THE Department for Education (DfE) has clarified its position on faith schools, following a recent interview in The Sunday Times.

Although having been widely reported that East Hampshire MP and Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds intends to lift the 50 per cent admission cap on faith schools, the DfE said any decision depends on the results of a consultation into the matter.

The 50 per cent rule ensures religious schools have a mixed intake – a controversial policy in Theresa May’s election manifesto last year was to drop the idea. This would have allowed these schools to tailor a greater proportion of students they accept, and exclude, based entirely on religious affiliation.

The Sunday Times reported that Mr Hinds is a practising Catholic who was educated at a voluntary-aided Roman Catholic grammar school, before adding that he plans to go ahead with the previously abandoned pledge to lift the cap.

He told the paper: “There are thousands of faith schools all over the country and almost none of them have a cap on their admissions. The cap relates only to new free schools of a religious character. I’m interested in having good school places and that includes schools with a religious aspect. Where there is parental demand and where there is a need for places, I want it to be possible to create those new schools.”

A DfE spokesman explained that, despite the reports, Mr Hinds did not explicitly confirm the cap would be lifted.

“The government is committed to offering parents and children a diverse education system with a wide variety of high quality providers – and this includes faith schools,” the spokesman added.

“We will be responding to the Schools that Work for Everyone consultation, including plans for the faith cap, in due course.”

These comments followed Mr Hinds’ first series of major interviews since becoming Education Secretary, in which he outlined his vision for the future and spoke about the government’s much-publicised higher education review.

Mr Hinds said it was right that we consider “tertiary education” in depth to understand “how best to improve both the accessibility and value of higher and further education for all”.

Part of this has seen a shift in focus and a broadening of what higher education actually means. Mr Hinds believes there is “a real opportunity to consider the role of technical training alongside academic study”.

The DfE said work is also under way to transform technical education post-16 by introducing new T levels – providing technical qualifications to rival traditional academic options – and overhauling apprenticeships to help provide the skills our economy needs.

Although “significant progress” has been made, the government thinks “it is clear that the current post-18 system is not working as well as it could be for young people or for the country”.

“The review will ensure that post-18 education is giving everyone a genuine choice between high quality technical, vocational and academic routes, students and taxpayers are getting value for money, and employers can access the skilled workforce they need,” the department said.

Theresa May has warned against “outdated attitudes” that favour academic over technical qualifications and pledged to use the review to look at “the whole post-18 education sector in the round, breaking down false boundaries between further and higher education, to create a system which is truly joined up”.

Whitehill and Bordon has already taken strides toward catering for a wider array of practical education, with the town’s Future Skills Centre welcoming its first batch of students last September.

Hosting courses in bricklaying, plumbing and carpentry, the centre offers qualifications which focus on the built environment.

Driving up quality, increasing choice and ensuring value for money are at the heart of the review, launched by the Prime Minister last week.

n Damian Hinds MP hosts a public meeting today (Thursday) at Alton Community Centre, from 7pm-8pm. All residents of East Hampshire are welcome.