THE Church of England is urging the Government to legislate to help it outlaw religious discrimination by schools.
It has asked Education Secretary Estelle Morris to amend the Education Bill to give it more power to ensure that its schools admit pupils of other faiths or none, writes Clare Dean.
The move came as the Anglican House of Bishops followed the lead of the Archbishop of Canterbury in last week’s TES, and said church schools must be open to the diverse communities they serve.
Meanwhile, Crompton House school in Oldham, a C of E secondary that came to prominence in the wake of last summer’s racial tension, has changed its admissions policy. From September, 15 per cent of its intake will be from other Christian denominations. Governors are considering whether to admit other faiths.
Head David Bowes said: “We are perceived as being part of the problem in Oldham. We want to be part of the solution.”
In London, Tom Peryer, education director of the city’s diocesan board for schools, sought to show how inclusive Anglican schools are by saying that the average number of special needs pupils in Camden’s C of E primaries was 32 per cent, compared to 26 per cent for all Camden primaries.
