Catholic schools 'provide values'

Catholic schools provide children with a strong sense of "values", an education minister has said.

Lord Adonis added that inspectors had rated a much higher proportion of Catholic schools as having a very good "ethos" than other schools.

But they performed below the English average at A-level, he said.

Lord Adonis told a Catholic education service conference in London that learning "duty and compassion" were as important as exam success.

'Mutual responsibility'

He said: "Academic results are very important for schools and their pupils.

"But so too are values, character, social and mutual responsibility, duty and compassion - all the ingredients which, together with curriculum and teaching, go to make up the 'ethos' of a school.

"These attributes of ethos are just as important for a school as exam results, and it is just as important for young people to acquire them as to gain good GCSEs and A-levels, important as they are."

Lord Adonis said Ofsted figures showed 60% of Catholic secondary schools were judged to be outstanding or good overall, compared with 51% of non-Catholic schools.

But Ofsted also found standards achieved at A-level and the effectiveness of Catholic school sixth-forms lagged behind the national average, he said.

Lord Adonis said: "Your schools are strong on ethos, unashamed about propagating values as well as standards, and resolute in their mission to children and families of all backgrounds, including the least advantaged in society."