Andy Drozdziak
The Catholic Union and Catholic Education Service are celebrating a ‘landmark decision’ after Education Secretary Gillian Keegan finally decided to lift the cap on new free schools in England.
The decision paves the way for Catholic free schools to open, having previously been excluded under the 50 percent cap or ‘rule’ which would have forced schools to turn away some Catholic pupils.
Ms Keegan announced the decision on 1st May, praising the role of faith schools, with the change subject to a seven-week consultation.
She said: “As someone who attended a faith school as a child and having worked closely with our leading faith groups as Education Secretary, I’ve seen first-hand how their values and standards so often give young people a brilliant start in life.
“Faith groups run some of the best schools in the country, including in some of the most disadvantaged areas, and it’s absolutely right we support them to unleash that potential even further.”
Former Education Secretary and Catholic Union Vice President, Ruth Kelly, described the move as a ‘vote of confidence’ in Catholic education. She said: “I’m delighted that the Education Secretary has taken this decision. The Catholic Church is one of the oldest providers of education in this country, and Catholic schools consistently produce higher than average results.
“Lifting the cap will finally allow Catholics to join other faith groups in being able to open free schools. This decision is well-earned recognition of the success of our schools and a vote of confidence in Catholic education in general.”
The 50 percent cap on faith-based admissions applies to oversubscribed free schools with a religious character in England. Introduced in 2010, the cap has made it impossible for Catholic Bishops to sanction new Catholic free schools as it would mean pupils being turned away due to their Catholic faith.
Bishop of Leeds Marcus Stock, the Chairman of the Catholic Education Service, underlined the importance of the move for Catholic education.
“These proposals are welcome. Dioceses are well placed to respond to differing local educational demands around the country, including the provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Parents can welcome this also,” he said.
“Catholic education not only provides a high performing school sector and promotes the formation of children in values and virtues; it is more ethnically diverse than other schools, educates more pupils from the most deprived backgrounds, and builds social cohesion within our communities.”
Conservative MP, Sir Edward Leigh, who served as President of the Catholic Union until last year, called it a “landmark decision”.
Some efforts have previously been made to lift the cap. The 2017 Conservative manifesto committed to doing so, but this was never achieved. The decision follows a new focused campaign launched by the Catholic Union last year and supported by the Universe.
The Catholic Union had encouraged people to add their names to an open letter calling for the cap to be lifted. The campaign garnered much interest and support, including in Parliament, and prominent press coverage in The Sunday Times and The Telegraph. Eventually over 1000 people signed the letter, leading to promising meetings with the Education Secretary, urging her to “scrap the cap” and to allow Catholic free schools to open, and leading to her decision.
While the Government has signalled its intention to lift the cap, the change is still subject to a public consultation which closes on 20th June. The Catholic Union is urging Universe readers to take part in the consultation to ensure change is finally delivered. Deputy Director James Somerville-Meikle said: “We will need your help again over the coming weeks to respond to this consultation to make sure that we finally scrap the cap and give more young people the benefit of a Catholic education.”
Former Catholic Union President, Sir Edward Leigh, said: “It is a landmark decision and I hope the Government will now make sure the policy is changed before the next General Election.”
James Somerville-Meikle praised the contribution of the laity to the landmark decision, thanking ‘everyone who has supported the campaign so far.’