The Accord Coalition has called on the Church of England to show much stronger leadership following a claim at the weekend by the Archbishop of Canterbury that its schools are an expression of its service to the community. Speaking in an interview with the BBC, the Most Rev Justin Welby said:
‘The way it’s done with Church of England schools is that it’s an expression of our love and service to the community. People seem to choose these schools in large numbers. They are often in some of the poorest parts of the country, we seek to love and serve people, as we should, through these schools, and we have done for hundreds of years, and I think that is a very good expression of social capital, of the values of our society’.
Chair of the Accord Coalition, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, said ‘There is an ongoing mismatch between the Church of England’s public statements and policy and practice on the ground. While some of its schools have moved towards greater inclusivity, helping demonstrating that faith schools do not need to discriminate, a great many select children and teachers by faith and provide pupils with a narrow education about the range of beliefs in society.
‘The Church needs to bring about a lasting cultural change at its schools. Immediate steps could include adhering to the commitment it made to Government in 2006 that all of its new schools admit at least 25% of pupils without recourse to religious belief or practice; extending this policy to existing schools by revising its pupils admissions guidance, as well as endorsing for its schools the RE curriculum produced last autumn by the Religious Education Council of England and Wales.’
