An article in today's Independent claims there are links between the recent riots in Birmingham, and calls on the government to reverse the expansion of faith schools. The following is the CES response, which has been sent to The Independent.

Dear Sir,

Johann Hari (Q: Are there links between the Birmingham riots and the building of more faith schools?, 27th October) is mistaken in his claim that faith schools promote intolerance. Ofsted inspection judgements show that “Catholic schools are at their strongest in areas associated with pupils’ personal development”, and that pupils in Catholic schools are more likely to respect the feelings, values and beliefs of others than their peers in other maintained schools.

Mr Hari’s views on sex and relationships education in Catholic schools are based more on myth than current-day reality. Sex and relationships education in Catholic schools is founded on the Church’s belief that self-respect and respect for each other must underline all human relationships. He is no more accurate with his claim that schools practice social selection: the proportion of children eligible for free school meals in Catholic secondary schools is in line with the national average.

This summer’s exam results, which showed that almost a quarter of the top-performing comprehensive schools are Catholic (just 10% of maintained schools are Catholic), demonstrated what thousands of parents already know: Catholic schools provide a high quality of academic education, whilst encouraging students to reach their full potential as tolerant, outward-looking members of a good society.

Oona Stannard
Chief Executive and Director
Catholic Education Service