Bishop Martin

Newcastle Diocese encompasses Northumberland and North Tyneside as well as the City of Newcastle upon Tyne . There are 47 Church of England schools in the diocese catering for about 7,000 pupils. Church schools have their foundation in the Christian Gospel and are linked to a worshipping community. Day-to-day life in a church school should reflect that foundation, not just in the part of the curriculum labelled Religious Education, or that part of the school day termed “Collective Worship”, but throughout the whole curriculum and ethos of the school.

For information about the Church’s thinking on Church schools and their place in its mission see the major report The Way ahead. www.natsoc.org.uk

For a complete listing, location and contact information for all our church schools please visit our schools page

Different Types of Church School:

The 1944 and subsequent Education Acts provide the framework for the present way in which the church is involved in schools by creating two broad types of church school: the aided and the controlled:

In Aided Schools:

The school is owned by trustees as part of a church educational trust.
The foundation (church) governors are in the majority on the governing body.
The staff are employed by the governors.
The governors are responsible for the external maintenance of the building and for funding improvements to it. For this they receive a grant (currently 90% of the total costs) from the Department for Education and Skills for approved projects.
Religious Education is taught in accordance with the Diocesan syllabus.
Collective Worship is conducted in accordance with the Anglican foundation of the school.
The governors are responsible for admissions to the school.

In Controlled Schools:

The school is owned by trustees as part of a church educational trust
The foundation (church) governors are in a minority on the governing body.
The staff are employed by the LEA.
The LEA is responsible for the external maintenance of the building and for funding improvements to it, although the authority may delegate most of its responsibilities to the governing body.
Religious Education is taught in accordance with the LEA’s Agreed Syllabus although Religious Education in accordance with the Trust Deed may be provided if parents request it for their children.
Collective Worship is conducted in accordance with the Anglican foundation of the school.
The LEA is responsible for admissions to the school.