Religious Education

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

The syllabus for the teaching of religious education in a Church of England school is determined by the Governors and may vary from school to school. The Southwark Diocesan Board of Education has produced guidance material for the teaching of Christianity, Judaism and Islam at Key Stages 1 and 2. Many schools have based their RE teaching on these documents, which should be available in your school. Most schools have a multi-faith element in their RE, but in all schools the majority of teaching is about Christianity.

RE of a high quality should be a feature of every church school.

Good RE teaching and learning involve:

detailed planning undertaken with the same rigour as other curriculum areas;
having clear and appropriate objectives which are shared so that pupils know what they are doing and why they are doing it;
well-paced lessons;
deploying a range of strategies and activities;
creating a classroom ethos where pupils feel safe and secure and therefore able to share important aspects of their own lives without fear of embarrassment or ridicule;
celebrating pupils’ successes and achievements;
effectively balancing the ‘implicit’ aspects of RE with the ‘explicit’ aspects;
creating a learning environment which supports the pupils’ learning through effective display work.

The Diocese is eager to promote and support good practice and the Diocesan RE Adviser is always willing to assist individual teachers, RE co-ordinators, key stage groups of teachers, etc in order that the best provision of RE is available to all pupils.

THE PURPOSE OF CHURCH SCHOOLS

‘When the National Society was founded in 1811, schools in union with the Society were to provide education in accordance with the rites, practices and doctrines of the Church of England. The Trust Deeds of Church of England schools continue to make the same requirement’.

THE PURPOSE WORKED OUT IN PRACTICE

‘The purpose of Church schools is clear, a purpose which should be fulfilled in voluntary aided schools and elements of which will be possible in voluntary controlled schools as well. Fundamentally, all Church schools should provide a high quality education based on Christian values, enabling pupils to achieve their full God-given potential as human beings for the benefit of God’s world. In addition, Church schools should nurture the children of Christian families in the faith of their homes so that it might become for them a living personal faith. And they should offer children of other faiths and none such a positive experience of Christ in his Body the Church that the faith of the Christian community might be respected and understood by them. By God’s good grace children with no faith background might also find the seeds planted in them growing into a living personal faith’.

(Canon John Hall in ‘A Christian Voice in Education:

Distinctiveness of Church Schools’)

VARIETY WITHIN CHURCH SCHOOL EDUCATION

'There is a wide variety of types of Church schools offering witness to Christ through their work with children and parents according to their particular circumstances. Some schools serve a geographically defined community and offer education to all children within the area. Other Church schools offer a Church of England education mainly to the children of parents who can claim membership of the Church of England. Most Church schools fall somewhere in between these two different positions and it is for each individual school to identify where between these points it is actually placed. Both these two apparently opposite approaches to being a Church school have a long tradition and governors will need to determine the policy for the school in the context of their mission statement. This implies that there will be many different models for a good Church school and that these will depend on interaction between the school's theological and philosophical understanding of its role, and many factors within the community that it serves'.

(David Lankshear in 'Looking for Quality in a ChurchSchool')

A church school will therefore fall somewhere between two ends of the spectrum.

1 2 3 4 5 6

serving membersserving the

of the churchlocal community

This will be reflected in a school’s admissions policy.

LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES IN THE DIOCESE OFSOUTHWARK

92 Primary Schools (including 4 controlled)

91 Primary Schools (including 4 controlled)

15 Secondary schools (including 1 CTC)

SCHOOLS IN THE DIOCESE OF SOUTHWARK

There are 91 primary schools.

There are 15 secondary schools.

The Diocese covers 12 local education authorities (see map).

Most schools are voluntary aided. Four primary schools, however, are ‘controlled’, which means that, unlike aided schools, the foundation governors are in the minority and the school follows the Agreed Syllabus for RE drawn up by the LA (rather than its own). Collective worship still must reflect the church status of the school.

Two primary schools in Surrey have special units – one for pupils with physical disabilities and one for pupils with visual impairment.

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE DIOCESAN BOARD

The Board operates a service agreement with its schools which entitles them to a comprehensive level of support and advice.
Officers and advisers give advice on personnel and curriculum issues.
The RE Adviser provides training in RE and collective worship.
Advisers offer support and training on curriculum and teaching issues.
Training is made available to governing bodies.
Advisers provide support before and, where appropriate, after inspection on request.
Officers and advisers liaise and collaborate with LAs.
The Board organises opportunities for schools to meet across LA boundaries to share practice.
The Board organises conferences on topical issues in education.

CHURCH SCHOOLS: THE NATIONAL PICTURE

'The Church of England has a substantial stake in the English educational system, but development has been largely haphazard and unplanned. The Church of England educates one in eight pupils in maintained schools, more than 900,000 altogether. But there is a disparity between provision at primary and secondary level. One primary school in four is Church of England, but only one secondary school in twenty. Only one primary school in ten is voluntary aided Church of England. Voluntary schools of all kinds represent more than one primary school in three and one secondary school in five. the overwhelming majority of those not provided by the Church of England are Roman Catholic, with a few Methodist or Jewish schools, and now two Muslim schools and one Seventh Day Adventist school, with a handful provided by secular trusts'.

(Canon John Hall)

Children in Church of England Schools [1998]

Primary:17.8%

(758,191)

Secondary:4.8%

(145,857)

The Number of Church of England Schools [1998]

Primary:4575 schools

24.8%

Secondary:199 schools

5.6%

APPLICATION FORMS

Application forms can be completed on line. Please visit our website

and click on NQT Pack 2006-2007

Please email your completed form to

Closing date for applications:23 February 2007

Interview dates:20 and 21 March 2007

Enclosed advert appearing in the Times Education Supplement on

19 January 2007

If you have any queries, please ring Anne White on 020 7234 9207

Southwark Diocesan Board of Education

48 Union Street

London

SE1 1TD

ETHOS STATEMENT

The following statement is now included in the Instruments of Government of all voluntary aided Church of England schools:

Recognising its historic foundation, the school will preserve and develop its religious character in accordance with the principles of the Church of England and in Partnership with the Church at parish and diocesan level.

The school aims to serve its community by providing an education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice. It encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith and promotes Christian values through the experience it offers to all its pupils.

WHAT IS DISTINCTIVE ABOUT CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS?

THE DEARING REPORT

A review of Church of England schools (2001) chaired by LordDearing identified the following key features in its report:

A Christian headteacher committed to maintaining the Christian character of the school in the curriculum and day-to-day activities.

Meaningful Christian worship every day.

The observation of major Christian festivals and the marking of other faiths’festivals with integrity.

The incorporation of Christian values in school life.

‘Christian values and principles will run through every area of school life as the writing runs through a stick of rock’.

RE given at least 5% of school time and seen as a particular concern of the headteacher and governors.

Have an active relationship with the parish church.

Proclaim that they are church schools on stationery and signs.

PRACTICAL ISSUES

Trustees own the building and usually the site (not the LA - Local Authority ).
Governors have the financial responsibility for the external maintenance of the school and its insurance.
Foundation (church representing) governors have the majority on the governing body and have responsibility for ensuring the school’s Christian ethos.
Governors have the right to formulate and administer the admissions policy.
The governors are the employers and may employ a Christian headteacher and staff.
The RE and worship are in accordance with the Trust Deed (not the LA agreed syllabus) and determined by the governors.

HOW DOES THIS IMPACT ON TEACHERS IN CHURCH SCHOOLS?

Induction procedures are the same as in community schools.
Teachers are employed by the governors and on a governors’ contract.
Teachers are required to participate in the RE and worship of the school.
Teachers are required to support the Church school ethos.
Teachers have access to support from the Diocesan Board as well as the LA.

As part of their induction teachers should become acquainted with the school’s RE and scheme of work and the worship policy. The induction tutor will discuss any particular support that may be helpful or necessary.

SOUTHWARK DIOCESAN BOARD OF EDUCATION

NEWLY QUALIFIED TEACHER

RECRUITMENT

INFORMATION BOOKLET

2006-2007

Contact:Anne White (020 7234 9207)