ORANGE Anglican Grammar School principal Len Elliott has invited parents who have complained the school has adopted an evangelical style to attend chapel services and speak openly to him on issues of concern.
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“The Anglican identity of our school could not be any clearer and we always want to see the Bible taught in an age-appropriate way,” Mr Elliott said.
Parents from the school have approached the Central Western Daily saying there has not been sufficient transparency in the way the school is conducting its Anglican education, which they claim is more evangelical than Anglican - a system introduced since the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation purchased the school.
The school’s emblem features a bishop’s mitre, however it now has no direct links with the Anglican diocese of Bathurst after pastoral care was withdrawn by the diocese after the sale.
However, Mr Elliott maintains Anglican influence is not lacking at the school.
“From our governors and owners to our staff and families, many are active in their local Anglican church or often in another Christian church that is also Bible based,” Mr Elliott said.
A Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation spokesman told the CWD it had no “template” for religious education and each of the 16 schools owned by the corporation had autonomy in the way they educated children in the Anglican faith.
“The vision of the corporation is serving Christ by equipping students for his world and to provide affordable quality Christian education,” the spokesman said.
Parents who have spoken to the CWD say they are unhappy with the evangelical style of worship at the school and how it differs from traditional Anglican worship.
“I can appreciate that a few parents would like a more formal or traditional approach to worship, but at the same time most parents and students ask for the opposite,” Mr Elliott said.
“We also need to recognise that the school cannot replace the role of a local church and we need to work together with churches and families to provide great pastoral care for children and young people.”
The CWD was unable to contact Anglican Bishop of Bathurst Ian Palmer for comment.
After the diocese announced the sale of the Orange and Dubbo Anglican schools to the corporation in 2013, Bishop Palmer said “the education principles [of the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation] are absolutely in line with what we have been able to give pupils through our two schools up to now.”