Church of England schools to be "rebranded" Not every school will be making as much of it as they should. The Church of England is the biggest single provider of education in the UK, teaching one million pupils in 4,800 schools. The review of its role comes as local authority provision of education is reduced and more schools are given independence from town hall control. The report will say that the Church has to compete in the "free market" against academies, free schools, and school "chains" such as Ark and Oasis. "Both to the church and to society at large, the church's education services are not very clearly defined," said Bishop Pritchard, the chairman of the Church of England's board of education. We need clarity of who we are, of what we stand for, about our goals and what we are offering. We need clarity about the fact that spiritual values are at the heart of the curriculum and not just an element of it. That is about branding. We are trying to speak to parents, the Department for Education, other schools and the church itself about what we offer. We are saying 'Please come and join us, you don't have to sign up to all the beliefs of the church, but you will find the Christian ethos is central in our schools."" The review also calls on ministers to protect the "special role" of Church of England schools in educating the country's children. It says a "new concordat" with the government is needed to guard the place of Church schools as the academies and free schools programmes expand. "This nation depends hugely on its Christian background," said Bishop Pritchard, "whether we look at the political, legal or education systems, charity, art or literature. Affirming strongly the place of faith and spirituality in our school system is part of owning our heritage, of knowing who we are. The Church is not just another player. It is the original player in education. The bishop pointed to the refusal by ministers to include religious education in the English Baccalaureate, which league tables are now based on, leading to pupils dropping it. He also condemned the omission of the subject from the review of the national curriculum ordered by Michael Gove, the Education Secretary. The report will also recommend that new clergy are given better training about the critical importance of Church schools, suggesting some vicars are neglecting their duties in parish schools. The bishop, who was formerly the head of a theological college, said: "You can't say 'I don't do funerals," everyone has to do funerals if they are ordained. Equally you can't say 'I don't do schools. They are absolutely crucial to the way we serve the communities we live in. Stronger collaberation with other Christian faiths, to provide multifaith schools, is also recommended, as are partnerships with independent schools with Anglican foundations.