Press Statement – 10 June 2014

In light of the alleged "Trojan Horse" plot in Birmingham the Catholic Education Service has produced the following statement:

"Many people are confusing extremism with religion. It should be clarified that the alleged problems in Birmingham concern a number of community schools not faith schools. Catholic schools and other faith schools should not be penalised in response to these allegations.

"The Catholic Church welcomes the role of Ofsted in ensuring accountability and inclusive education for all, regardless of belief. Catholic schools are a place where pupils come together to learn about faith in an open and informative way to question and form their own understandings of their faith. Catholic schools exist to provide high academic standards and the formation of the whole person. They are not places of indoctrination or proselytisation.

"Catholic schools are an integrated part of local communities with more pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds and deprived areas than national averages."

6th May 2014 – For immediate release

In a debate in Parliament on Wednesday 30th April, MPs from all political parties and both front benches voiced their support for Catholic education.

The debate on 'Catholic Schools (Admissions)' was led by Damian Hinds, MP for East Hampshire, and focused around the contribution that Catholic schools make to the education sector as well as the role of faith-based admissions to meet parental demand.

In the debate Damian Hinds MP said "Catholic schools are a key part of the education landscape in this country, and have been for a long time. They are diverse—more diverse, in fact, than the average—and that diversity includes already having a substantial proportion of non-Catholic children. They also have something special about them, and that specialness comes at least partly as a direct result of their religious nature."

Kevin Brennan MP, Shadow Minster for Education, said "Catholic schools are extremely diverse, often with large numbers of people from immigrant backgrounds."

David Laws MP, Minister for Schools, said "Catholic schools in particular generally outperform other types of state school. Last year, at primary level, 81% of pupils in Catholic schools achieved level 4 and above in reading, writing and maths at key stage 2, compared with 75% of pupils at all state schools. At secondary level, 67% of students secured five good GCSEs, including English and maths, in contrast to 61% of students at all state schools in 2013."

Greg Pope, Deputy Director of CES, said "We welcome these comments in Parliament. The success of Catholic education is founded upon the hard work of staff and pupils and it is right that MPs should praise their ongoing achievements. The CES will continue to work closely with both the Government and the opposition to ensure that Catholic schools provide a high standard of education to all families who seek it."

Ends

A full copy of the debate can be found here in Hansard here

29 April 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Statement from the Chairman of the Catholic Education Service

Upon hearing of the tragedy in Corpus Christi Catholic College, Leeds, Archbishop-Elect Malcolm McMahon OP, Chairman of the Catholic Education Service, said:

'I was shocked and saddened to hear of Ann Maguire's death yesterday. My prayers, and those of every Catholic parish and school in England and Wales, will be with her family and friends, the staff and students of Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, and all who have been affected in any way by this senseless tragedy. Ann gave her life to the College and Catholic education, and thousands of young people have benefitted from her kindness and hard work over many years. May she rest in peace.'

ENDS

Contact

Marie Southall
Public Affairs Manager
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T. 020 7901 1914

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7th April 2014 

The Catholic Education Service is delighted to announce the new appointment of Dr Arthur Naylor MA MEd PhD MBA as CES Higher Education Adviser.

Paul Barber, Director of CES said "We are delighted to welcome Dr Arthur Naylor to our team at CES as our Higher Education Adviser from 1st September. As the current Vice-Chancellor of St Mary's University Twickenham Dr Naylor brings with him a wealth of expertise, knowledge and experience.

"I also want to place on record our deep thanks to Professor Clare Pickles who has been such a great support to us in this field. We are grateful to her for all she done for Catholic education and we wish her well as she moves on to new challenges."

Dr Naylor's academic and professional background prior to his appointment as Principal of St Mary's was in secondary education and teacher education in Scotland. His main research interest was in guidance and pastoral care structures and he worked for three years on part secondment to the Committee that published the first national statement on Guidance in Scottish schools.

As Principal, Dr Naylor oversaw considerable expansion in student numbers, range of programmes and campus development at St Mary's. He served on a range of national bodies in higher education and is a past Chair of the Church Universities and Colleges, now known as the Cathedrals Group. In January 2014 when University title was achieved he became the first Vice-Chancellor of St Mary's University.

Dr Naylor will take up the post in September for the start of the new academic year.

For further information please contct:

Marie Southall

Public Affairs Manager 

020 7901 1900