Theresa May’s confidence in Catholic education means the Church has to deliver, says school governor Mike Craven

The decision to scrap the cap on faith-based admissions for new, oversubscribed schools rights an injustice primarily affecting Catholic schools. It should be warmly endorsed by English Catholics because it allows us to meet real needs in our community. One in three Catholic children in west London cannot secure a place in a Catholic school, a problem replicated elsewhere, particularly where Catholic populations have been boosted by immigration.

The bishops and the Catholic Education Service (CES) had rightly refused to build new schools while the cap was in existence. Although the 50-per-cent faith-based admissions limit would have applied only to a relatively small number of new oversubscribed schools, it defied logic to force Catholic schools to turn away Catholic children because they were Catholic.