Welsh get A grade
Church in Wales schools have performed strongly across the country, with Key Stage 2 results in core subjects being consistently above the Welsh average.
In an 80-page educational review, the Church in Wales has claimed that its 168 Church in Wales schools had great results in 2008 for subjects such as maths and English.
This is a strong answer to detractors of faith schools, who claim that ‘Christian’ schools are less academic than secular schools.
Critics also said that such schools were also selective, but the report, released by the church’s governing body, said that nearly 80 per cent of the schools’ pupils came from across the community, not just from professing Christian parents.
Within the schools, there is a high focus on religious education and worship (over 90 per cent of the schools had a significant emphasis on both). This also indicates that a wide demographic of children are exposed to a Christian ethos.
The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, welcomed the review, saying that schools with a strong Christian ethos ‘help give pupils the best possible start in life’.
