To many people, the decision to make church schools state funded is
something fraught with controversy.
They argue that this violates
unwritten principles of a separation of church and state, and that it
means the government is spending money on creating a potential cultural
echo-chamber where religious groups can further isolate themselves,
causing social problems in the long term.
Fundamentally
though, there is a religious freedom question.
Parents have a right to
educate their children in a manner consistent with their beliefs, and
access to that right shouldn't be conditional on financial resources.
Supporters of state-funded church schools also argue that if the state
treats all religions fairly, eschewing preference of one over the
others, and that the curriculum taught in the schools meets the same
essential standards applied in the rest of the country, there is no
reason church schools can't be part of the wider national education
system.
That was the decision the government came to under the previous
Labour government, and it has been a decision that the Coalition has
stuck with, and even enhanced with the introduction of free schools.
But
now, many in Wales are arguing that if church schools are part of the
state system, and the government is allowing citizens that choice, then
they have to be an equal part of the system, and receive access to all
the same resources.
Recently, that's become a problem when it comes to
the question of transport.
Because of systems put in place by the Welsh Assembly on matters of
transport, councils must provide free transport if secondary school
pupils live three or more miles away.
But for pupils travelling to a
church school when a mainstream school is nearer, councils aren't
required to do the same. This is particularly galling when provision is
offered to schools teaching in the Welsh language which may not be the
closest to a pupil's home.
So far, funding for transport to church schools has only been
withdrawn by one council, Neath Port Talbot, but local authorities in
Conway are also considering the measure, and there will be a public
consultation in Bridgend in December.
Wrexham town council has withdrawn
all funding for transport to schools that are not the closest to where
the pupil lives, and Flintshire county has said that funding can only be
given if parents can prove their children's beliefs with a baptism
certificate.
The Reverend Edwin Counsell, education advisor for the Church of
Wales said: "I am deeply concerned that this short-sighted attempt to
save money will have a huge impact on the ability of parents in Wales to
make an informed choice to send their children to a church school. In
the longer term, decisions like this could seriously disadvantage the
church school sector."
He pointed out that though the law was not commanding in support of
him in this measure, the intent was very clear: "The Learner Travel
Measure (2008) encourages local authorities to make transport available
to the nearest suitable school to a pupil's home, with Welsh medium and
denominational schools available as realistic choices…"
"The Measure asks that denominational provision should be a realistic
choice; but these proposals will make it an unrealistic dream for many
parents seeking the best for their children…"
"The proposals that are starting to come forward from some local
authorities are trying to use that piece of legislation in a way that it
was never intended - yes, it is at their discretion to transport
children to Church schools, but there is a clear expectation that they
should go the extra mile for all children."
Ultimately, the question that has to be asked is whether the
inclusion of church schools in the curriculum was as a genuine part of
the state school system or not.
If they were, then it means the state is
obligated to provide transport services to help them as part of the
provision of choice.
If church schools are considered a genuine option
and are offered out of response to the nature of the freedom of religion
concern, then transport to them should be offered alongside every other
school.
If they're not, then the state needs to withdraw its funding
and make it clear that church schools are optional, and not something
they intend to help people get access to.
Given not only the religious freedom issue, but also the hierocracy
in making this offer open to Welsh language schools but not church
schools, the local councils have very little in the way of defendable
argument in this situation.
To be fair to everyone, faith school
transport access must be free to all.