Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of church schools to community cohesion.

Church schools are an important part of our diverse education system, play a key role in their local communities and many have mixed intakes. The 2017 School Census shows that in secondary Church of England and Catholic state-funded schools 32.4% and 37.6% of pupils are from non-White ethnic backgrounds, respectively. This is compared to 29.2% in non-faith schools. In primary Church of England and Catholic state-funded schools 22.1% and 39.8% of pupils are from non-white ethnic backgrounds respectively, compared to 34.7% in non-faith schools. There are good examples of church schools participating in linking activities with schools from different faiths or no faith. We aim to work closely with the religious bodies, which oversee church schools to build on their excellent work so far.