From the Revd Dr John Caperon
Sir, - The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd John Pritchard, rightly
highlights the strong values base of church-school education ("State schools do
teach values", Comment, 23 May), and offers what we might call
the key strategic fact: that "there are more children in our
schools on Monday morning than there are adults and children
together in our churches on Sunday."
In the light of this hugely significant information, what is
surprising about Bishop Pritchard's article is that he doesn't
mention the vital ministry of school chaplains. Although we don't
yet have full information on how many chaplains work in schools,
recent research by the Bloxham Project and OxCEPT identified some
four hundred school chaplains, and it is likely that the true
number is higher.
If we include also the many parish clergy who have a
quasi-chaplaincy role in their local schools, and the increasing
number of lay "para-chaplains" working on behalf of local or
national charities and providing pastoral support to pupils and
staff, the significance of this ministry is clear.
Chaplaincy in our schools provides a vital link between the
young and the Church; it is the form of Christian ministry with
which they are most likely to have any contact. Chaplains can both
embody and signpost the gospel, and their presence, support and
counsel are highly valued by pupils, as our research showed. As the
"public face of God" in their schools, to cite a recent report,
they are in an unrivalled position to represent Christ to the
young.
This diverse and demanding ministry deserves our recognition,
support, and encouragement; it is vital to the Church's
mission.
JOHN CAPERON
Sarum, Twyfords
Crowborough
East Sussex TN6 1YE
From the Revd Richard Bentley
Sir, - It is disappointing that the Bishop of Oxford, who chairs
the Board of Education, again emphasises the "distinctiveness" of
church schools, on the grounds that they are committed to offering
the highest-quality, rounded education in "spiritual, moral,
social, and cultural development".
He then asserts that it is wrong to deny, as some have, that
state schools fail to deliver "education in values". Those of us
committed to education in community schools may feel that we have
been damned with faint praise. And he goes on to suggest that
church schools are "distinctive" because their values are not
"plucked out of the air".
I would like to register the strongest possible objection to
this misleading and patronising statement. People of faith do not
hold a monopoly in moral perception. What the Bishop of Oxford
calls "the narrative of Jesus of Nazareth" surely reminds us that
our calling is to affirm the values of the Kingdom that Jesus
proclaimed for the potential benefit of every member of
society.
Our calling in education is, therefore, to work within our
political system to remove inequality and division and to help to
establish the best possible local school for every child. That aim
was, I believe, at the heart of the Church's earliest commitment to
education.
If we can now justify church schools only on the basis of their
"distinctiveness", and as an area of "front-line mission", I
believe that they have lost their purpose, and we have lost our
way.
RICHARD BENTLEY
104 Cannon Street
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk IP33 1JU