David Cameron said yesterday that he wanted to send his daughter to a state school and, like Tony Blair before him, entered into an educational controversy. Rather than choose a grant-maintained school, as Mr Blair did, the Conservative leader is opting for a faith school. “I’m quite a fan of faith schools and we’re looking at a church school we’re very keen on, but we’ll have to see what places are available,” he told You and Yours, the BBC Radio 4 programme.

Mr Cameron — who during his leadership campaign said that he did not attend church as often as he should — has become an active participant at St Mary Abbots Church in Kensington, West London, and hopes to get his three-year-old daughter, Nancy, into the highly prized and secluded school in the church grounds.

Mr Cameron’s regular appearances at the church risks raising speculation that, like many middle-class parents, his interest in the church could at least partially be influenced by his interest in its school.

Mr Cameron’s aides denied the suggestion, insisting that he had always attended church regularly, near his home in London and in his Witney constituency. They said that he had been attending the church for about two years, that it had a creche for his children, and that Nancy was 18 months from school starting age. “He goes to the church whenever he is in London on Sunday, which is very regularly,” a spokesman said.

St Mary Abbots Church of England Primary School lies less than two miles from Mr Cameron’s home. However, there are 46 other state schools that are closer, and not nearly as desirable. The ones closest to his London home are large and with low educational standards.

The school, which was founded in 1645 and takes only 30 pupils a year, is among the best schools in the borough, with parents describing it as “gorgeous” and “traditional”. In stark contrast to his predecessors, Mr Cameron has often said that he wants to send his children to a state school. His four-year-old son, Ivan, who has cerebral palsy, attends a state special school.

Yesterday, in an uncanny echo of Tony Blair’s decision to send his children to the London Oratory School miles from Downing Street, Mr Cameron told the BBC that he wanted to send Nancy to a faith school.

His main concern appeared to be that Nancy would be overwhelmed by an ordinary state school, with the two closest to his home having more than 300 pupils. “I do worry that some of the primary schools — maybe I’m being overprecious and protective of my daughter — but you sort of feel that your small child is going to go into this enormous state primary school and may get a bit lost,” he said.

However, unlike Mr Blair, who was criticised for sending his children to a selective school, there is no suggestion of hypocrisy. “I want parents to have a choice. In London you have a choice,” he said.

The school has a complex admissions procedure, but parents’ chances of getting a child in are far higher if they play an active part in the church. Father Gillean Craig, chairman of the governors, said: “We’re delighted with the way he [Mr Cameron] and his wife play a strong part in the church.”

Which school to choose?

There are 57 primary schools within 1.5 miles of David Cameron’s new home. Nine of them are Roman Catholic and one is Islamic, leaving 47 others.

St Mary Abbots is described as a thriving Church of England Primary School Last year 87 per cent of pupils achieved level 4, or the expected standard, in English; 90 per cent achieved the same level in maths; and 97 per cent achieved it in science. According to the last Ofsted report, from 2001, more than half (51.2 per cent) of the 195 pupils speak a foreign language at home and 43 per cent are from ethnic minorities. The number eligible for free school meals is broadly the same as the national average and it has only 16.2 per cent of children with special educational needs, below the national average. Children arrive with above-average abilities. By the time they leave, they achieve very high standards in English, and above-average standards in maths and science.

Oxford Gardens Primary School is the Camerons’ nearest school, according to Ofsted. The last inspection report said that about a third of the 399 pupils were refugees or asylum-seekers and about 40 per cent spoke English as an additional language. Nearly half were entitled to free school meals. High security had been installed to protect staff and children from the crime and violence that “are common in the area”. It also had “very strong links with local police”. Pupils start with abilities below the levels expected for their age, particularly in English. Good teaching means, however, that they learn quickly and achieve well during their time at school.

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