Church schools flourish in England.London London, city, Canada London, city (1991 pop. 303,165), SE Ont., Canada, on the Thames River. The site was chosen in 1792 by Governor Simcoe to be the capital of Upper Canada, but York was made capital instead. London was settled in 1826. (ENI)--Anglicans in England have opened four more secondary schools in the current school year. It is another step towards the Church of England's goal of 100 new secondary schools for children age 11 and up. Despite the growing secularization of the country and declining church attendance, church authorities are confident of reaching the goal. "Our schools perform well and give a clear sense of values. There is more adherence adherence /ad·her·ence/ (ad-her´ens) the act or condition of sticking to something. immune adherence to the church [among parents] than-is reflected in church-going and overt Public; open; manifest. The term overt is used in Criminal Law in reference to conduct that moves more directly toward the commission of an offense than do acts of planning and preparation that may ultimately lead to such conduct. OVERT. Open. commitment," said the Church of England's chief education officer, Rev. John Hall. The Church of England Church of England: see England, Church of. has 4,493 primary and 197 secondary schools; the Roman Catholic church Roman Catholic Church, Christian church headed by the pope, the bishop of Rome (see papacy and Peter, Saint). Its commonest title in official use is Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. has 1,724 primary and 352 secondary schools. "Pupils and parents, even non-Christians, respect and appreciate the values our schools represent," said Oona Stannard, director of Catholic Education Services in England and Wales England and Wales are both constituent countries of the United Kingdom, that together share a single legal system: English law. Legislatively, England and Wales are treated as a single unit (see State (law)) for the conflict of laws. . "They provide an excellent, well-rounded education." The state offers these church schools a package that they find attractive: it pays 90 per cent of capital costs and all current costs. Meanwhile, the school appoints the teachers and most of the governors, and controls admissions. Anglican and Catholic schools both have substantial enrolments of pupils who do not belong to the respective faiths. Ms. Stannard and Mr. Hall are upbeat about prospects for the future. "We want to be part of the mainstream but with our own distinctiveness," said Ms. Stannard. Mr. Hall said, "Politicians nowadays talk the language of choice. We are part of the diversity culture." |
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