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

CCN
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T. 020 7 901 4800

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

Tom Riordan, chief executive of Leeds City Council said:

"We are aware of the serious incident at Corpus Christi Catholic College this morning and our thoughts are with all those concerned.

"We are working with the school to support pupils and staff at this very upsetting time. We wish to reassure people that this was an isolated incident and there is no ongoing risk to pupils or staff at the school.

"We are working closely with the police and helping with their investigation."

A spokesman for the Diocese of Leeds added:

"The thoughts of all of the Diocese are with the families involved – all is being done to give support to all those involved"

The Catholic Education Service said:

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the community of Corpus Christi Catholic College at this sad time."

Press Release- 30th January 2014

The Catholic Education Service (CES) is encouraging schools and parishes to use Education Sunday 2014 as a time to come together and celebrate the success and achievements of Catholic education.

Education Sunday will take place on the 16th February following the theme 'Going Above and Beyond'. Education Sunday provides an opportunity to give thanks for all those in our communities who go 'above and beyond' to work so hard in and for Catholic schools and colleges across the country.

Paul Barber, Director of the CES said, "The Catholic Church is proud of its nationwide network of schools and the contribution they make to our communities. It is therefore important to pay tribute to the many teachers, leaders, support staff and governors, without whose dedicated commitment it would be impossible for us to provide such a service to society."

Education Sunday is also an opportunity to strengthen the links between schools and parishes, so that both are able to continually share in the success of Catholic Education.

Bishop Malcolm McMahon OP, Chairman of the CES said, "I hope and pray that, as we celebrate the work of our Catholic schools, our schools and the parishes which they serve will draw even closer together, since both are one family, called to give glory to God and work for the common good of the wider community."

The CES has produced a collection of resources, including prayer and worship ideas, to assist schools and parishes in their Education Sunday celebrations.
The resources are available to download from the CES website www.catholiceducation.org.uk and include: Mass and Liturgy booklets, a letter from Bishop Malcolm McMahon OP, Prayer cards and a Catholic education information leaflet.

For over a century Education Sunday has been part of an ecumenical initiative in which the Catholic Church participates. Education Sunday is a national day of celebration for all those involved in in the world of education and is held on the ninth Sunday before Easter.

ENDS

For more information please contact:
Alexandra Jarvis
Public Affairs Officer
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0207 901 1904

Notes to Editor
• The Education Sunday 2014 theme was devised by an ecumenical steering group co-ordinated by the Churches Together in England.
• The Catholic Education Service (CES) is an agency of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW).
• Ecumenical resources are available to download from www.educationsunday.co.uk

Statistics
• The Catholic Church is the largest provider of secondary schools, and second largest provider of primary schools (behind the Church of England) in the country.
• Catholic schools funded jointly by the State and the Church make up 10% of the total maintained sector in England and Wales.
• Catholic maintained schools in England employ 46,664 teachers, 37,263 support staff and educate 770, 83 pupils.

Press Release - 6th November 2013

More than 2100 Catholic schools are being encouraged and supported to turn their schools into a Living Wage employer, following a resolution passed by the Catholic Bishops' Conference. The resolution has sparked a landmark agreement between UNISON, the UK's largest union, and the Catholic Education Service of England and Wales (CES) to celebrate Living Wage Week (4 – 8 November). The schools are being given a step-by-step implementation plan produced by the union, covering both directly employed and contracted out staff to help them win Living Wage accreditation.

The 2012 Living Wage resolution recognised "that fair wages are essential to the common good of our society. In accordance with Catholic social teaching, and as part of its mission to support the poor and vulnerable, the Bishops' Conference fully endorses the principle of the Living Wage and encourages Catholic organisations and charities in England and Wales to work towards its implementation."

This year, UNISON's evidence to the Low Pay Commission included testimonies from low paid workers across the country, highlighting the misery and stress on millions of families struggling to cope on poverty wages.

In addition to encouraging schools to pay the Living Wage, the CES have produced school resources on the Living Wage for use in the classroom and the wider Catholic community.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON said:

"I am delighted that UNISON is working so closely with the Catholic Education Service to encourage schools to pay the living wage. Times are tough and low paid workers are struggling under the burden of rising prices for basics like food and fuel.

"Schools and heads are under a lot of pressure and that is why UNISON wants to make it easier for them to win Living Wage accreditation by producing a step-by-step guide. Having that accreditation sends out a strong message that this school is one that takes its responsibilities to its staff and the wider community seriously."

Paul Barber, Director of the Catholic Education Service said:

"The Living Wage is an inherently Catholic concept and the importance of paying a just wage to the worker and their family can be found in Catholic Social Teaching for over a century.

Our online resources examine the Catholic Social Teaching behind this family wage as well as providing practical steps to becoming a Living Wage employer.

"I congratulate those Catholic schools, colleges and universities who are already Living Wage employers and thank them for the great example they set us in their work for the Common Good."

Notes to Editors

The new Living Wage rate for outside London is £7.65 per hour and is set by Loughborough University using Minimum Income Standard methodology developed by the Family Budget Unit and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation;
The London Living Wage (LLW) is set by Greater London Authority (GLA) and is £8.80 per hour.
The Living Wage Resources can be found at www.catholiceducation.org.uk

In the last few days, Heythrop College has received copies of decrees of the Congregation for Catholic Education dated 17 September 2013 re-activating the ecclesiastical faculties of Philosophy and Theology.

Since the 1920s, Heythrop has been dedicated to St Robert Bellarmine, the sixteenth century Italian Jesuit, Cardinal and Doctor of the Church. The ecclesiastical faculties together form a specialist institute of the College known as the "Bellarmine Institute". The decrees were signed on St Robert Bellarmine's feast day.

The ecclesiastical faculties were first approved almost 50 years ago in November 1964 when the College was located near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire. On joining the University of London in 1970, the College focussed on the award of University degrees rather than on teaching for ecclesiastical programmes and the ecclesiastical faculties have since then been in suspension.

More recently, those in the Heythrop student body preparing for the Catholic priesthood and engaged in ministry, who are an increasingly international group, have looked for civil and also church qualifications which enable them to teach in seminaries and Catholic universities. Consequently, the College has for some years offered the 60 or so Jesuit scholastics, seminarians and members of other religious congregations studying for the priesthood, the opportunity to prepare for an ecclesiastical bachelors degree (STB) in conjunction with the University of London Bachelor of Divinity (BD) programme. This has been possible through an arrangement with the Catholic University in Leuven and the Westminster diocesan seminary, Allen Hall.

Success with this initiative led the College to investigate how it might be extended. Now the faculties have been revived, students will be able to study for ecclesiastical bachelors (STB, BacPhil), licentiate (STL, PhL) and for doctoral degrees in Theology (STD) and Philosophy (PhD) in conjunction with degrees of the University of London.

The work of the Bellarmine Institute will be informed by responsible scholarship, fidelity to God's Word and the teaching of the Catholic Church. All programmes of the ecclesiastical faculties will be subject to the College's full quality assurance procedures.

A ceremony to mark the re-opening of the faculties will take place in January 2014.

Archbishop Nichols, the Patron of the Bellarmine Institute and Visitor of Heythrop College, University of London commented: "I am delighted that Heythrop College will once again be offering the full range of ecclesiastical qualifications alongside its existing University of London degrees. This development will give new opportunities to those training for the priesthood and those already in ministry to study for ecclesiastical licentiate and doctoral degrees in philosophy and theology."

Fr Michael Holman SJ, the Principal of Heythrop College said, "The mission of Heythrop College is to serve the Church and the common good. The additional ecclesiastical programmes and qualifications will enable the College to be of greater service to those engaged in ministry not only in this country but also overseas and that pleases us very much, not least as we celebrate the 400th anniversary of our foundation."

Contact: Michael Holman SJ, Principal, on 020 7795 4203; Elizabeth Thussu, Director of Administration, on 020 7795 4269 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Press Release – 15 October 2013

The Catholic Education Service and Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales have produced a series of theological and practical resources for schools that are interested in discovering more about the Living Wage campaign.

The focus on the Living Wage stems from last November's Catholic Bishops' Conference Plenary meeting in Leeds during which the Bishops passed a resolution endorsing the principles of the Living Wage and encouraging Catholic organisations and charities in England and Wales to work towards its implementation.

Bishop Malcolm McMahon, Chairman of the Catholic Education Service, said "A Living Wage is essential in the promotion of family life in our society. It ensures that the worker has enough money to cover the basic living costs for both themselves and their family. Catholic organisations have the responsibility to promote human flourishing through the dignity of work and the Living Wage plays an important part in this. I congratulate those Catholic schools, charities and universities who are already Living Wage employers and thank them for the great example they set us in their work for the Common Good."

The collection of online resources includes a series of videos of guest speakers looking at the view of Catholic Social Teaching and the Living Wage, downloadable copies of the Papal encyclicals which focus on the Living Wage, a downloadable HR and implementation guide for schools and colleges who are considering becoming a Living Wage employer, and a short film produced by the students of St Charles Catholic Sixth Form College, London on the Living Wage. The resources are available on the Catholic Education Service and Catholic Bishops' Conference websites.

Notes for Editors

1. The Catholic Education Service (CES) is an agency of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW).

2. The Living Wage is an independently calculated hourly wage rate designed to pay employees enough to cover their basic living needs (eg. cost of food, housing and basic needs). For more information please see The Living Wage Foundation website (www.livingwage.org.uk/)

3. Resolution from the Catholic Bishops' Conference Plenary Meeting in November 2012 in Leeds:

The Bishops' Conference recognises that fair wages are essential to the common good of our society. In accordance with Catholic social teaching, and as part of its mission to support the poor and vulnerable, the Bishops' Conference fully endorses the principle of the Living Wage and encourages Catholic organisations and charities in England and Wales to work towards its implementation.

4. The resources can be found online www.cbcew.org.uk/living-wage & www.catholiceducation.org.uk/campaigns/living-wage

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release – 5 November 2013

To coincide with Living Wage Week, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales together with three of its leading Catholic Agencies: the Catholic Education Service, CSAN (Caritas Social Action Network) and CAFOD, have reiterated the Church’s teaching on just wages and its support for the Living Wage and its importance for the support of workers’ families.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Catholic Education Service have produced a Living Wage Resource encouraging Catholic organisations, schools and charities in England and Wales to work towards its implementation.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, the Catholic Education Service, CSAN and CAFOD are all accredited Living Wage Employers.

Quoting the resolution which the Bishops’ Conference passed in 2012, Mgr Marcus Stock, General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said:  

“The Bishops’ Conference fully endorses the principle of the Living Wage and invites Catholic organisations and charities in England and Wales to work towards its implementation.”

Paul Barber, Director of the Catholic Education Service, said:

“We welcome the Bishops’ invitation to support the Living Wage. The importance of a ‘just wage’ can be found in Catholic Social Teaching, spanning over 100 years.”

“Schools and colleges play a central role in our Catholic communities and we recognise that, though schools often face financial pressure, this is one way in which we can live out our faith in service to the Common Good.”

Helen O’Brien, Chief Executive of CSAN, the domestic social action agency of the Catholic Church, added:

“Many Catholic Charities are increasingly witnessing more families living in ‘in-work poverty’ and struggling to afford the very basic costs of living such as food, utilities and rent payments. We recognise the importance of just wages as well as fair terms and conditions of employment”

“CSAN is committed to the principle of a Living Wage, which not only enables individuals to provide materially for their families but also allows them to spend quality time with their children”.

Chris Bain, Director of CAFOD, commented:

"Scripture makes many references to the importance of paying a right and just wage for work done. Although we were already paying the Living Wage for our staff before the joining the campaign, our Facilities Manager was also able to secure a Living Wage for the contract staff who deliver some of the services for CAFOD through third parties. We also feel that it was important to become a Living Wage employer as an expression of our solidarity with the principles of a paying a living wage and with those individuals and organisations striving to achieve fair pay."

Ends

Notes to Editors

1)    The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, CES, CSAN and CAFOD are all accredited Living Wage Employers.

2)    The Catholic Education Service (CES) is an agency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in England and Wales, and works closely with the 2300 Catholic schools, colleges and university colleges, which the Church is responsible for across England and Wales.

3)    Caritas Social Action Network is the official domestic social action agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales and comprises over 40 Catholic Charities, many of whom work closely with children and families living in poverty.

4)    CAFOD is the official overseas development and relief agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, working in countries across Africa, Latin America and Asia to support local communities in their fight against poverty and injustice.

5)    The importance of paying a ‘just wage’ is central to Catholic Social Teaching:

Rerum Novarum (1891) Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on Capital and Labour

Quadragesimo Anno (1931) Encyclical of Pope Pius XI on Reconstruction of the Social Order

Mater et Magistra (1961) Encyclical of Pope John XXIII on Christianity and Social Progress

Laborem Exercens (1981) Encyclical letter by Pope John Paul II on Human Work

Centesimus Annus (1991) Encyclical letter by Pope John Paul II on The Hundreth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum