservation of Catholic schools in England with its campaign against the bill. The proposed legislation would require the Education Secretary to take over all schools rated inadequate by Ofsted, raising fears about the loss of the religious character of faith schools and the future of school buildings and land that are usually owned by churches and other faith groups.

Of the 1,950 Catholic schools in England, 273 were rated as requiring improvement at their last inspection and 22 were judged inadequate. In another 21 schools jointly controlled by the Catholic Church and the Church of England, one was rated inadequate and three required improvement. The figures fall broadly in line with national trends. The CES’s concerns about the bill coincided with a survey that showed Catholic schools in England are the most ethnically and economically diverse in the country. Paul Barber, director of the CES, said decisions about Catholic schools rated inadequate should be taken locally in consultation with the diocese and the school’s trustees.

“As one of the largest providers of education in England and Wales, dioceses have been making these decisions for more than a century, and have led the way in school improvement, often pioneering methods in mainstream use today. These have included  different types of federations, school partnerships, multi-academy trusts, umbrella trusts and executive head teachers.

“By allowing for a range of approaches the various different needs and requirements of schools can be catered for, something the ‘one size fits all’ approach of the  bill will struggle to provide.

“One in 10 children in England goes to a Catholic school and we save the taxpayer millions of pounds through providing land and the managing of schools. We are fighting for the preservation of Catholic schools in England.”

The CES sought to reinforce its message about the inclusivity and academic excellence of Catholic schools with the publication of its latest census. The survey of the 2,142 Catholic schools in England – a tenth of the country’s maintained sector – found that more than a third (37 per cent) of pupils came from ethnic minority backgrounds, six percentage points ahead of the national average. More children were also found to come from deprived backgrounds with 17 per cent of secondary students coming from the poorest homes, 5 per cent more than the national average.

Catholic schools’ attainment in SAT tests in English and Maths and at GCSE were found to exceed the national average by six and five per cent respectively.