Eight Church of England run schools now cater exclusively to Muslim students

London, Jan 24 (ANI): The number of Christian families in some inner-city communities has declined to such a proportion that two Church of England schools now cater exclusively to Muslim students.

In many church primary schools in English cities, more than half of the pupils are Muslim. In at least a dozen such schools, more than 80 per cent are from Islamic homes, The Times reported.

Five church schools, in Blackburn, Birmingham, Bradford, Oldham and London, have become 99 per cent Muslim and in two another school in Blackburn and one in Dewsbury every pupil is Muslim.

The Church has defended its continuing educational role in such areas and is putting 750,000 pounds towards the construction of a new primary school in Blackburn whose intake will be almost 100 per cent Muslim.

The Times reported that some parishes in the town - where eight of the 24 church primary schools have a majority of Muslim pupils - have questioned the justification for the investment.

It is also understood that at least one Church school no longer observes the requirement to have an act of daily collective worship that is "consistently and recognisably Christian".

A former school governor in Bradford has warned that some Christians in her city have chosen to send their children to secular schools, fearing they would be isolated at their local, Muslim-dominated church school.

In 1998 the General Synod resolved that church schools should "stand at the centre of the Church's mission to the nation".

Three years later, the Dearing Commission recommended that "all church schools must be distinctively . . . Christian institutions". (ANI)