School leader awarded CBE ochesterLink Education / July/August 2017 see page 3 Diocesan Schools’ Overseas links By Richard Tyson By Emma Honey & Cerys Siney By Leah Myles, Assistant Director of Sixth Form ince 2009, there have been five visits by rinity School have been visiting Mpwapwa for five and trip facilitator. SBennett Memorial students and two professional Tyears and recently celebrated a partnership with n 7 July 2017, 11 students from Bishop Justus development visits by teachers to Mwanakianga Queen Esther’s Secondary School for Girls. So far, 22 OSecondary School, Bromley will touch down secondary school, Mpwapwa, with a sixth visit planned students have taken part, with 12 already planning for in Kilimanjaro for a two-week ‘once in a lifetime’ for this July. our visit in 2018. Our mission is central to our School’s experience. This is the third year that students have core Christian value of compassion. The mission is a had the opportunity to visit the districts of Kondoa and Our students are able to offer those at Mwanakianga life-changing experience for all who attend, deepening Chemba where they will experience life beyond the lots of help with their English, maths and science in their own faith and spirituality. tourist trails of Kilimanjaro. As well as continuing to particular. The students play sport and hold formal help build a brand new school in Chemba, students debates together. They travel for a day trip to Our mission is aimed at enriching and supporting will be sharing skills and knowledge with the children. Tanzania’s capital city, Dodoma, together. Through all the lives of those in Mpwapwa and the surrounding We are delighted that our special relationship with this, strong bonds of friendship, understanding and villages. We are proud to have such a varied the community has continued to grow into one of respect are formed. As one of our students said: “This programme to make our school visit unique. This friendship and mutual support and we are honoured is a place where you can sit with Bennett students you includes providing sporting, music, and art activities that the new school will share our name. hardly knew before and with Tanzanian students and for the village children and orphans. We have taught teachers you have never met before and feel more English, History, RE, and Science lessons and delivered Students and staff have worked tirelessly this year to alive than you have ever done before.” sessions on Bible stories at schools and for other youth raise money towards the building of a dormitory block, groups. We have assisted at mother and baby clinics an essential part of the new Bishop Justus Secondary One should not underestimate the power of how this and taught sessions on HIV transmission and a wide Vocational Centre. In May, students took part in the is facilitated through the Rochester/Mpwapwa link. As range of health issues. As a team, we have taken part first ever Bishop Justus ‘Run for Tanzania’ which was students visit, Christ’s instruction to ‘love thy neighbour’ in service projects, including painting St Luke’s health a huge success and an event that we plan to hold gains a new meaning and immediacy as they see the clinic as well as local school classrooms. We also enjoy annually. Our student ambassadors have organised work and witness of the church in Tanzania. As part of worshipping with local communities at the Cathedral quiz and bingo nights, cake sales and completed a our visits, we normally travel from Mpwapwa to Iringa and in other churches. gruelling 16 mile walk from the school grounds to the and to visit the Diocese of Ruaha sponsored Neema Tanzanian Embassy in central London. Crafts project. The partnership makes students pause Our link with the Mpwapwa Diocese has created and think about who they are and how they are being friendship and communion with the diocesan staff and Once building is complete, our work will continue to called to serve. There is a line in the worship song has helped the Trinity community to put its Christian ensure that the school will have access to the high ‘Oceans’ that resonated with our students last year, faith into practice. The entire school community quality teacher training and resourcing which is so ‘Spirit lead me to where my trust is without borders. supports our mission with items to give out on our desperately needed to enable local communities to Let me walk on your waters wherever you will call me.’ visits, as well as through fundraising efforts, with grow and to thrive. In an assembly following the visit, one of our students many students already expressing the desire to attend said: “The song offers a challenge to us. Sometimes in future years. we have to go wherever God calls us to. The song says we may have to walk on water to get there. In Tanzania it was a bit like walking on water – we found ourselves in seemingly impossible situations but we found a way through. Yet, God and his Holy Spirit were present with us to help us do those tricky bits – to go beyond our borders and be bold enough to make a difference.” Bennett Memorial School and Mwanakianga secondary school students Bennett Memorial School and Mwanakianga secondary school students Mpwapwa Village children and orphans having fun running after and popping bubbles blown by Trinity School students Children from Kondoa and Chemba - Bishop Justus school’s trip 2 ochester Link 3CONTENTS: Editor’s Letter By Alex Tear* elcome to this special education edition Diocesan Schools’ Overseas Links 1 Wof the Rochester LINK. Editor’s Letter 2 Archbishop Justin Welby recently described School Chaplaincies 3 the Church’s work in education as “the most important area of the Church’s work in School Leader gets CBE 3 society”. Rochester Riverside CofE Primary School 3 With over 1 million children attending a Prayer Garden Opening Ceremony 5 Church of England school every day and one Church School Rises from the Ashes 5 quarter of primary schools having a Church of New Church of England Free School England status, this scale of provision gives 5 the national Church a huge opportunity to Church Schools Celebrations 2017 6-7 engage with children and young people and Church School Multi-Academy Trusts the communities our Church schools serve 9 and make a real difference to serving the Understanding Cristianity 11 common good of our nation. Making Space in School for Godly Play 11 In Rochester Diocese, this commitment Archdeacon Clive Mansell Retires 12 translates as 26,200 children attending one of our Church schools, all of whom participate in a daily act of collective worship and have CONTACT US an understanding and experience of the Email: [email protected] Christian faith lived out through their church We are running special editions of Link throughout 2017 and regret we are schools vision, ethos and character. unable to accept contributions from our most vulnerable Church schools and parishes during this time Education is at the centre of the Church’s encouraging them to see their work with ADVERTISEMENTS mission and we should continue to see our children and young people as an important Email: [email protected] work with Church schools as an important part of the wider mission of the Diocese. Copy for The Link needs to be typed and submitted by email please. Images must be submitted as either a TIFF or a JPEG file of 300dpi. expression of that mission to children and (Set your digital camera to the highest quality setting and we will try to do young people in our schools and parishes. Helping teachers to see their jobs as a the rest for you.) vocation and encouraging our Church school Over the last ten years the educational leaders to view their leadership roles as a landscape has changed dramatically and genuine ministry in the Church is an important dioceses are now at the forefront of that part of the developing the spiritual growth of transformation of the schools system in our Christian people who work in education. By country. Accountability for school performance encouraging our teachers and head teachers is much sharper than ever and the role and to see their work and their school as part of responsibilities for our Church school leaders the wider mission of the Diocese, we can help and governors has also increased and is them to think about the opportunities for much more demanding. There is no longer discipleship of the children and young people one national education system, rather we in our schools and the spiritual development have a ‘system of systems’ and the dioceses, of the pupils in their care. through our Church schools are part of that diversity of educational provision. This edition of LINK includes articles which reflect the range of work that the Education The introduction of the academies programme Team is involved with including overseas has meant that the historical agreement links, working with our Church MATs, school between Church and State to provide Church chaplaincy and some local projects with our schools (Voluntary Aided and Voluntary Church schools. Controlled) is now being supplemented by an increasing number of our Church schools In addition, the newspaper also includes a joining Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs). These number of articles which reflect our statutory growing Trusts provide new opportunities for work with our Church schools on supporting Church of England schools (Free Schools) Christian education through training and in areas of population growth and housing development for Religious Education, our developments such as Ebbsfleet Garden City work with Foundation governors and our and Rochester Riverside.