The Anglican perspective on church schools

Many of the contemporary issues in education in Britain have their roots in the conflicts and compromises of the past. This is particularly so of the place of church schools in the overall provision of education nationally. O ur increasingly secular and multicultural society naturally questions the o ngoing relevance of explicitly Christian schools in the state education sys tem of the 21st century (cf. Times Educational Supplement, 23 February 2001 ); yet the demand for pupil admissions to church denominational schools rem ains strong. The current government is committed to raising standards in al l schools and acknowledges the significant contribution that the ethos and value-systems of church schools play in their success; yet it is aware that the 'dual system' of secular and religious schools, as an historic comprom ise, has given rise to considerable tensions with the state in the past (Ch adwick, 1997) and could well do again in the future.