Editor’s letter

While researching our schools supplement I spoke to a gentleman who, despite not being a Catholic himself, had chosen to send his children to Downside because he liked the idea of them being brought up in a Catholic environment, where kindness, hard work and contemplation were valued above all else.

In this first edition of the Catholic Herald’s Catholic Good Schools supplement, we have a range of articles addressing some of the most pertinent questions facing schools at the moment. As the secular consensus seems to be increasingly at odds with the Church, Dan Hitchens looks at how Catholic schools are dealing with Government policy on sex education and Arabella Byrne considers the clergy’s role in Catholic education today. Teacher Sophia Waugh is worried about our children, who are in danger of going soft as they are increasingly being indulged by teachers and exam boards.

One school which doesn’t pander to students is the high-achieving London Oratory school. I interview headmaster Daniel Wright, who praises a blend of structure, discipline and unbridled Catholicism. Elsewhere in the issue, Cristina Odone laments the disappearance of Religious Studies from the curriculum, while Alexander Jolliffe rejoices in the revival of Latin and Greek in our schools.

We hope you find our new supplement enjoyable and informative.