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| Bishop: 'Cut priority school places for churchgoers' | Bishop: 'Cut priority school places for churchgoers' |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| The head of the Church of England's education board has called for a cut in the share of places in the Church's schools reserved for churchgoers. | |
| The Right Reverend John Pritchard, the Bishop of Oxford, said schools should give worshippers priority for no more than 10% of places - although some now do so for 50% or more of their spaces. | The Right Reverend John Pritchard, the Bishop of Oxford, said schools should give worshippers priority for no more than 10% of places - although some now do so for 50% or more of their spaces. |
| The Church is reviewing its guidance on admissions in some 2,100 schools. | The Church is reviewing its guidance on admissions in some 2,100 schools. |
| Secular campaigners said the comments were "a step in the right direction". | Secular campaigners said the comments were "a step in the right direction". |
| The Church hopes in the summer to publish updated guidance for the Diocesan boards that run its voluntary-aided schools. | The Church hopes in the summer to publish updated guidance for the Diocesan boards that run its voluntary-aided schools. |
| Some of these are very popular, and are able to give priority to children who attend church regularly when deciding which pupils to accept. | Some of these are very popular, and are able to give priority to children who attend church regularly when deciding which pupils to accept. |
| In an interview with the Time Educational Supplement, Bishop Pritchard said: "Every school will have a policy that has a proportion of places for Church youngsters… what I would be saying is that number ought to be minimised because our primary function and our privilege is to serve the wider community. | |
| "Ultimately I hope we can get the number of reserved places right down to 10%." | "Ultimately I hope we can get the number of reserved places right down to 10%." |
| 'Safe places' | 'Safe places' |
| Some believe that the current system encourages families - particularly from the motivated and educated middle-classes - to start or increase religious activity in the hope of boosting their chances of entry to high-performing schools. | Some believe that the current system encourages families - particularly from the motivated and educated middle-classes - to start or increase religious activity in the hope of boosting their chances of entry to high-performing schools. |
| If school admissions were based less on church attendance, Bishop Pritchard said, "we may not get the startling results that some church schools do because of getting some very able children, but we will make a difference to people's lives". | If school admissions were based less on church attendance, Bishop Pritchard said, "we may not get the startling results that some church schools do because of getting some very able children, but we will make a difference to people's lives". |
| The Church's mission should not be about "collecting nice Christians into safe places", he said. | The Church's mission should not be about "collecting nice Christians into safe places", he said. |
| A spokesman for the Church of England said it was reviewing its guidance - but stressed that this was not binding. | A spokesman for the Church of England said it was reviewing its guidance - but stressed that this was not binding. |
| "A key feature of the guidance is to emphasise the vital role of church schools in serving the whole community," the spokesman said. | "A key feature of the guidance is to emphasise the vital role of church schools in serving the whole community," the spokesman said. |
| The Church says it is committed to reserving at least 25% of places in its new schools for pupils from the local neighbourhood regardless of faith background, and in practice, it says, most new Church of England schools reserve less than 50% for Christian applicants. | The Church says it is committed to reserving at least 25% of places in its new schools for pupils from the local neighbourhood regardless of faith background, and in practice, it says, most new Church of England schools reserve less than 50% for Christian applicants. |
| The Church of England also points out that it has a further 2,500 or so schools which are "voluntary controlled" and take all of their admissions from the nearby area, reflecting the make-up of the local community. | The Church of England also points out that it has a further 2,500 or so schools which are "voluntary controlled" and take all of their admissions from the nearby area, reflecting the make-up of the local community. |
| 'Cat is out of the bag' | 'Cat is out of the bag' |
| The National Secular Society said Bishop Pritchard's comments were a "step in the right direction" but expressed doubt on whether changes would be made. | The National Secular Society said Bishop Pritchard's comments were a "step in the right direction" but expressed doubt on whether changes would be made. |
| Society president Terry Sanderson said: "The Church has repeatedly denied that the strict selection criteria that are applied in some schools are the reason they perform so well. | Society president Terry Sanderson said: "The Church has repeatedly denied that the strict selection criteria that are applied in some schools are the reason they perform so well. |
| "We are told that it is because of the 'Christian ethos'. Now the cat is out of the bag and the Bishop of Oxford has let us know that the Church is fully aware of why their schools perform so well." | "We are told that it is because of the 'Christian ethos'. Now the cat is out of the bag and the Bishop of Oxford has let us know that the Church is fully aware of why their schools perform so well." |
| Outgoing schools adjudicator Ian Craig has said that by giving parents credit for church activities such as bell ringing and church cleaning, some faith schools - though not specifically Church of England ones - were inadvertently "skewing" their intakes. | Outgoing schools adjudicator Ian Craig has said that by giving parents credit for church activities such as bell ringing and church cleaning, some faith schools - though not specifically Church of England ones - were inadvertently "skewing" their intakes. |
| However, he was accused by an MPs committee of overstating the extent of the problem. | However, he was accused by an MPs committee of overstating the extent of the problem. |