CHURCH of England schools are “calm and hopeful anchors” for children in their communities, the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, told C of E school leaders at the National Society’s annual conference last Friday.

She thanked the leaders for their commitment to building strong communities in which children could flourish, and for the Church’s own commitment to education for all.

“There are strong C of E trusts across the country building communities of schools. And it’s the children who benefit,” she said. “So I want to thank all of you here today, from the bottom of my heart: for the work you do, for the lives you change.”

Children today faced growing pressures, from isolation to online abuse and the cost-of-living crisis. Schools must be part of “renew[ing] childhood” for all children, she said.

“My vision is a childhood rooted in community: communities of support for children, from their first days on this planet right through to the first steps in their career. At the centre of those communities must be you, schools.

“For young people, much of their connection to where they are growing up should come through their school. I want schools to be calm and hopeful anchors in their communities.”

She spoke of the forthcoming Schools White Paper, which, she said, would support all children in their efforts to succeed, and would reach those who have disengaged from school and no longer believed in the power of education to transform their lives.

She also thanked Canon Nigel Genders, who is stepping down as the Church’s Chief Education Officer. He is becoming the Government’s Chief Schools Adjudicator next month (News, 28 November 2025).

More than one million children are educated in Church of England schools.

The conference was billed as a “festival of flourishing” to celebrate putting the arts at the heart of children’s development. There were performance workshops from, among others, the Royal Shakespeare Company. The day ended with a performance by Twyford C of E High School’s gospel choir.