Secretary of State, Damian Hinds, has made the case for more Catholic schools adopting academy status.  At a recent round-table meeting with leaders of faith education, the Secretary of State, himself a practising Catholic, highlighted the benefits of academy status as a means of schools embracing government reforms for higher standards.  A third of all Catholic schools have become academies.  See more on his position as reported in 'The Tablet' on 30th January 2019 here.