Summer Term 2020 SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Diocesan Director of Education Deborah Smith I’m writing from my office at home, where I am now currently based. This is indeed the strangest of times. I am missing travelling around our diocese and getting to know you better as I visit as many schools as my diary allows. I look forward to when this will be possible again. As I said in my letter to schools before Easter as a Diocesan education team we are so proud of you all and how you are continuing to serve local children and families during this period. Although we are in the midst of a pandemic and it has currently May the road rise to meet changed all our lives, we have made a determined effort to present good news stories you, and information to you in this schools’ Summer newsletter. May the wind be always at The Christian faith is founded on the Good News that God is in control. The Bible is your back, littered with encouraging verses and passages. Psalm 91 is such a passage. It is natural to feel anxious or worried, even as adults, but can I encourage you to focus on May the sun shine warm God’s words when these feelings start to take control? This period of isolation and upon your face, social distancing may continue for a little while yet and we may be tempted to rely on The rains fall soft upon our own strength. The Bible tells us that we can rely on God. your fields and, Many blessings, Until we meet again, May God hold you in the Deborah Follow us on palm of His hand. Twitter Amen 0161 828 1429 @DbeManchester [email protected] Primary and Secondary Headteachers Zoom Meeting Annual Manchester Friday 01 May, 2020, 10.30—12.00 Meeting ID: 952 6086 7107 Diocesan School’s Password: ManDio CEOs, Academy Members and Trustees Zoom Meeting Conference 2020 Tuesday 05 May, 2020, 10.30—12.00 Meeting ID: 997 6980 4955 We are sorry to announce that this year’s conference has Password: ManDio been rescheduled for Friday 30 April, 2021. We will send out more information in our Spring Annual Secondary School Newsletter which will be published January Headteachers and Chairs of Governors 2021. Meeting Friday 02 October, 2020, 9.30—13.00 Called Connected Committed Training by Andy Wolfe If you have already paid for your place at this year’s conference you will retain that place and won't need to Primary School Headteachers and re-book. If you would prefer us to return monies, please Chairs of Governors Training Meeting email [email protected] to arrange Friday 02 October, 2020, 13.00—16.00 an electronic refund. Called Connected Committed Training by Andy Wolfe Deborah Smith invites Primary and Secondary CEOs, Academy Members and Trustees Headteachers and MAT CEOs to a Zoom meeting to Annual Training keep updated until we are able to meet together in Friday 02 October, 2020, 13.00—16.00 October 2020*. *October meetings to take place at Church House, Manchester/Online. Putting our faith in Education 1 UPCOMINGEVENT UPDATES EVENTS As we receive new updates from the Government and Church of England, we are reviewing our events in accordance with guidance. Wherever possible we wish to honour the commitments we have made, however please note that as the situation develops, these updates may be subject to change. Please check the Diocesan website for the latest information: https://www.manchester.anglican.org/ Diocesan Training Headteachers and Events Chair of Governors Please note that all current training events have been cancelled, however in September 2020 a new Meetings programme of events will be timetabled. These meetings will now be taking place via ‘Zoom’. These currently include: Please see below for dates, times and codes to join these meetings. • God and the Big Bang, Continuing Oldham, Stockport, Rochdale (RAF) and Professional Development Sessions for • Teachers Wigan Thursday 14 May, 10.30-12.00 • Mental Health First Aid Training Meeting ID: 957 2028 5173 Password: ManDio • Governor Training • Manchester, Trafford, Salford and Academy and MAT Trustee and Member • Tameside Training Monday 18 May, 10.30-12.00 • SIAMS Training Day Meeting ID: 938 7710 3922 Password: ManDio • Blackburn & Darwen, Bolton, Bury and Lancashire Wednesday 20 May, 10.30-12.00 Meeting ID: 945 0864 0695 Password: ManDio Year 6 Leavers Service As we are sure you can appreciate, no firm decision Manchester Cathedral has yet been made in relation to Year 6 Leavers services this year. We will let you know as soon as we Following Government advice, Manchester Cathedral are able and we are investigating some alternative have taken the difficult decision to close the ideas. Thank you for your patience and we’ll be in Cathedral to the public with immediate effect. touch soon. Educational visits to the Cathedral have also been suspended until further notice. Bookings from June onwards will be held for those who have already booked and will be confirmed or, if necessary, cancelled when the situation changes. Diocesan events being held at the Cathedral over the coming months will be reviewed in due course. For the most up to date information, visit the cathedral website at: https://www.manchestercathedral.org/news- events/news/ 2 MANCHESTER—LAHORE DIOCESAN LINK currently been put on hold. Despite this, we continue to Deborah’s Flying Visit to develop the links between the two dioceses. Lahore We are continuing to link schools in Lahore and Manchester Diocese and plan to develop a ‘memorandum of During the February half term, I was privileged to understanding’ that schools can sign up to help fruitful accompany a group of curates from Manchester Diocese to partnerships develop further. Schools that have expressed enjoy a flying visit to Lahore Diocese to meet the Rt Revd an interest in being twinned with a school in Lahore can Irfan Jamil, Bishop of Lahore, local headteachers and local expect to be contacted during the summer term regarding clergy. The visit was part of the diocesan link between further developing this link. We are especially looking for Lahore and Manchester that has developed over many ways to share in the Church of Pakistan’s Golden years. It was great to visit churches and schools together as Jubilee celebrations on 1st November 2020. If you have representatives of Manchester Diocese and I am hopeful this any ideas for how Manchester Diocesan schools could get model can be built upon going forward. involved please do get in touch. Over the summer, we were hoping to welcome a small group It may also be possible for a small group of representatives of headteachers to Manchester. Unfortunately this has from Manchester Diocese to go out to join in these celebrations at the end of October. This is of course dependant on travel restrictions and is in only the early stages of discussion. Closer to home, Ruth Gent our Education Senior Administrator is involved in organising a service of commemoration in the Cathedral on Saturday 07 November, 2020. We are hoping the service will involve some input focussing on the education links between the two dioceses. If this is something you are interested in either contributing to or attending please do get in touch with Ruth via email. [email protected] Praying for Lahore Golden Jubilee! Col Azim Ilyas, Director of Education for the Diocese of The Rt Revd Mark Ashcroft, Bishop of Bolton, on behalf Lahore wrote to us to say: of the Lahore Link Group would like to invite you on ‘I watch BBC regularly and pray that the situation Saturday 07 November, 2020 to a celebration of the improves in UK soon. We remember all our friends Church of Pakistan’s 50th anniversary at Manchester in Manchester Diocese in our daily prayers’. Cathedral. The celebration will begin at 19.00 with The Revd Dave Thompson has circulated the clip below refreshments and the service will go on until 21.00. (click the photo) about the impact quarantine has had on the pollution in Lahore. We pray that in these difficult This will be a wonderful opportunity to develop the times, positive news like this can reach and uplift us. existing link between Manchester and Lahore Dioceses. If you or your school would like to be involved in the service, please contact: [email protected] ‘Fantastic video, amazing how the world has changed in such a short time.’ The Revd George Reeves, St Andrew’s CE Primary School Levenshulme Governor. 3 CHILDRENS WORK UPDATE From Children’s Officer, Karen Beal Leicester Visit In February our colleague Louise Warner, Children and Families Officer, Diocese of Leicester came to visit the Diocese and meet with some of those pupils in different schools who are involved in leading collective worship and ethos groups. Louise was able to spend time at with staff and pupils in some of our schools and also visited the Ethos Market Place event at Bolton parish church. It was great to have Louise with us because it also meant I got to spend time in school too! We enjoyed being led in collective worship by pupils at St Peter’s CE Primary, Ashton- Under-Lyne and chatting with them afterwards to learn more about how they lead in school. Louise was able to meet lots of different ethos groups at the market place event before going on to Bishop Bridgeman CE Primary School, Bolton to meet with members of the Ethos Group there. The next morning, we joined St Mary’s CE Primary, Prestwich for school Eucharist and then finally Louise visited St Wellbeing Retreat Day Bartholomew’s CE Primary, Westhoughton to find out more about the children Changing Places Project.