Article by Carina Murphy in The Tablet about the school places cap. Article makes reference to 2017 and Helen Bates, the assistant director of schools services in the Diocese of East Anglia; its severest shortage of Catholic schools in the country; Bishop, Alan Hopes (cap had “failed to create religious diversity” and stopped new Catholic schools from opening). Reference to St John Henry Newman Catholic Voluntary Academy (VA) (opened in 2022) and the Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School in Swaffham (opened in 2019).
"For more than 12 years, the Catholic Church in England and Wales has refused to build new Catholic schools as long as half the places must be open to children of all faiths or none. Is it time to think again?
The Catholic Union, backed by the Catholic Education Service (CES), has handed over its 1,058-strong petition to “Scrap the Cap” on faith-allocated places in new state-funded schools to Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and is waiting expectantly to hear whether the Prime Minister will push it through as part of his bold shake-up of the education system." Article continues.