Page 4 | Why do church schools perform so well academically?

coffeeandsleep · 2024-12-08T20:27:06+00:00

I’ve been looking at primary school options for my child and weighing up state, faith and private/independent. Looking at published academics of the schools in my area, the faith church schools are at the top. I wondered why this is - what in particular are they doing to achieve these results?

Pigriver · 12/12/2024 22:36

TizerorFizz · 12/12/2024 22:08

@Pigriver Thats not universal. It’s nearly always down to whether school is VA or VC. VA means the school admits its own pupils and is therefore its own admissions authority. VC schools tend to use LA system. Often using catchment in the same way other schools do. These schools rarely confer any great advantage as they are just like community schools. Parents need to know if schools are VA or VC and look at admissions policies. My old secondary was a VA grammar. However it followed the grammar admissions procedures and catchment administered by the LA. No attendance at church required.

This school has a very strict admissions policy and even has different grades of church attendance giving you a better chance the more often you go to church. It doesn't actually have a catchment area but is our closest school. Friends children didn't get in despite having siblings there and attending church. The church they attended wasn't within the first tier of accepted churches so they were a lower priority and missed out.

TizerorFizz · 12/12/2024 23:22

@Pigriver That is because it’s a Voluntary Aided school which sets its own admissions policy. It also employs its own staff. It’s not Voluntary Controlled which is far more likely to have a catchment area and not prioritise church going at all. Many village people would be furious if the village CofE school refused admission to children who live in the village that didn’t go to church.

Even in towns, if the only secondary is CofE, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth if it chooses churchgoers and nearby dc don’t get a place. Absolutely. However one I know has a small catchment (it’s rural so it includes several villages) but recruits churchgoers from all over. It’s wrong based on clogging the roads and the green agenda. This type of selection needs to end but the CofE won’t ever agree to that. They don’t have a green agenda and local schools for local dc should be the only consideration. Religion should be down the list.

SuzieNine · 13/12/2024 09:52

TizerorFizz · 12/12/2024 23:22

@Pigriver That is because it’s a Voluntary Aided school which sets its own admissions policy. It also employs its own staff. It’s not Voluntary Controlled which is far more likely to have a catchment area and not prioritise church going at all. Many village people would be furious if the village CofE school refused admission to children who live in the village that didn’t go to church.

Even in towns, if the only secondary is CofE, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth if it chooses churchgoers and nearby dc don’t get a place. Absolutely. However one I know has a small catchment (it’s rural so it includes several villages) but recruits churchgoers from all over. It’s wrong based on clogging the roads and the green agenda. This type of selection needs to end but the CofE won’t ever agree to that. They don’t have a green agenda and local schools for local dc should be the only consideration. Religion should be down the list.

Our infants is VC but the junior that they all go to (in the same village) is VA. Luckily not over-subscribed but still leaves a bad taste that randoms from miles away would get priority over children who actually live in the village just because they are the 'right' religion.

SuzieNine · 13/12/2024 09:55

It will be interesting to see how the character of these super-strict criteria Voluntary Aided schools changes as rolls drop across the country and they will have no choice but to accept all children to make PAN.

TizerorFizz · 13/12/2024 10:51

@SuzieNine It will. Around here some of the old infant CofE village schools have expended to become primary schools. They will end up competing for pupils. The CofE has been an expansionist MAT. It has meant dc have got school places but with a falling birth rate, nearly all of the CofE primary schools are in villages. Few are VA though.

SuzieNine · 13/12/2024 12:35

TizerorFizz · 13/12/2024 10:51

@SuzieNine It will. Around here some of the old infant CofE village schools have expended to become primary schools. They will end up competing for pupils. The CofE has been an expansionist MAT. It has meant dc have got school places but with a falling birth rate, nearly all of the CofE primary schools are in villages. Few are VA though.

We have a CofE infants school which feeds a CofE junior (which also takes children from 4 other villages that don't have their own juniors). The drop in roll has been alarming - two years ago our infants was oversubscribed, this year they only have 17 children in reception. The junior is currently 4 form entry but I can't see that lasting much longer. I don't think people really understand the scale of the demographic crash that is coming over the next few years.

TizerorFizz · 13/12/2024 13:02

It will be quite big where housing is so expensive! Where there are immigrant families, I would expect rolls to hold up. Not sure what will happen with new housing promised though if local schools are half full. Lots of short car journeys I guess. Should new schools be built for new estates when other schools have vacancies? It’s hardly efficient,

Lucked · 13/12/2024 13:06

Church going is now a very middle class activity, so the question is the same old socioeconomic conundrum that applies across the country with the exception of some parts of London.