Communication resources

The Archbishop of Canterbury meeting a Year 12 student at Bacon's College, Rotherhithe, on the day of the Faith in the Future conference.

Seven out of ten people believe that Church of England schools play a positive role in educating the nation’s children, according to a poll by researchers ORB released today to coincide with a major conference on Church schools.

Canon John Hall, Chief Education Officer for the Church of England, says: “I am encouraged by this level of support. Church schools are inclusive and truly serve a diverse range of communities. This is a core part of the Church of England’s commitment to the whole nation, a commitment to offering quality education with a distinctively Christian ethos.”

Support for inclusive schools run with a Christian ethos remains widespread across all areas of the country and across different economic groups, with 74 per cent of respondents from rural areas supporting Church schools, and similarly high figures of 69 and 77 per cent of those surveyed from areas with predominantly Local Authority housing and separate towns respectively. Figures also demonstrate a positive view of Church schools within other faith communities, with 62 per cent of respondents from non-Christian faith groups agreeing that Church of England schools have a positive role in society[i].

The figures are linked with research that will be presented at the conference – called Church Schools: Faith in the Future - showing that Church schools are serving a wide range of society, with similar proportions of students from disadvantaged backgrounds being taught in Church middle and secondary schools as in the rest of the state sector, and evidence of a very strong commitment to rural areas[ii]. Evidence of the diversity of Church of England secondary schools is also highlighted in particularly high proportions of Black African and Caribbean students, with almost double the percentage of students from these minority groups enrolled in Church schools as in other state schools (African: 1.4 against 2.7 per cent and Caribbean: 1.5 against 2.8 per cent)[iii].

Other statistics set to be revealed at the event, due to be attended by around 450 school heads and other education specialists, demonstrate that Church schools have higher levels of achievement across all age ranges than non-faith state schools. At Key Stage 4 (10-11 year olds), Church of England schools rate three times better at ‘adding value’ to students’ attainment than non-faith schools[iv]. Adjusted scores for students from disadvantaged backgrounds similarly show that  at each Key Stage from 2 to 4, Church school students receive more ‘added value’ than in other types of state school[v].

Separate information recently released by the DfES has revealed that in faith schools, 5% more of students eligible for Free School Meals attain at least five good GCSEs than in other types of state school[vi].

This raft of figures has been released to mark five years since Lord Dearing’s review of Church schools, ‘The Way ahead’, and to help the Church focus its education strategy in the run-up to 2011’s bicentenary of the National Society’s launch of mass education in this country. The conference taking place in central London today will include contributions from Lords Dearing and Puttnam, as well as keynote addresses by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Minister of State for Schools and 14 - 19 learners, Jacqui Smith MP.

Canon John Hall concludes: “The findings of these studies bolster our enthusiasm for continuing an ambitious programme of further development of Church schools across the country. The statistics are further backed up by the incisive work of the National Institute for Christian Education Research, an organisation officially launched at today’s event.”

Notes:
The full results of the ORB survey on attitudes to Church schools is available here.