Comments on: Ofsted on Church Schools http://maggidawn.com/ofsted-on-church-schools/ Author, musician and theologian Wed, 09 May 2012 10:34:09 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Dick Wolff http://maggidawn.com/ofsted-on-church-schools/comment-page-1/#comment-7410 Dick Wolff Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:23:42 +0000 http://maggidawn.com/?p=2417#comment-7410 Can I point out that the OFSTED exercise was not looking at state so-called 'faith schools' - it was looking at independent schools. So the primary segregation is (as the report notes) financial, and it notes that those who attend the schools are not representative of the local community. Independent schools are divisive in a different way. Amongst those who oppose so-called 'faith schools' there will be some who have no problem with independent schools and would therefore uphold their right to exist; others hold to the comprehensive ideal. For this Reformed Church minister, however, schools funded by the taxpayer should not be run by religious organisations : this is a matter of theological principle. I also have a problem with the concept of 'faith school' - several older members of my church remember the days when the local CofE school they attended labelled them 'heathens' and treated them as such, denying them privileges their Anglican fellow-pupils had. Can I point out that the OFSTED exercise was not looking at state so-called ‘faith schools’ – it was looking at independent schools. So the primary segregation is (as the report notes) financial, and it notes that those who attend the schools are not representative of the local community.

Independent schools are divisive in a different way. Amongst those who oppose so-called ‘faith schools’ there will be some who have no problem with independent schools and would therefore uphold their right to exist; others hold to the comprehensive ideal. For this Reformed Church minister, however, schools funded by the taxpayer should not be run by religious organisations : this is a matter of theological principle. I also have a problem with the concept of ‘faith school’ – several older members of my church remember the days when the local CofE school they attended labelled them ‘heathens’ and treated them as such, denying them privileges their Anglican fellow-pupils had.

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