On the announment of Monsignor Marcus Stock appointment as new Bishop of Leeds, CES said:

"We are delighted to hear about Monsignor Marcus Stock's appointment as the new Bishop of Leeds. Mgr Marcus brought great expertise and was a supportive leader of Catholic education during his time as Assistant Director and Director of Schools in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, and as Acting Director of the Catholic Education Service. We wish Mgr Marcus all the best for his new post and we will keep him in our prayers."

Click here for full press release.

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

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