Why we’re losing faith in state education

TWO years ago, a friend of mine moved house. She and her husband are living in south-east London. Their son was three years of age, and another son was on the way.

They wanted to buy within reach of a Catholic school. Research, through friends, led them to conclude that Catholic schools were best. Neither my friend nor her husband are religious. They don’t attend mass regularly. Their choice was a belief that Catholic schools were better than state schools.

Catholic schools in England represent an elite form of education. It’s different in this country, because the Catholic Church has a near-monopoly on primary education. The Church controls 92% of Ireland’s 3,200 primary schools.