From Canon Roger Hill
Sir, - It was good to read of the Archbishop of Canterbury's
opening up the issue of faith schools and their admission policies,
but sad to see the press office seeking to close the debate down
before it had hardly begun.
I sometimes officiate at churches where the first thing for some
people, children and parents, is to sign the attendance register,
which will later become key supporting evidence in the quest for a
school place.
It seems that church schools have recruited some of our parish
churches to be, in effect, their admissions criterion. And that is
not what parish churches are about. They are not about giving some
people a supposed leg-up in the world.
We could do with some research to see what clergy and
congregations feel in churches like those I mention. How far do
they think they are being used, and how far do they feel encouraged
in their mission and welcome to children and families? And we also
need to hear from the church schools themselves about why they
exalt church attendance above other wholesome aspects of the
Christian life.
At the very least, the debate should continue!
ROGER HILL
4 Four Stalls End, Littleborough, Lancashire OL15 8SB