Church Schools

About Church of England Schools

Church schools aspire to provide an educational environment that enables both children and adults to flourish. They seek to ensure that all children and young people achieve the best of which they are capable in a loving environment that recognises the special gifts of each individual. Founded on a distinctive theologically rooted Christian vision they seek to provide education that allows every individual to experience life in all its fullness.

In the Diocese of Chester they are especially communities that are LOVING in relationships, AMBITIOUS in aspirations and BOLD in action.

The types of church schools within the state of education sector are controlled, voluntary aided, foundation schools (all maintained by the Local Authority) and academies. The categories, aided or controlled, refer to a schools’ association with the LA.

All types of church schools are highly regarded by the Church and are seen as an important part of its work. They provide a secure Christian education for children throughout the country. Across the country, one quarter of all primary schools are Church of England schools.

Types of Church School

Voluntary Controlled

In a controlled school, the Church appoints some of the governors, and the collective worship is in accordance with the teachings of the Church of England. Religious Education follows the same syllabus as for community schools, although parents can request teaching in accordance with the teachings of the Church of England. Church trustees normally own the buildings, but the LA is responsible for maintaining them. The LA employs the staff and controls admissions.

Voluntary Aided

In an aided school, the Church appoints the majority of the governors, the collective worship and Religious Education is in accordance with the teachings of the Church of England. The Governing Body of the school is responsible for the buildings (which are normally owned by Church trustees), they employ the staff and are responsible for setting the admissions criteria.

Academies

In academies and free schools, the arrangements for the school are determined by documents individually agreed with the Secretary of State for Education. The Governing Body and Academy Trust of the school are responsible for the buildings, they employ staff and are responsible for setting the admissions criteria. In Church academies the collective worship is in accordance with the teachings of the Church of England.

History of Church Schools

The Church has been involved in education for many centuries. Some Church schools in this Diocese are older than the Diocese itself.

However, most Church schools came about through the drive to provide mass provision of Christian education for the poor in the early and middle years of the 19th century. ‘The National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church,’ now known as The National Society (Church of England) for Promoting Religious Education (or more often simply the National Society) was created in 1811 with the mission of founding a Church school in every parish in England and Wales. In this Diocese an organisation was established shortly afterwards with a similar objective.

By the time of the national census of 1851, forty years later, the Church had established 17,000 schools. State provision for public education came with the 1870 Education Act by supplementing the churches’ provision. This Act demonstrated the partnership between the state and the churches in education, which has continued to the present day. At the beginning of the 20th century there were over 14,000 voluntary schools of which rather more than 1,000 were Roman Catholic, and a similar number provided by the Wesleyans and others and the majority of the rest were Church of England.

At the time of the outbreak of the Second World War, after seventy years of state provision, the churches were still providing schools for nearly a third of the children of school age. The Church was facing difficulty maintaining the quality of premises and equipment of these schools, but they were needed by the State to maintain provision across the country.

The 1944 Education Act gave Church schools the option of increased State funding and control as ‘Voluntary Controlled schools’ or lesser State support and greater independence as ‘Voluntary Aided schools’. This Act also required all schools to have a daily act of collective worship and religious instruction. By the 1950s and 1960s the Roman Catholic Church expanded its school provision vigorously, especially at the secondary level. By comparison, the expansion in Anglican secondary schools was modest and the number of its primary schools declined.

The Government created the first academies were created and these became known as ‘Sponsored Academies’ to distinguish them from ‘Converter Academies’ which, along with Free Schools, became possible after the 2010 Education Act. Now a number of our schools sit with Multi-academy Trusts.

There are currently 114 Church of England Schools in the Diocese of Chester.

About Church of England Schools

Types of Church School

History of Church Schools

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