Andy Drozdziak
The Chairman of the Catholic Education Service is urging the Government to ‘scrap the cap’ and immediately remove the restriction for new Catholic free schools to open.
Speaking exclusively to the Universe, Bishop Marcus Stock is calling on Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to stop a 50 percent cap on faith-based admissions which applies to oversubscribed free schools with a religious character in England.
“The cap has made it impossible for new Catholic free schools to open as the policy is incompatible with Church law,” Bishop Marcus says.
“The Catholic Education Service, the Catholic Union, and all those who benefit from the diversity provided by our Catholic school sector, regard it as vital that the admissions cap is lifted.”
The cap means it is impossible for Catholic Bishops to open new Catholic free schools as pupils would be turned away due to their Catholic faith. Bishop Marcus explained the consequences of the cap, which was introduced in 2010.
“From 2010, however, the Church has been prevented from opening new free schools due to a government policy which caps at 50 per cent the number of Catholics a Catholic school can accept if oversubscribed. The policy would result in Catholic pupils being turned away, which is contrary to canon law,” he says.
“As a consequence, during the past 13 years our schools have needed to find space for 30,000 additional pupils. In 2017, more than 18,000 Catholics wrote to the Government seeking the removal of the 50 per cent admissions cap, a commitment which had been promised the year before, but which was subsequently dropped.”
He also pointed to the ‘valued’ history of Catholic schools, as well as their academic strength, diversity and support for students ‘from the most deprived backgrounds.’
“The Catholic community has long been a valued partner to successive governments, and since the 19th century has become the second-largest education provider in the country,” he says.
“Catholic schools now outperform the state sector in results for GCSE English, Maths and Religious Education, while taking in more pupils from the most deprived backgrounds.”
“A Catholic education enables children and young people to flourish and for them to be formed into the men and women that God the Father has created them to be.”
Bishop Marcus highlights the effects of the cap on parents of SEND children, whose choices are limited. There is a need ‘to open more schools for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in areas of high demand, particularly in the north and in the east of England, as well as facilities for alternative provision,’ he says. This is currently prevented by the 50 per cent admissions cap.
“We believe the opportunity of a Catholic education should be an available option for parents of children with SEND,” he adds.
“We seek to maintain parental choice and ensure that, particularly where schools are oversubscribed, Catholic parents can provide a Catholic education for their children in a Catholic school.”
The ‘Scrap the cap’ campaign was initiated by the Catholic Union in June, who penned an Open Letter to Education Secretary Gillian Keegan. “There has never been any evidence to justify the cap,” the Catholic Union wrote. “Lifting the cap would help boost morale for those involved in Catholic education as well as making a real difference to pupils and parents.”
The campaign is receiving significant support from parliament, with Catholic MP Sir Edward Leigh calling the 50 per cent cap ‘a source of huge frustration to the Catholic community in this country.’
“There has never been any justification for the policy or any evidence to support keeping it in place,” he said. “Lifting the cap would be a huge vote of confidence in Catholic schools in this country and I know would be welcome by people from other faiths.”
