The Accord Coalition has praised the Methodist Church’s declaration that its schools will be “fully inclusive, welcoming pupils of all faiths and none”.
Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain said ‘At a time when many people are questioning the wisdom of separate schooling for religious groups because of the negative social consequences it can cause, this commitment not to discriminate over admissions is very welcome.
‘We urge other faith groups to take note and be more inclusive, no longer segregating children of different beliefs, but serving all within their local communities’
The report comes at a time when the Church of England is facing increasing criticism following revelations that its schools admit a lower proportion of children in receipt of free school meals, and increasingly serve children from higher socio-economic groups.
On Friday the Church of England released ‘Church School of the Future’. The report was the Church’s most prominent statement about its participation in state schooling for many years, and has been criticized for failing to set out a fresh and inclusive vision for its schools. In direct contrast to the Methodist Church’s latest commitment on having inclusive admissions, the report affirmed that Church of England schools should have freedom to select pupils on religious grounds.
Notes
The Methodist Church has 64 state-funded primary schools and one middle School in England, many of which have an ecumenical foundation and are co-sponsored with the Anglican Communion. Almost all of the schools provide RE that is broad, balanced and non-instructional, and do not select most of their teachers or any of their pupils on religious grounds.
New research from the Guardian, revealed on March 5th this year, showed that most faith schools, including specifically Church of England schools, admit fewer than the national average of pupils in receipt of free schools meals (used by government as a fair measure of deprivation) than the average in faith school’s respective local authority area, and a smaller proportion of such pupils than are present in area covered by the first three digits of their respective postcode. Worryingly the research indicated that Church of England schools were also increasingly serving the better-heeled in their communities.
i am pastor tanveer masih bhatti from pakistan.i am working for youth ,children Education in pakistan in Remot ares and less areas.i try i give the quietly Education to all children in every wary in pakistan.