THE Government is attempting to defuse the row over faith-based education by changing the law over admissions to Church of England schools.

It has drafted an amendment to the education Bill, which returned to the House of Lords yesterday, forcing Anglican schools to consult diocesan boards of education every year over their admissions policies.

The amendment, which was suggested by the Church of England, stops short of forcing its schools to admit pupils of other faiths or none. But the church hierarchy, which says most of its schools have inclusive admissions policies, believes it will be a powerful lever.

There are 4,500 Anglican primaries and 200 secondaries in England. Lord Dearing, who conducted a church school review recommending expansion, said he would support the amendment. “To say to church schools ‘consult your diocese and have regard to what they say’ seems perfectly right to me,” he said.

Official C of E policy is that its schools have a Christian ethos but inclusive admissions policies. Many dioceses encourage schools to accept pupils of other faiths or none.

Canon John Hall, general secretary of the C of E board of education, warned against governing bodies ignoring explicit advice from the diocese on admissions.

“Parents who were unhappy with a decision made by the governing body could appeal. The Secretary of State adjudicates in such matters. No doubt she would take into account the advice of the diocese.”

The amendment comes after the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, called for C of E schools to take pupils of other faiths and none - even if it meant rejecting pupils of practising Christians.

But the head of a successful C of E secondary said his governors would not change their policy of admitting only children of practising Anglicans and other Christian denominations.

The Rev Peter Shepherd, head of Canon Slade C of E secondary in Bolton, said: “Governors are in the best position to understand their schools. The dioceses may have their own agendas. Some are wedded to political correctness.”

Phil Willis, Liberal Democrat education spokesman, welcomed the move and said Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops and Muslim leaders had told him they want their schools to represent communities.

But the Rev David Jennings, rector of Burbage, Leicestershire, who opposes church schools, said: “This is the Government, possibly with the support of the CofE board of education, struggling to present a facade of inclusivity.”

Ministers have faced a barrage of criticism since announcing plans to encourage more faith-based schools in a Green Paper last year, in the light of September 11 and racially-inspired riots last summer.

So far, they have said only that they would prefer new religious schools to be “inclusive” or paired with a non-religious partner.

The Catholic Church has no plans to change its schools’ admissions arrangements.

FUTURE OF FAITH SCHOOLS

PLANS for 15 new religious schools - including two Islamic primaries and one Sikh primary - are awaiting approval.

Slough and Wandsworth, south London, will both become home to Muslim schools, while Slough will also gain a Sikh primary.

Fourteen of the 15 new schools will be primaries. Of the others, two will be Roman Catholic and the rest Church of England.

The only new secondary, a CofE school, will be in Bromley, south-east London.

More than 40 new faith schools are being considered by local school organisation committees. There are also 21 proposals involving enlargement of existing schools.

Kent will gain three new CofE primaries, and in Hillingdon a Sikh primary and secondary would both be expanded.

Other areas which will get new Christian schools include Blackburn, Coventry, Dorset, East Sussex, Leicester, Swindon, Tower Hamlets (London) and Wigan.