Abstract
The year 2011 saw the Bicentenary of the founding of the National Society (Church of England) for Religious Education. Through the Society the Church of England committed itself to the vision of a church school in every parish. This happened 60 years before any state provision of education. Over the succeeding 200 years the Church of England (C of E) has remained a major provider of education within the publicaly funded education system, with the relationship secured in legislation, especially through the 1944 Education Act. There are currently nearly 5,000 C of E schools serving nearly one million children. This chapter looks at the historic and contemporary presence of the C of E in state funded schools and academies in England. The nature and ethos of C of E schools is explored through the lens of the self-understanding of the National Society and the C of E. The dual commitment to serving the C of E and serving the whole community are seen as shaping the schools now, as in the previous 200 years, in a specific and unique approach to the contribution of faith based schools to the education of the nation.
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Notes
- 1.
For a detailed account of the National Society’s first 200 years see Distinctive and Inclusive: the National Society and Church of England schools 1811–2011 Lois Louden NS 2012.
- 2.
Noted in the 51st Annual Report of the Society, on the 50th Anniversary of its foundation.
- 3.
The 12 universities with a Church of England foundation still part of the HE provision are Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln; Canterbury Christchurch University; Liverpool Hope University; the University of Chester; the University of Cumbria; the University of Gloucestershire; the University of St Mark and St John, Plymouth; the University of Wales Trinity St David; the University of Winchester; York St John University. Roehampton University, Whitelands College.
- 4.
Andrew Bell (1808) The Madras School or Elements of Tuition: Comprising the Analysis of an Experiment in Education, London.
- 5.
National Society 1st Annual Report 1812.
- 6.
See the controversy over the Revised Code of 1862: Distinctive and Inclusive, Lois Louden p 36.
- 7.
The Catholic Relief Act of 1829 effectively removed most restrictions on the Catholic community in England.
- 8.
The Act also provided for Special Agreement schools which were closer to the aided model but with specific agreements in place. This never became relevant to more than a handful of schools and the remaining schools in this category became aided schools following the 1998 School Standards and Framework Act.
- 9.
GS 1406 Church House Publishing.
- 10.
The full remit of the Review group was ‘to review the achievements of Church of England schools and to make proposals for their future development’ including a commission ‘to identify what contributes to the success and effectiveness… and to examine the case for strengthening their distinctiveness’ Dearing Report 1.1.
- 11.
The Way ahead p 34. Tables on pp 85–86 show 4540 Church of England primary schools with only 204 secondary schools.
- 12.
The Way ahead recommendations p 76.
- 13.
The Way ahead listed nine secondary schools in Manchester diocese. In 2013 there were 11; two academies and an ecumenical VA secondary school having been added, and one existing school closed.
- 14.
See the Cantle Report 2006 recommendations for allocating places in single faith schools to pupils from alternative backgrounds.
- 15.
Chapter 3 spells out the two purposes of Church of England schools with examples from practice around the country.
- 16.
Department for Children, Schools and Families Faith in the System 2007 HMSO.
- 17.
Unpublished survey for National Society Council.
- 18.
Admissions to Church of England Schools National Society/Board of Education available on the Church of England website.
- 19.
For example Oasis Academies founded by Steve Chalk. United Learning Trust grew from the Church Schools Trust, a collection of independent schools with, mainly but not only, Church of England foundations.
- 20.
Archbishops’ Council Education Division, 2012.
- 21.
See the purpose of the Review set out on p 5.
- 22.
Church School of the Future p 15.
- 23.
See p 4 for detailed explanation.
- 24.
Religious Education in Church of England Schools: a Statement of Entitlement 2012 National Society/Board of Education, available on the Church of England website.
- 25.
Statement of Entitlement para 5.
- 26.
Statement of Entitlement para 6.
- 27.
The local representative body charged with oversight of RE and collective worship, required by law since 1944; the Church of England forms one of the four decision making committees that make up the SACRE.
- 28.
In some cases the diocesan advisor is commissioned to draft the syllabus, especially since the decline in local authority advisory support for the subject.
- 29.
An unpublished survey carried out by the National Society showed that non-Church schools took up professional development opportunities offered by the diocese in 60 % of dioceses in 2011/2012.
- 30.
Church School of the Future 3.10.
- 31.
Church School of the Future 2.30.
- 32.
See Church School of the Future p 16.
- 33.
- 34.
Church School of the Future p 1.
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Ainsworth, J. (2014). Church of England Schools: Into the Third Century. In: Chapman, J., McNamara, S., Reiss, M., Waghid, Y. (eds) International Handbook of Learning, Teaching and Leading in Faith-Based Schools. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8972-1_4
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