From The Daily Mail and ADF:
Practising Christians 'will no longer get priority' at Church of England schools in admissions shake-up
By Mail On Sunday Reporter
Last updated at 4:21 PM on 27th June 2011
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The Church of England is to attack the middle-class dominance of its popular schools under a shake-up of admissions rules.
CofE board of education chairman, the Right Reverend John Pritchard, will today issue guidelines ordering schools to be biased in favour of the 'disadvantaged'.
His controversial measures will signal the end of the current points system under which places are offered to children whose families are most involved in the Church.
Admissions shake-up: The move might affect the Camerons who sent their daughter, Nancy, to a Church of England school and had their youngest daughter Florence baptised
Critics claim middle-class families take up religion to gain places, giving them a stranglehold over the best schools.
The Church will not have the power to enforce the guidelines as they are merely recommendations.
But if they are followed, they could mean buying a house near a good church school will not be enough to secure a place.
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At present property values can soar by around £50,000 in London if close to a top school.
In addition, the guidelines will encourage schools to give priority to 'inclusiveness' if they serve communities not 'reflective of the wider area'.
This opens the door for schools to give places to ethnic minorities and immigrants who are not Christian.
Inclusiveness: Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams recently criticised the coalition but the Church of England's announcement is expected to cause fury among churchgoers
Mr Pritchard, the Bishop of Oxford, will say the guidelines are 'a reminder of what Church schools are for in this sea of change' and will help demonstrate the Church is 'committed to distinctiveness and inclusivity'.
There are 4,831 Church of England schools, many of which perform well in league tables and are heavily oversubscribed.
Most currently select children using points awarded for everything from how regularly parents worship to how long they have been in the Church.
The move follows the criticism of Dr Ian King, the Government admissions watchdog, who last year said faith schools were discriminating against immigrants with complex admissions procedures favouring middle-class children.
Mr Pritchard is also to launch an attack on the Coalition's education policy, saying: 'What's going on in education today is probably the biggest programme of reform since 1944.
'The changes are tumbling out at a bewildering pace and schools are scrambling to keep up.'
The new guidance says the Church would like to see schools that currently only admit children from Christian families 'provide some open places available to the local community'.
It stresses that children who are disadvantaged because they come from an ethnic minority background should be given preferential treatment, and supports Church schools that are more inclusive of pupils from other faiths, such as Islam.
The document says Church schools are underpinned by a belief in the value of all human beings being entitled to 'the highest possible standards of education and care'.
And it says schools which not 'diverse' should consider changing rules which usually give priority to local families over those from further away.
The report, as well as affecting hundreds of thousands of families in England, could increase political tensions between the Coalition and the Church after the Archbishop of Canterbury's attack this month on it having policies 'for which people did not vote'.
David Cameron has sent his daughter, Nancy, to the popular St Mary Abbots primary school in Kensington, and recently had his youngest daughter, Florence, christened at the nearby church.
Practising Christians 'will no longer get priority' at Church of England schools in admissions shake-up
By Mail On Sunday Reporter
Last updated at 4:21 PM on 27th June 2011
Comments (217)
Add to My Stories
Share
The Church of England is to attack the middle-class dominance of its popular schools under a shake-up of admissions rules.
CofE board of education chairman, the Right Reverend John Pritchard, will today issue guidelines ordering schools to be biased in favour of the 'disadvantaged'.
His controversial measures will signal the end of the current points system under which places are offered to children whose families are most involved in the Church.
Admissions shake-up: The move might affect the Camerons who sent their daughter, Nancy, to a Church of England school and had their youngest daughter Florence baptised
Critics claim middle-class families take up religion to gain places, giving them a stranglehold over the best schools.
The Church will not have the power to enforce the guidelines as they are merely recommendations.
But if they are followed, they could mean buying a house near a good church school will not be enough to secure a place.
More...
Pupil forced to have lessons in isolation for wearing the ‘wrong’ trousers to school
Young scientist who became drug dealer is shown leniency as he 'could be useful to society'
At present property values can soar by around £50,000 in London if close to a top school.
In addition, the guidelines will encourage schools to give priority to 'inclusiveness' if they serve communities not 'reflective of the wider area'.
This opens the door for schools to give places to ethnic minorities and immigrants who are not Christian.
Inclusiveness: Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams recently criticised the coalition but the Church of England's announcement is expected to cause fury among churchgoers
Mr Pritchard, the Bishop of Oxford, will say the guidelines are 'a reminder of what Church schools are for in this sea of change' and will help demonstrate the Church is 'committed to distinctiveness and inclusivity'.
There are 4,831 Church of England schools, many of which perform well in league tables and are heavily oversubscribed.
Most currently select children using points awarded for everything from how regularly parents worship to how long they have been in the Church.
The move follows the criticism of Dr Ian King, the Government admissions watchdog, who last year said faith schools were discriminating against immigrants with complex admissions procedures favouring middle-class children.
Mr Pritchard is also to launch an attack on the Coalition's education policy, saying: 'What's going on in education today is probably the biggest programme of reform since 1944.
'The changes are tumbling out at a bewildering pace and schools are scrambling to keep up.'
The new guidance says the Church would like to see schools that currently only admit children from Christian families 'provide some open places available to the local community'.
It stresses that children who are disadvantaged because they come from an ethnic minority background should be given preferential treatment, and supports Church schools that are more inclusive of pupils from other faiths, such as Islam.
The document says Church schools are underpinned by a belief in the value of all human beings being entitled to 'the highest possible standards of education and care'.
And it says schools which not 'diverse' should consider changing rules which usually give priority to local families over those from further away.
The report, as well as affecting hundreds of thousands of families in England, could increase political tensions between the Coalition and the Church after the Archbishop of Canterbury's attack this month on it having policies 'for which people did not vote'.
David Cameron has sent his daughter, Nancy, to the popular St Mary Abbots primary school in Kensington, and recently had his youngest daughter, Florence, christened at the nearby church.
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