Sir – What a sadly uninformed rant against faith schools from your correspondent last week; consider the evidence:

  • Faith schools consistently receive favourable Ofsted reports.
  • Faith schools consistently achieve high academic standards.
  • Faith schools are far more likely to face the problems of oversubscription than any other schools.

So why do so many families choose church-aided schools? Very simply because they like the Christian values that lie at the heart of such schools. They may care little about the Christian faith but they want the clear Christian values that such schools propound. If they object to the worship or the religious education provided in church schools, they are free to withdraw their children from these provisions, as is clearly stated in the school prospectus. It is informative to note that during my 24 years as headteacher of church-aided schools, not a single parent has availed themselves of this right.

It’s time your correspondent considered the evidence rather than the dogma.

Bob Forster, Shipton-under-Wychwood