Church school admissions

Clive Sedgewick, Diocesan Director of Education, responds to recent press comment

The Rt Rev John Pritchard, who is chair of the CoE's Board of Education and the bishop of Oxford, created a media story this month when, in an interview to the Times Educational Supplement he said he was urging headteachers to allocate no more than 10% of places to practising Anglicans.

The Revd Clive Sedgewick, (Pictured above left with GP Taylor) is Director of Education for Bradford and Ripon and Leeds Dioceses and was quoted in the same article. Here, in an exclusive response, he looks at the media controversy and the issues raised:

There can be no doubt that admissions to schools has become a significant concern for many parents.  There seems to be a prevailing feeling that getting your child into the ‘right school’ is crucial to their life chances.  There is also a prevailing impression that church schools are often the ‘right schools’.

Hidden in these concerns about admissions to Church of England schools are many misconceptions.  The recent pronouncements by the Bishop of Oxford which have enjoyed wide coverage throughout the media, have seen a number of these prejudices and misunderstandings return to the fore.

Firstly, Church of England schools are not faith schools.  Faith schools tend to teach those of that faith about their faith.  Admission to faith schools will normally be according to baptism or family support for that faith.  Here it is important to note that only Voluntary Aided schools have the right to create their own admissions policy.  As approximately two thirds of all Church of England schools are Voluntary Controlled they must, and willingly do, admit pupils under exactly the same criteria as community schools.  For two thirds of Church of England Schools cannot admit pupils according to faith or church attendance.  These schools are totally linked to, and serve their community.

The governors of Voluntary Aided (VA) Schools have the right to set their own admissions criteria so long as these are legal.  The majority of VA schools use similar criteria to those of Community Schools.  Fewer than 10% of VA schools use church attendance as a criterion for admissions.  There are a small number of VA schools which do set church attendance as a precondition for gaining a place in the school if it is oversubscribed.  It is this small number of very popular schools to which the Bishop of Oxford is referring in his recent statements : by far the majority of C of E schools already fit the model he is suggesting.

Where Church Schools do exercise their right to give priority admission to pupils who’s parents attend church, this is a local decision of the governors.  The central Board of Education, with the Bishop of Oxford as its Chairman, may seek to influence the decisions of governing bodies, but it cannot enforce such policy.  Indeed, to date there has been no formal consideration of any policy statement by the National Board.  Therefore the statement referring to 10% church admissions remains the personal expression of the Bishop, not Church of England policy.

I consider that there is no imperative to change admission policies or criteria.  We expect new admissions guidance in the near future and this should inform the thinking of governors.  In the meantime, it appears to me that the media interest in the comments by the Bishop of Oxford are somewhat hyped and do not require action or response from our schools or Boards.

Clive Sedgewick                                                                                              

April 2011