Church of England Schools set for Reforms Under Government Plans

A large increase in Church of England secondary school provisions looks set to take place after the government released its latest proposals in the Schools White Paper, which was published this week. Plans mirror the Church’s ever-growing influence in education, and will look to reflect this with up to 200 new associated trust schools.

|TOP|The Chief Education Officer of the Church of England, Canon John Hall has warmly greeted the invitations by the government to establish local diocesan trusts. The trusts would look to support community and foundations schools which would move into the newly proposed Trust category under the latest proposals released in the Schools White Paper today.

The Church has been working consistently to provide one hundred additional Church of England secondary schools, as recommended by Lord Dearing’s review of Church schools in 2001.

Canon Hall said, “The Church of England is committed to making the distinctively Christian and inclusive education our schools offer widely available as a response to parental demand.”

There will be a clear distinction between the newly proposed trust schools and the current Church of England schools, and the new trust schools would have a new relationship with the Church.

Canon Hall said, “Each school has its own character. There are many community and foundation schools run clearly on Christian lines, with excellent collective worship and Religious Education, and supporting their pupils’ spiritual and moral development. It would be a privilege for the Church to be able to serve and support such schools.”|QUOTE|

Commenting on whether the Church of England would be setting a target for the number of trust schools, Canon Hall stated, “The choice whether to establish such a Trust will be for each diocese, just as the decision whether to become affiliated in that way will be for each school to make. Personally I believe strongly in the value of a Church of England education and would like to see significant numbers.”

The Church of England has also welcomed proposals in the White Paper that Voluntary Controlled schools are to be encouraged to transfer their status to become part of the new trust category.

The Church of England state that their diocese have continued to have strong strategic partnerships with Local Authorities, and that they will remain committed to work closely with them in the future in their support to raise education standards to a higher level.