Good news from England -- Anglicanism is making inroads in the British secondary school system. Apparently, parents are pushing for religious education that instills discipline, respect, and faith in their kids, and government-run schools do not do this. Imagine that.

Of course, considering what has been happening to Anglicanism recently makes one wonder about what kind of "religious education" these kids will be getting. Will it be the wishy-washy/"tolerant of everything but intolerance" variety (in which case a "religious education" will make zero difference from the secular), or a grassroots, doctrinally-founded, traditional variety (in which case the kids will know who they are, what is right and wrong, and why they believe what they believe)?

The secondaries that are in the process of becoming voluntary aided Church schools - Eastbourne Comprehensive in Darlington; Summerbee School, in Bournemouth; and Whitburn Comprehensive, in Durham - have been spurred by examples such as Wyvern College, in Salisbury, Wiltshire.

The boys' school has seen admissions soar since joining the Church of England last year and putting more religion on the curriculum. Although most parents with children at the school were not regular churchgoers, they supported the conversion, as did 85 per cent of the staff.

Glynis Seddon, the principal, said that the school had decided to convert after inspectors said that it needed to improve pupils' spiritual development and tackle pockets of unruly behaviour. "We were improving but we thought, what more can we offer our boys? We wanted to develop the school's ethos and values, and although it had no connection whatsoever with the Church, we decided that becoming a Church school was the best way to move forward."

Frank Sweasey, the chairman of the governors, said that parents welcomed the introduction of Christian ethics. "They understood the idea of a Church school and perceived the advantages in terms of discipline and respect for others," he added.

Peter Smith, a business analyst whose son Harry attends the school, was one of the parents who backed the change. The 62-year-old, who described himself as a practising Christian, said: "I felt that the ethical element has been disappearing from schools over the last 20 or 30 years.

"Although parents have to put ethical sense into their children, I think it should also be supported by the school. Harry is now 15 and I think the school has improved in every sense since he started, in results, behaviour and ethos."

Thanks to Relapsed Catholic for the UK Telegraph link.