The government has pledged to lift the 50 per cent faith cap on new free schools, with a consultation announced on Wednesday that could see it done later this summer.
The 50 per cent faith cap means that if a new free school with religious character is oversubscribed, it can only prioritise pupils based on faith for half its places. At least half of available places must be allocated without reference to faith-based admissions criteria.
As a result, the Catholic Church has said it has been unable to open new free schools, because the cap meant they could be forced to turn away some Catholic pupils.
There have been efforts to lift the cap ever since it was first introduced in 2010, as part of the introduction of the free school programme. Recently, more than 1,000 people from across the country signed the Catholic Union’s open letter to Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, calling on her to “scrap the cap”.
A consultation on removing the cap was last launched in 2016 but before the results could be published, the prime minister Theresa May called an election. Although the Conservatives in their manifesto pledged to repeal the 50 per cent rule, by 2018 the government said instead it would remain.
The Catholic Union has vigorously promoted a “Scrap the Cap” campaign and this latest consultation follows recent speculation that the Government was now willing to reconsider lifting the cap.
Damian Hinds, Minister of State for Schools, declined to comment on the possibility of an election being called by the prime minister Rishi Sunak before the consultation, due to end on 20 June, could be completed. He told The Tablet: “We absolutely intend to lift the cap. It is happening.” He said schools were moving more and more towards becoming academies and free schools.
He said that although the Church could open new voluntary-aided Catholic schools, this was “against the direction of travel”. He said: “This means that new Catholic schools will be able to open as free schools. We think this is the right thing to do.”
He said there was great diversity in the country’s education system. “Faith schools, religious schools, are not for everybody and nor should they be, but they have a very important place. The Catholic Church is the biggest name in secondary education in this country.”
The consultation paves the way for new faith free schools and special faith-based academies and builds on the government’s success in raising school standards, with 90 per cent of schools now rated Good or Outstanding, up from just 68 per cent in 2010.
The Education Secretary, who is expected to announce the decision in a written statement to Parliament today, said: “As someone who attended a faith school as a child and having worked closely with our leading faith groups as Education Secretary, I’ve seen first-hand how their values and standards so often give young people a brilliant start in life.
“Faith groups run some of the best schools in the country, including in some of the most disadvantaged areas, and it’s absolutely right we support them to unleash that potential even further, including through the creation of the first ever faith academies for children with special educational needs.”
Former Education Secretary and Catholic Union vice president Ruth Kelly described the move as a “vote of confidence” in Catholic education.
The Catholic Union said, “The decision will mean that Catholic free schools are finally able to open, giving more young people the benefit of a Catholic education. This is well-earned recognition of the success of our existing Catholic schools, and a vote of confidence in Catholic education in general.”
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