Catholic schools | Schools Week

Fears Catholic school heads ‘coerced’ into mega-MATs

Union raises concerns leaders ‘met with hostility’ amid rows over archdiocese plans for ‘universal academisation’

Law change eases way for church schools to academise

The government has revived a law change from its scrapped schools bill, removing a ‘significant barrier’ to the academisation of church schools

George White, inclusion lead, St Paul’s Catholic School

George White, inclusion lead and RE teacher at St Paul’s Catholic School, transitioned while starting a job at his childhood school. He tells Jess Staufenberg why openness about being transgender matters to him – and calls for clearer guidance from government It was a Tuesday night and George White was shopping for a suit to […]

How turnaround trust plans to fix ‘orphan’ school problem

The St Joseph CMAT’s chief executive compared its task to a ‘mission to Mars’, but the pilot could spark copycat trusts nationwide

DfE ‘pauses’ diocese academy drive after legal challenge

Unions have challenged the DfE’s decision to approve Catholic Diocese of Hallam conversions before governing bodies had voted

Unions launch legal action against DfE over diocese conversions

Unions claim DfE rules have been ‘abused or ignored’ to help the Diocese of Hallam academise all its school

DfE gets just 14 funding bids for new voluntary aided schools

The Catholic church has admitted its dioceses are finding it “challenging” to open new voluntary-aided schools, after new figures showed the government has received just 14 bids for capital funding. The church was urged by the government to set up new VA schools last year as a compromise after ministers reneged on an earlier promise […]

Let’s not turn RE into a weapon in the war against Catholic schools

Some campaigners have an ulterior motive in pushing for a national RE curriculum – they know it would cause Catholic schools to close, argues Andy Lewis Despite their historical contribution to this country, there has always been opposition to Catholic schools in one form or another. Whether motivated by anti-migrant racism, establishment anti-Catholicism, or ‘liberal’ secularism, hostility […]