It is not clear to me what your recent correspondents mean when they refer to the need for Catholic schools “to serve the common good” (Letters, 27 January and 3 February). Those who appear to oppose the principle of all Catholic parents having the opportunity to send their children to Catholic schools, whether new or existing, should look at the facts.

The Catholic Education Service’s census for 2017 shows that, nationally, 67 per cent of pupils in our maintained schools are Catholic.