The following resolutions relating to Catholic education were unanimously adopted by the Bishops of England and Wales at their Plenary Meeting in Leeds this week.

The Government has decided to mark the 400th anniversary of the completion of the translation of the King James Bible into English by sending a copy of it to every school in England.

Recently published data demonstrates that a higher proportion of pupils in Catholic schools come from the 10% most deprived areas compared to the proportion in schools nationally.

164 delegates, most of them Heads, will attend. Keynote speakers, Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP and Fr Adrian Porter SJ, will explore the universal call to holiness and how this can be made a reality in contemporary life. 

The CES team is delighted to welcome Bishop John Sherrington, auxiliary bishop in Westminster archdiocese, as our new trustee. Bishop Sherrington was appointed on 1 January and his appointment means he will also be joining the CES Management Committee.

The Catholic Church is Wales in divided into three diocese; the diocese of Wrexham, the diocese of Menevia and the Archdiocese of Cardiff. Together they have an estimated Catholic population of 208,146.

The diocese of Wrexham consists of the 6 Counties of North Wales and the district of Montgomery in the County of Powys in Mid-Wales. It has a Catholic population of 37,050.

The diocese of Menevia covers Swansea, Carmarthen, Llandrindod wells, Haverfordwest and Port Talbot. It has a Catholic population of over 27,096

The Archdiocese of Cardiff has eight deaneries covering Cardiff, the Welsh valleys, Bridgend, Hereford, Newport, North Gwent and Pontypridd. It has a Catholic population of over 144,000.

There are 91 schools in Wales who educated 30,549 pupils and employ 1,635 teachers.

To contact the Welsh dioceses please see below:

Cardiff
Tel: 02920 233 838
Email: schools @ rcadc.org
Website: www.rcadc.co.uk/schools-commission.html

Menevia
Tel: 01792 652 757
Email: education @ menevia.org
Website: www.dioceseofmenevia.org/index.php/schools/

Wrexham
Tel: 01978 262 726
Email: curia @ wrexhamdiocese.co.uk
Website: www.wrexhamdiocese.org.uk

CES Education Adviser (Wales)

Philip Manghan

Tel: 07960513558
Email: WalesAdviser @ catholiceducation.org.uk

The CES Census is a survey of Catholic schools in England and Wales.  It provides essential information on Catholic education from national to diocesan level, underpinning policy decisions at both local and national levels and enabling the CES to be proactive in promoting Catholic education.

As a result of the hard work of Census Representatives in the dioceses, together with that of the Census team at CES, the response rate since 2014 has been 100%, meaning the data is highly accurate.  The Bishops expect schools and colleges to complete the CES Census since only with a high response rate from the entire sector can we demonstrate the diversity and inclusiveness within it. 

The Census website contains full details of the arrangements for the 2024 census, together with online documentation and other information. Completed Census files must be uploaded using the file upload form on the census website. 

The CES Census Digests 2023 for schools in England and Wales are available to download below, along with the Key Facts Card bookmark design. Previous Census publications can be downloaded from the Census website.

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Census Digest (England)	Census Digest (Wales)	Census Digest (Welsh text)

The Bishops Memorandum on the Appointment of Staff in Catholic Schools’ sets out the Bishops’ collective requirement on all Catholic schools and colleges in relation to staffing, the use of CES contracts of employment, workplace policies and associated model employment documents for Catholic schools. All Catholic school governing bodies must ensure that they have a copy of the Memorandum and that they comply with it.