Commenting on claims made by the Rt Rev John Pritchard on behlaf of the Church of England’s Board of Education on 19 November 2013, Simon Barrow, co-director of the Christian think-tank Ekklesia, which is a member of the Fair Admissions Campaign and a founder of the Accord Coalition, said:
“The Bishop of Oxford is no doubt sincere in his wish that schools supported by the Church of England should be open and inclusive. But the current policy of the Board of Education that he chairs is an obstacle to realising this aim.
“A Christian ethos of genuine love for neighbours is not supported by favouring one’s own community over and against others. It is undermined by such practices.
“What people require of the Church is that is matches its words with actions, because that is what the Christian message calls for.”
* Church school statistics challenged by fair admissions campaigners: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/19477