There is a current petition wanting to remove the ability of public schools to be subsidised for employing school chaplains,  and instead only be allowed to employ qualified childhood counselors. During the previous Labour Government the funding provided to schools for chaplaincy could also be used to help employ a qualified counselor. This option was not by and large taken up by schools, while around 2900 schools opted to continue to employ approved chaplains through Scripture Union. The current petition seeking to remove the option of having school chaplains sites a personal story whereby one particular parent's daughter is not allowed to participate in any activities run by the school chaplain and so naturally is unable to participate in them nor receive awards from the chaplain for doing something positive in that school community. The fact that child feels like she is missing out, is an obvious result of the positive impact that school's chaplain is having.  Keep in mind that without the chaplain none of the students would have the opportunity to participate in these positive activities or receive the awards being given out by the chaplain for positive behaviours.  There is also a fear that chaplains "further the reach" of religion on children in public schools. This is clearly misinformation as one of the terms of employment for chaplains prohibits proselytising.  In any case principals are the best judges of whether chaplaincy plays a positive role in the life of their school communities. They have already had the opportunity to use chaplaincy funding to employ a qualified childhood counselors, however principals are the ones employing chaplains in their thousands. If that is not an endorsement for chaplaincy then I don't know what is.