Staff members from ethnic minorities make up almost a quarter of Catholic school workforces, more than half again the number that other schools employ, according to a new report.
Of the 47,312 of employees in England’s 2,074 Catholic schools 24.6% are from ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to a 16.2% national average.
The data comes from the latest annual survey of all Catholic schools, colleges and academies, published by the Catholic Education Service (CES). The Catholic Church is the biggest provider of secondary and second biggest of primary education, making up 10% of the total number of state-funded schools in England, and a third when counted together with the Church of England.
Nearly half of the 817,784 pupils in England’s state-funded Catholic schools are from ethnic minorities, at 47.2%, compared with an England state sector average of 38.7%.
There are 349,309 non-Catholic pupils, with 45.6% (159,285) from other Christian denominations, 28.5% (99,553) of no religion, and 11.1% (38,770) being Muslim. Overall, 86.2% of pupils are from a faith background, and 75.8% are Christians.
In Catholic schools, including maintained schools and academies, 10% of curriculum time is ring-fenced for Religious Education which includes the study of other religions such as Judaism, Islam and Sikhism and world views for therefore much longer than in most secular schools. Partly as a result, Catholic schools are significantly more ethnically diverse.
Paul Barber, Director of the CES, said: “Catholic schools are clearly popular with pupils, parents and staff from a wide range of backgrounds, and which we believe to be the most ethnically diverse in the country. This is partly due to a respect shown for faith, including for other faiths, which is therefore supportive of community cohesion across the country. The CES also shares the government’s mission to close the disadvantage gap within education, particularly with many parents of our pupils ineligible for Free School Meals due to immigration status or low-paid casual temporary employment.”
Catholic schools also educate 51.5% more pupils from the most deprived backgrounds than state-funded schools, according to the government’s Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI). Catholic schools are on the front lines of the fight against child poverty, providing vital support to families as detailed in the findings of a survey published last December. School uniform support is one of the most common forms of assistance that the Catholic sector provides, with 94% of Catholic schools doing so, among other initiatives such as breakfast clubs.
Read the survey report
Image: Bonus Pastor Catholic College, part of St Benedict Catholic Academy Trust, in the Archdiocese of Southwark.
