Church of England Education
Deeply Christian, serving the common good
I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness.
John 10:10
Our vision for education is deeply Christian, with Jesus’ promise of ‘life in all its fullness’ at its heart. We aim to offer education that helps children flourish regardless of their background or starting point. In line with the Church of England’s role as the established Church, we seek the common good of the whole community.
Church of England schools are state-funded schools with a designated Christian character, grounded in Christian values. Pupils and staff come from all faiths and none.
In Church of England schools, collective worship reflects the traditions of the Church of England and contributes to the flourishing of children and adults. It is the unique heartbeat of a Church school and is offered as part of wider opportunities for pupils and adults to encounter faith and engage in conversations about God, both as individuals and together.
Our local parish churches dedicate a million hours every year to working with children and young people. Our clergy and volunteers visit schools to deliver assemblies and lead collective worship, host church services for schools and run holiday and after-school activities.
The Church of England also works with community schools, academy trusts and higher and further education, often through chaplaincies that provide spiritual support and guidance.
In numbers
- Approximately 1 million children attend Church of England schools.
- About 15 million people alive today went to a Church of England school.
- A quarter of all primary schools and 228 secondary schools are Church of England.
- There are 1,540 Church of England academies with 280 Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) holding Church of England Articles. This makes the Church of England the biggest provider of academies in England.
- Over 500 independent schools declare themselves to be Church of England in ethos.
- There are 22,500 Foundation Governors in Church schools recruited, trained and supported by dioceses.
- Each diocese runs a Diocesan Board of Education supporting Church schools, which represents an annual investment of over £15 million.
The Church of England schools include voluntary aided-, voluntary controlled-, foundation schools, and academies. Find out more about types of church schools, education policy, and school governance.
National Society for Education
Our national work in education is delivered by the National Society for Education (NSE), which was founded in 1811 and is one of the seven National Church Institutions. It also supports the national education work of the Church in Wales. The work of the NSE is focused on developing leaders, shaping policy, and growing faith, all grounded in a deep commitment to the flourishing of all. This work includes:
- Working with diocesan education teams to support the training, resourcing and development of governors in Church of England schools.
- Curriculum and inclusion support to dioceses, MATs and schools, and setting expectations for religious education for Church of England schools. Read more about Curriculum and Inclusion.
- Inspecting Anglican and Methodist schools to evaluate the school’s effectiveness as a Church school. This is called Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS).
- Leadership training for schools – aiming to build a national movement of inspirational leaders equipped to transform education. Read more about the Foundation for Educational Leadership.
- Education policy work, such as contributing to government consultations, research and reports. Read more about our work in education policy.
- Working to put children, young people and families instinctively at the heart of all the mission and ministry of the Church by changing the culture of the Church of England. Read more about the Growing Faith Foundation.
- Empowering children and young people to transform society and to inspire others to do the same. Explore the Archbishops’ Young Leaders Award.