Joint Denominational Schools

Foreword to the Draft Joint Schools Inspection Handbook (2026)

In chapter 17 of John’s Gospel, Jesus prays that his followers would always be united in faith and love, reflecting the intimacy of the unity between the persons of the Blessed Trinity. The history of Christianity demonstrates that the followers of Jesus have not always lived up to this high call to unity. It is for this reason that both the Anglican and Catholic churches strive for the restoration of this unity, despite their differences, through their shared commitment to ecumenism.

In their recent document on ecumenism, Unity, Faith & Order, the Anglican Consultative Council of the Anglican Communion stresses the importance of working for unity:

A disunited church falls short of a vibrant witness to the reality and love of the one God, revealed in Christ and shed abroad in human hearts by the Holy Spirit…Therefore, the task of working at unity, and ever stronger relationships between the different families of churches across the world, remains crucial, not for the sake of institutional tidiness, but for the sake of the Church’s mission in the world. (The Anglican Consultative Council, Unity, Faith & Order (Lambeth:2022, p.6))

Equally, ever since the second Vatican council, the Catholic Church has reiterated the centrality of Christian unity to the continued mission of the Church in the world:

[The] unity, which the Lord has bestowed on his Church and in which he wishes to embrace all people, is not something added on, but stands at the very heart of Christ’s mission. Nor is it some secondary attribute of the community of his disciples. Rather, it belongs to the very essence of this community. (Pope St John Paul II, Ut Unum Sint, paragraph 9)

The Catholic Church makes it clear that this commitment to unity has concrete implications for our own communities here in England and Wales:

… among the responsibilities of the Bishop [is] that of promoting the unity of all Christians by supporting all activities or initiatives undertaken for this purpose…[and] all the faithful are asked by the Spirit of God to do everything possible to strengthen the bonds of communion between all Christians and to increase cooperation between Christ’s followers. (Ibid, paragraph 110)

The joint Anglican and Catholic schools of England and Wales are a sign of this commitment and are a serious attempt to pursue Christian unity in the context of education. This is an important task, but a difficult one, since the joint schools are called to pursue this unity, without compromising the distinctiveness of each of the Christian communities they serve. It is hoped that this joint framework for the inspection of joint schools may assist these schools in living out their distinctive and crucial vocation as signs of Christian unity.