Catholic head fears for academies' ethos

Notre Dame High, in Sheffield, is one of the few Catholic schools in the region to express an interest in joining the programme.

But headteacher Jim Conway said it had only done so in an attempt to get more information from Ministers.

"There are too many unresolved issues on what it would mean in terms of the ownership of land and buildings and whether it would affect our admissions as Catholic schools," he explained. "The Catholic Education Service nationally and all of the individual dioceses have not been given enough of the detail.

"If there is a danger that it could undermine the ethos of a Catholic education then obviously it is a complete non-starter."

Earlier this month the Catholic Education Service for England and Wales said schools should exercise great caution because so little information was available.

Its chief executive Oona Stannard advised Catholic schools that land belonging to their diocese would be transferred to academy trusts under the Government's plans.

While Catholic schools have yet to embrace the academy expansion plan, The British Humanist Association yesterday voiced concern it would give religious groups greater control over state education.

So far 300 faith schools across the country registered an interest in becoming an academy. The list included Church of England, Catholic, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh schools.