THE charity Barnardo’s recently published a report on secondary-school admissions which seeks to prove that social segregation is taking place through the admissions system, and is helping to sustain the achievement gap in education.

The report is also concerned that a relentless drive to raise standards of achieve­ment, the extension of the academy pro­gramme, and the introduction of new free schools could have a negative impact on edu­cational opportunity for the most disad­vantaged.

Such concern sits at the heart of why the Church of England is involved in the business of education, and has been for almost 200 years. The Church initiated mass education in England, which led, within decades, to the development of the education system we know today.

Debate is welcome, particularly as the new coalition Government moves rapidly to set a new policy framework within which schools will work and be held accountable. But it would be helpful if it was based on sound research and objective evidence — evidence that recognises the complex origins of inequality, and does not create unrealistic expectations of what schools are for.

Yet again, voluntary aided schools with a religious character are accused of participating in covert social selection through their admissions policies. For Church of England schools, this recycled inaccuracy must be challenged. Anecdotes of attending church to secure admission to a church school continue to circulate among a metropolitan coterie. These are accompanied by a refusal to look deeper at the reality of C of E schools, and the impact and oppor­tunities that the Christian ethos brings to the whole school community.

PARTICULARLY offensive is the assum­ption that churchgoing is the preserve of the middle class and the privileged, and that Christian families are somehow immune from dis­advantage. This is quite simply untrue. In a religiously plural and ethnically diverse society, church-school admission arrangements rightly seek to reflect the rich diversity of their local communities.

In Southwark, the diocesan board of education provides governors with a framework that promotes an open admissions policy, to enable schools to fulfill the dual role of both serving and nurturing. In essence, the framework offers education explicitly rooted in Christian values, shaping all aspects of the school’s life, while also fulfilling its mission and responsibility to serve the local community, irrespective of faith. An admission policy proclaims publicly, more than any other statement, a school’s understanding of its place and purpose in community. These are pub­lished, clear, and unambiguous.

I should like to take Martin Narey, chief executive of Barnardo’s, to visit the 15 voluntary aided secondary schools and academies in the diocese of Southwark, many of which serve some of the most disadvantaged communities in London.

But if he can spare only an afternoon, perhaps he might like to call into St Saviour’s and St Olave’s C of E School, just off the New Kent Road, which admits girls of all abilities and faiths. The head, Dr Irene Bishop, is clear about the importance of the school’s inclusive Christian ethos, which, she says, “raspberry ripples” its way throughout everything and everyone within the school community.

With 55 home languages spoken, more than 30 per cent of students eligible for free school meals, and 73.5 per cent achieving at least five A* to Cs, including Maths and English, this is undeniably an effective, distinctive, and inclusive Church of England school.

Most Church of England secondary schools across the country are similarly effective, distinctive, and inclusive. Of course, like other schools, they reflect their post codes, but many are in the poorest areas. What they are not is a monopoly of the middle classes.

Barbara Lane is the Diocesan Director of Education for Southwark.