KEY figures within North-East Church of England schools have welcomed a report which places their work at the heart of education.

Senior Anglican figures make the comments in a YouTube video based on a conference staged by the Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Education Boards.

The event, attended by everyone from headteachers to governors, was in response to publication of the Church of England’s Chadwick Report, titled The Church School of the Future, which said they are at the heart of the nation and should robustly assert their Christian ethos.

The Venerable Stuart Bain, Archdeacon of Sunderland and chairman of the Durham Diocesan board of education, who addressed the conference, said: “The changing landscape of education is asking the Church to get on its mettle in terms of its distinctiveness and its inclusivity in providing education.

“It challenges us to go back to what is at the heart of Church school education – which is to provide a strong Church Christian ethos, excellent RE and worship and good outcomes across the board.”

Watch the video at youtube/ G5BVBwLdWsQ