Each year the Catholic Education Service conducts a Census of every Catholic school and college in England and Wales.  The data collected includes Catholicity and ethnicity of staff and pupils, staff qualifications, take-up of free school meals and data on RE teaching. In 2012 the response rate was nearly 98%, including both maintained and independent schools.

The majority of schools complete the Census using SIMS, a Management Information System (MIS). SIMS answers 80% of the Census questions automatically and therefore ensures a high degree of accuracy. Schools that do not use SIMS complete an Excel spreadsheet. The completed Census returns are processed by the CES who produce spreadsheet reports and raw data that are used by the CES the diocesan education offices. 

In 2007, in response to requests that the CES Census data be made more widely available, the first Digest of Census Data for Catholic Schools and Colleges was published. The digest contains most of the summary data that is sent to the dioceses, presented in tables and graphs. However, it goes much further, by providing comparisons with national data and also by including additional data not included in the Census, specifically graphs representing information from the Income Deprivation Affecting Children (IDACI) index. It is now possible to identify trends in the data since 2007 and each year the digest includes comparisons with figures from previous years.

In addition to the digest, the CES also produces a Key Facts card the size of a bookmark. This is popular with some politicians and journalists who need access to recent figures on Catholic education in an overview format. The 2012 Key Facts card shows that, on the 2012 Census day there were 2166 Catholic schools in England, educating 808,207 pupils and employing 45,607 teachers.  The CES Census data, when supplemented with other, value-added data, shows the quality of education that Catholic pupils are receiving. For example, 75% of English Catholic primary schools have Ofsted grades of good or outstanding, compared with 64% nationally. At GCSE, Catholic schools outperform the national average English and Maths SATs scores by 6%. 

The Census gives the CES the authority to work with the Department for Education and Catholic MPs, Peers and Welsh Assembly members, Unions and other organisations with vested interest in Catholic schools and colleges.  For example, to be able to quote figures from the 2012 Census which state that 34% of pupils in English Catholic maintained schools are from ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to 28% nationally, helps to argue against the charge that Catholic schools are ethnically selective. 

Despite the evidence of the data, it is sometimes unwise to quote the results without looking at the broader picture. For instance, figures for take-up of free school meals suggest that there are fewer pupils in Catholic schools who are in receipt of free school meals than there are in all schools nationally (free school meals are available to children from parents who are working under 16 hours a week or are earning less than £16,190 a year). However, there is evidence to suggest that, although they are entitled to free school meals, some ethnic groups with a large representation in Catholic schools, are unwilling to take up their entitlement. The CES is looking to conduct further research using IDACI data to obtain an accurate measure of hardship in Catholic schools.

Over the past three years there has been a very gradual decline in the percentage of Catholic pupils in Catholic schools, particularly in secondary schools.  Again, the reasons cannot be taken at face value and require further analysis. The rising pupil population in Catholic schools show that the quality of teaching and results in Catholic schools are attracting larger number of pupils from a range of faith and non-faith backgrounds, with raw figures of numbers of Catholic pupils remaining relatively constant.  However, this statistic will require constant monitoring in future Census analysis as the CES remains concerned over the withdrawal of free school transport by many local authorities and the financial implications for many Catholic parents who wish to send their children to Catholic schools.

Whatever interpretations may be put on the Census data, the key facts speak for themselves: more children are being educated in Catholic schools and are achieving results that compete with the best schools nationally.

The 2012 Census digest will be available on the CES website (catholiceducation.org.uk).

Robert Rushworth is the Data Manager and Census Coordinator for the Catholic Education Service

Sharing Sunday’s Gospel

The Wednesday Word is a 21st Century mission for Catholic primary schools, and a simple mid-week habit of prayer and reflection on the Word of God for parishioners and Catholic school families. Linked to the celebration of Sunday Mass, this is a new way to share the Gospel and the teaching of the Catholic Church, rooting the partnership between home, school and parish in the Word of God.

THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS OF THE WEDNESDAY WORD LEAFLET:

The Primary School version and the Parish version.

In support of the New Evangelisation, the President of the Bishops’ Conference in England and Wales, Archbishop Vincent Nichols, has endorsed The Wednesday Word: a new and lively, mid-week (Wednesday) contact between the Church and primary school families. The enthusiasm of so many Catholic headteachers, school governors, RE coordinators, teachers and parish priests around the country to share the Word of God in this new way has been overwhelming – it’s ‘Good News’ for families.

 ‘GOOD NEWS’ FOR FAMILY FAITH

The best and most memorable stories in life are true. They are usually about some significant happening that has made a big difference in a person's life. The Wednesday Word mission (to send God’s Word into primary school family homes each week) started through a Catholic school family’s awakening and growth in faith - through reading the gospels together. Dannie (a married father of 3 children) was a lapsed Catholic for many years. He rediscovered his faith and returned to the Church after being encouraged to read the gospels. Over time, wanting to share what he had found with his family, he started to read the gospel with his wife and children too. Together they talked about the gospel’s meaning and relevance for their lives together. This special ‘Gospel Family Time’ proved to be a great way for the family to discuss faith and many other aspects of their lives - deepening their relationship with Christ, their local parish church and, indeed, strengthening their family relationships. 

SCHOOL MISSION - SOWING SEEDS

Evangelisation for school parents:putting the Word of God, each week, into the home of every child in a Catholic primary school From very small beginnings, The Wednesday Word primary school resource developed.

Primarily, The Wednesday Word is an agent for the New Evangelisation, gently informing non-churchgoing parents about the ‘Good News’ and the relevance of the Christian faith. With its focus on the Sunday Gospel, this primary school resource is an attractive and colourful double-sided A4 leaflet which is designed to sow the seeds of God's Word; especially among the majority of parents who do not take their children to church. Statistics tell us this can be as high as 80% or above in many schools. The children receive the primary school version of The Wednesday Word, as a gift, in school each week for them to carry into the family home to read with their parents. In this way the Word is sent out by the school, just as (in the Parable) the Sower sends out the Seed, and so The Wednesday Word makes the Word of God present in thousands of school family homes each week, creating a new and powerful opportunity for the evangelisation of school parents.

GOSPEL FAMILY TIME CUSTOM

A new family habit of prayer and reflection based on the Sunday Gospel.

It is the parents who are the primary educators in their children's faith and The Wednesday Word helps them in this role, and also acts as a regular reminder of and invitation to Church.  The resource also seeks to evangelise through a special ‘Gospel Family Time’ section on the back page. We suggest a particular day for ‘Gospel Family Time’ to help parents connect the name of the resource with the day on which they receive it from school (Wednesday). Since most of us are creatures of habit, nominating the same day each week helps families develop a new family custom of mid-week prayer. Moreover, Wednesday is the day which the Catholic Church dedicates to St Joseph, who is the Patron Saint of Families and Protector of the Church. 

PARISHIONERS PRAYER CUSTOM

Forming hearts and minds to hear and understand the Word of God on Sunday

The success of the school mission is supported through parish prayer. The Parish version of The Wednesday Word is available free-of-charge on The Wednesday Word website (www.wednesdayword.org). This is a black and white resource which is designed for parish priests to download and print on the parish bulletin (or as a stand-alone leaflet) each week. It is offered as a gift for all parishioners to take home to be prayed on the following Wednesday, either individually or with other family members at home, or in small groups in the parish or the home. With its focus on the following Sunday’s Gospel, the Parish version invites all adult parishioners to encounter Christ regularly through this new Wednesday habit of prayer and reflection on the Word of God. This is a fruitful way to prepare for the hearing of the gospel at the following Sunday Mass. Moreover, it encourages parishioners to support the school mission by praying for (and in solidarity with) the families of our primary schools, thereby enhancing the spiritual communion between home, school and parish. 

STRENGTHENING THE HOME, SCHOOL & PARISH PARTNERSHIP

When schools, parents and parishes work together, they deliver the best possible start for the faith-life of the children. A deep spiritual communion, based on the Word of God, between parishioners and school families on the same day each week will help build up the Body of Christ in school and in church and in the home. For more information please see: www.wednesdayword.org

‘May the choirs of angels come to greet you.  May they speed you to paradise.’  A small group of pupils from years 5 and 6 of St Laurence’s Primary School, Cambridge, sang the gentle response, beautifully led by their headteacher cantor.  They were helping the congregation of relatives and friends in St John the Baptist Cathedral, Norwich, bid a loving farewell to Fr Ben Grist, whom they had known during his student placement.  Fr Ben had recently received the gift of ordination at the end of the fourth year of his studies, as he moved through the final stages of cancer.  

Two weeks earlier, the same Cathedral, full to overflowing, had been the venue for a great celebration by the Diocese of East Anglia of the opening of the Year of Faith.  At the end of Mass, people from across the Diocese watched as representatives from all the Catholic schools came forward to accept gifts of the Catechism and learning resources.

The presence of pupils at these celebrations demonstrated some of the ways in which our schools proclaim the gospel.  It showed the determination, on the part of the staff of our schools, to remain true to their mission of educating children and young people in faith and helping them to understand the way in which that faith is celebrated.  Long liturgies in cathedrals may not be the most accessible experience even for adults who are familiar with the ‘language’ of faith, but the children’s conduct showed that their teachers had prepared them carefully.

It also made evident the support which is often given to schools by the clergy.  The children and young people were provided with all the facilities they needed, and it was clear that much thought had been given to what would be helpful to them.  At the celebration for the opening of the Year of Faith, the Diocesan Administrator, Fr David Bagstaff, preached a homily which engaged their interest while still giving the adults plenty of food for thought.  At the end of the celebration, the children processed out before the rest of the congregation, ensuring they were able to get to a different kind of food without delay!

The presence of the children at Fr Ben’s funeral highlighted the way in which Catholic schools and colleges develop, from the earliest years, the recognition of death as not only a time of loss and sadness, but also of joy for the person who is experiencing transformation into risen life.  Making a commitment to this perspective on death is not easy in a society where belief in eternal life is uncertain.  The comment of a monk of Ampleforth, that where all schools prepare their pupils for life, ‘we prepare them for death’, brings us up sharply against a truth which to many in our culture appears to be a paradox.

Our schools and colleges stand at the interface of deeply committed faith and a society and culture which finds it increasingly difficult to acknowledge the reality of God.  They have to play the game according to the rules of government, Department for Education, Ofsted and Local Authorities, and, as we would expect, achieve the highest standards of professionalism in teaching and learning and standards of achievement.  But through all of this, they do not forget the fundamental reason for their existence – through the education of children and young people, to proclaim the gospel, in all its challenge and joy.

There are no other countries where the system of education offers the Catholic community comparable opportunities for evangelisation.  Our schools form an integral part of our national education system, and we can use that position to engage with, challenge, influence and support society itself.  As a Church, we can sometimes overlook this and assume our business is the parish.  But as Pope Benedict explained with such clarity in his address in Westminster Hall, ‘the world of reason and the world of faith – the world of secular rationality and the world of religious belief – need one another and should not be afraid to enter into a profound and ongoing dialogue, for the good of our civilisation.’  The existence of our schools and colleges, and their commitment to proclaiming the gospel, provide a superb foundation and catalyst for this dialogue.

Dr Dilys Wadman DSG is the former Director of Education for Archdiocese of Southwark

Today the Catholic Education Service launched its Digest of 2012 Census Data for Schools and Colleges. The data shows the prominent role of Catholic education in England and Wales with 2257 Catholic schools and colleges educating 838,756 pupils and employing 52,436 Teachers and 39,102 support staff.

The finding build upon previous year’s census which asks all Catholic schools and colleges in England and Wales to provide data on the number, Catholicity and social background of their pupils and teachers.

The data shows a number of positives:

•20 % of pupils at Catholic secondary schools live in the most deprived areas (17% nationally).

•Catholic schools are more ethnically diverse than national averages (33.5% of Catholic primary school pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds compared with 27.6% nationally.)

•The Catholicity of both the pupil and teacher population has risen slightly from previous years with 71% of pupils and 55.6% of teachers at Catholic schools stated as Catholic.

Additional research into school performance continues to show that Catholic schools and colleges are outperforming national averages. 

•74.7% of Catholic primary schools have Ofsted grades of good or outstanding (64% nationally)

•At age 11, Catholic schools outperform national average English and Maths SATs scores by 6%

•At GCSE, Catholic schools outperform the national average by 4.9%

Bishop Malcolm McMahon OP, Chairman of the Catholic Education Service said “We are very pleased to welcome these figures which show the enormous and important contribution that Catholic education makes to the common good of our society. The strength of our Catholic sector is based upon the respect for the individual, as a Child of God. Our Catholic schools continue to be a reflection of the diverse communities which we serve.”

Ends

Further data on Catholic education can be found in CES’s Digest of 2012 Census Data for Schools and Colleges available at www.catholiceducation.org.uk. (The Census return rate from Catholic schools and colleges was 98%).  

Performance statics for Catholic Education can be found in the Key Facts 2012 available at www.catholiceducation.org.uk