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The UK Government is seeking people’s views on removing the 50% cap on free school faith admissions for new and existing Free Schools and Special Academies, with proposals for opening special faith-based academies. The Catholic Church welcomes the lifting of the 50% cap and is actively encouraging Catholics to take action and support the proposals before the Government’s consultation closes on Thursday 20 June.  

The Catholic Church is the largest single provider of secondary education in England and the second largest provider of primary education. The current cap has prevented the Church from accessing the funding available to other groups for the establishment of new schools - which means that the Catholic community has been unable to compete on a level playing field.  

Education is a key area of mission, and it is essential that there is a strong response to this consultation. There are two ways that you can support the proposals:

1. The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has devised a quick (and very simple) e-action response form: www.cbcew.org.uk/faith-schools-consultation-response.

2. You can respond to the proposals in greater depth on the Department for Education (DfE) website.

To find out more about the proposals, visit the CBCEW website here.