Gillian Keegan announces ‘landmark decision’ to lift faith-based admissions cap on free schools

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has announced plans to lift the notorious faith-based admissions cap on new free schools.

Following lobbying from the Catholic Church, the Conservative Minister today announced a consultation about abolishing the cap that prevents free schools and academies from selecting more than half of pupils on grounds of religion.

Introduced in 2010 under the Coalition Government of David Cameron, the cap prevents the bishops from building any new free schools because the police may require some Catholic pupils to be turned away specifically because of their faith, which conflicts with the Code of Canon Law.

Bishop Marcus Stock of Leeds, the chair of the Catholic Education Service (CES), an agency of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, welcomed the proposals. 

“Dioceses are well placed to respond to differing local educational demands around the country, including the provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities.  Parents can welcome this also. 

“Catholic education not only provides a high performing school sector and promotes the formation of children in values and virtues; it is more ethnically diverse than other schools, educates more pupils from the most deprived backgrounds, and builds social cohesion within our communities.”

According to reports, the removal of the cap will mean that oversubscribed faith-based free schools will have the freedom to select up to 100 per cent of their intake from the Catholic population.

Lancashire-born Ms Keegan, Conservative MP for Chichester, attended St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic High School in the Archdiocese of Liverpool. Last year, she represented the Government at the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI.

Last year, she received a Church delegation to hear the case for scrapping the ban that included Paul Barber, the director of the CES; Sir Edward Leigh, the Conservative MP for Gainsborough, and James Somerville-Meikle, the Catholic Union deputy director.

The meeting follows the delivery of an open letter sent to the Education Secretary signed by more than 1,000 members and supporters of the Catholic Union, calling on her to “scrap the cap” before the next General Election.

Ms Keegan said in the meeting that she was “sympathetic” towards the campaign, which aims to allow Catholic free schools in England to open for the first time.

She told the Daily Telegraph this week that faith schools “often give young people a brilliant start in life”.

She said: “Faith groups run some of the best schools in the country, including in some of the most disadvantaged areas, and it’s absolutely right we support them to unleash that potential even further – including through the creation of the first ever faith academies for children with special educational needs.”

The 2017 Conservative Party Manifesto said the policy would be reversed but the promise was not delivered. 

The following year the Government instead announced it would retain the cap on free schools and academies but operate a capital scheme to support new voluntary-aided schools, which are run by councils, without an imposition on the intake of Catholic pupils.

Catholic schools, academies and colleges educate just under 850,000 pupils in England and Wales, representing nine per cent of the national total of maintained schools.

The consultation will run to June 20 and the Catholic Union is urging Catholics to fully participate in the exercise.

Ruth Kelly, former Education Secretary and Catholic Union vice president, described the move as a “vote of confidence” in Catholic education. 

She said: “I’m delighted that the Education Secretary has taken this decision. The Catholic Church is one the oldest providers of education in this country, and Catholic schools consistently produce higher than average results. 

“The fact that Catholic free schools were prevented from opening never made sense.

“Lifting the cap will finally allow Catholics to join other faith groups in being able to open free schools. This decision is well-earned recognition of the success of our schools and a vote of confidence in Catholic education in general.”

Sir Edward Leigh, Conservative MP for Gainsborough, said: “This is a great victory for Catholic education and common sense. 

“For years we have been trying to make Ministers see sense on this and allow Catholic free schools to open. I’m delighted that this Secretary of State has taken the decision to lift the cap. 

“It is a relatively minor change, but it will make a big difference to the Catholic community in this country. 

“For this reason, it is a landmark decision and I hope the Government will now make sure the policy is changed before the next General Election.”

Mr Somerville-Meikle, Catholic Union deputy director, said:  “There have been efforts to lift the cap ever since it was first introduced in 2010. 

“The most recent campaign was led by the Catholic laity, with over 1,000 people across the country signing our open letter to Gillian Keegan. 

“A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the campaign so far. We will need your help again over the coming weeks to respond to this consultation to make sure that we finally scrap the cap and give more young people the benefit of a Catholic education.”

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