Angles the Magazine of AASSH

Angles The Magazine of AASSH Anglican Academy and Secondary School Heads February 2012 2 Contributors David Ainsworth is Headteacher at Trinity CE High School in Manchester. Dr Julie Roberts is Headteacher at Blue Coat CE School in Coventry. Curtis Johns is a Sixth Form student at David Young Academy. Revd Rosemary Lain-Priestley is Dean of Women’s Ministry in the Diocese of London. She is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’ and the author of ‘The Courage to Connect: Becoming all we can be’. She lives in central London, and is married with three young children. Beverley Whitefoot is Director of Learning for Humanities and Social Science at Bluecoat Academy, Nottingham. Veronica Shuttleworth is a member of the Library team at Bishop Luffa School. Felicia Shebbe is a Year 11 pupil at St Saviours and St Olaves School, London. Amber Edwards is a Year 9 pupil at St Saviour & St Olaves School, London. Father Richard Peers is Headteacher At Trinity Church of England Secondary School, Lewisham, London. 3 Introduction Where do you start when the others. Staff on outreach in courses not externally assessed path ahead is unclear and another school return refreshed may have done), she would have the landscape unstable? and re-focussed. Schools giving thrown it all in. Instead, she has a support often find their own results College route mapped out and a There is no doubt that the rising. Now that local partnerships confidence about the steps beyond. educational landscape is being - membership of vulnerable & Schools are under pressure to guide transformed. The Archbishop of challenging pupil panels. It now pupils down paths that may be Canterbury, addressing the AASSH looks likely that the “duty to co- inappropriate for the individual child. Conference in September, called operate” will appear in the Education Church schools will want to re-affirm it the most significant move since Bill and SACRE boards, for example their primary concern with the needs the 1944 Education Act. The - are less obligatory, Church schools of our young people. education agenda drives on with an have a role to play in declaring unswerving sense of direction. Some Lastly, agreement on our core our confidence in the value of have questioned Mr Gove’s map- Christian values is more important partnership. It’s a Christian rule. reading, but many have followed than conflict on the details. While his lead - almost half of secondary Next, students matter more than we - staff, parents, governments - schools are now academies. league tables. Easy to say, but may disagree about the means to the pressure is on. Jen’s Hair and achieve a better future for our young Meanwhile, as Local Authority Beauty course is for her a godsend. people, it’s worth re-asserting the services dwindle and familiar ways A bright girl but, ignored at home common ground of our beliefs. of working no longer serve, are there and disruptive in class, she felt she markers in this new landscape to aim “Posts move. Goals don’t,” says had no future and saw no point in for? Three signposts come to mind. an advert on the Tube. It’s a good school. Jen’s vocational course gave reminder to look for the opportunities To start with, partnership is more her a sense of control and purpose. to work together, place our young effective than narrow-minded It gave her hope and incentive to people first and assert the primacy of independence. Partners who share persevere with the academic side our Christian values, as we step out resources - skills, understanding, too. Pressed into a solely academic in to this new landscape. staff - bring benefits to their own routine (as the current agenda of schools in the process of supporting EBacc and the removal of vocational 4 Converting with faith by Julie Roberts Church of England Schools are very special places and although all schools are unique and individual in character we stand together as schools that care. As church schools we care about the welfare and academic progress of our students; we care about our students’ education, their skills, their partnerships with others and about giving all children the opportunity to express their faith and grow spiritually and morally within a nurturing environment. We care about our whole community and give a great deal of our valuable time, resources and commitment to others both through school partnerships at local, national and international level Safe-guarding our faith character and ethos and through various charities and innovative partnerships external to no school can sit still. We all what can make a difference to deal of thinking about what this our schools. look to continually build upon the lives of our students and our means for church schools. At Blue The world is constantly changing the nurturing environment that communities. When Academy Coat we looked at what Academy and the shifting sands of being a Christian school entails status for outstanding schools Status could add to our ability to educational policy means that and to extend our knowledge of was first mooted there was a great build upon our successes as a 5 Church school as we believe that schools to strengthen links and presented by Academy status a church school. Our Christian in education today no-one can work with them in faith. enhance this provision and allow us ethos is an integral part of what ever sit still and complacently say, to share our worship resources and we are about and our core values, “we’ve done it”. Our intentions to Our Christian ethos isn’t just some our faith dimension in a way that achievements and partnerships improve our learning, our resources, form of divine right that comes has not been possible before. all centre on our faith. We believe our provision and our work as to us as a church school, it has it is vital that we maintain all the a Christian school demanded to be worked at and it is valued Core Christian beliefs of love, strengths of our current alliances innovative thinking, new methods, by parents, students and staff respect, forgiveness, humility, as a Church of England School new technologies, new partnerships alike because it comes from our peace, justice, reconciliation and and are adamant that built into any and access to the funding to help to conviction as a whole body that care for others creates an ethos change of status for any Christian make our dreams a reality. building an effective learning with a strong sense of moral school is the connection with the community works for us because it purpose and direction, which in turn church and Diocese thus retaining a It was important to us that Blue is underpinned by Christian values. drives achievement and personal distinctively Christian ethos. Coat would become a “Christian Blue Coat is very special because development. As an Academy we Academy”. Increased freedom and of the distinctive Christian style. are able to extend the support we The special values of our Church finance would allow us to play a We are working to spread that offer to students and families, on schools must be continued more significant role as part of a success and work with other faith their journey though childhood whatever our decisions as church wider faith community. Part of the schools, helping them to develop to adulthood by enhancing our school leaders. As an Academy mission is to strengthen links with links and Christian ethos in a way provision of extended services we have been able to support Christian schools in the city. Social that works for all. There are several and pastoral care, guidance and more activities that benefit our cohesion is strengthened because local Church of England schools support which offer the best community - improving existing of our position to resource more that benefit from this connection possible help and advice. facilities, developing our newly “outreach projects” of an innovative in the locality and although we acquired land and making a real nature, thereby taking the concept already work with some of these Academy Status is not for difference to the education of our of Leading Edge to a higher level in curriculum terms current budget everyone but this article sets students and that of other partner of engagement working even more shares haven’t always allowed us to out to demonstrate a small part Church of England schools. closely with Church of England reach out in faith. The opportunities of what it has meant for us as 6 My Journey: incredible and inspiring by Curtis Johns Curtis Johns is a student at the David Young Community Academy in Leeds. Curtis spent his Year 7 at one of the predecessor schools for the Academy. This was a “failing” inner-city school where aspirations and performance of students was amongst the very worst in the country. The school, although out of special measures at the time of closure, had previously been in special measures for 5 years. Curtis is a gifted musician and is currently in Upper Sixth preparing for university. He has watched first-hand the difference a strong ethos rooted in Christian values makes to a community. In December this year Curtis spoke to over 200 people at the SSAT conference on the theme of achievement of working-class boys. Throughout the last five years, is a credible representation of the I have been able to watch the academy itself. academy grow and take shape Our ethos aims to encourage a into what we today recognize as love for learning but also to actively a safe and loving professional promote solid Christian values as atmosphere.

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