Church of England Schools Distinctive Christian Ethos
• Going Deeper int o God • Transf orming Communit ies • Making New Disciples
• About 1 million children at t end C of E schools • Around 15 million people alive t oday went t o one • 25% (4450) of all primary schools are C of E • About 210 secondary schools are C of E (1 in 20) • 50 open academies in 2012 • Nearly one-f if t h of primary pupils and around six in every hundred of secondary st udent s at t end C of E schools • 564 independent schools say t hey are C of E
Church of England Schools Christian Character At t he st art of Queen Vict oria' s reign only t he children of t he well of f went t o school and in poor f amilies even very young children did some kind of work. The only educat ion f or most children was Sunday School. Here t hey would be t aught how t o read and writ e, as well as learning about t he Bible and t he Christ ian Fait h.
Church Growth Research Programme, Dearing Report, Working Together Report Church schools are at the heart of our mission to the nation, not as ripe fields for evangelism, but as an expression of the C of E’s presence in a community as it seeks to serve children and people of all ages. That mission often has a striking vibrancy and dynamism about it when the needs of children and young people are taken seriously and so it is no surprise that churches are growing where there is a local school and a focus on ministry with children and young people.
The Way ahead : C of E Schools in t he new millennium 2001 • Emphasis on t he qualit y of religious educat ion which will give part icular weight t o t he Christ ian f ait h as held by t he Church of England. The Church School of t he Fut ure Chadwick Review 2012 • High qualit y RE and Collect ive Worship • Underst and t he person and t eachings of J esus Christ
Purpose of Church Schools Service and nurt ure: • To serve children and young people • To nourish children of t he f ait h in t he f ait h • To give t hose of ot her f ait hs or no f ait h t he opport unit y t o see t he Christ ian f ait h in act ion (Lord Runcie)
‘Faith Schools’ Serve t he people of t heir f ait h eg: Roman Cat holic, J ewish, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh BUT most C of E schools serve t he communit y in which t hey are placed. NB The maint ained educat ion syst em in t his count ry began as church provision. RE and CW are st at ut ory because of our Christ ian root s .
What makes church schools dif f erent f rom communit y schools? www.christ ianvalues4schools.co.uk/ Love Does ‘love’ inf orm school policies and t he vision st at ement ?
Trust Deed and Et hos st at ement • Preserve and develop it s religious charact er in accordance wit h t he principles of t he Church of England and in part nership wit h t he Church at parish and diocesan level • Serve it s communit y by providing an educat ion of t he highest qualit y wit hin t he cont ext of Christ ian belief and pract ice • Encourage an underst anding of t he meaning and signif icance of f ait h, and promot es Christ ian values t hrough t he experience it of f ers t o all it s pupils
The variet y of Anglican schools •No such t hing as a ‘t ypical’ Anglican school •C of E schools may share common values and pract ice ‘ Be st ill f or t he presence of t he Lord is moving in t his place’
SMSC • Spiritual: discovery of God t he Creat or, of an ‘inmost being’ and of t he wonder of t he environment • Moral: t eachings of J esus, moral codes, a f oundat ion st one f or pupils t o make decisions and build t heir lives • Social: an underst anding of what it means t o live in a Christ ian communit y • Cultural: an underst anding of Christ ianit y as a worldwide, mult i-cult ural f ait h
High qualit y Religious Educat ion • The purpose of RE • Challenging quest ions • High qualit y t asks • Creat ivit y • Personal ref lect ion and spirit ual development • Religious lit eracy • Assessment
Archbishop of Canterbury The Church of England’s service in educat ion is a form of service t o ot hers. It is pract ical love in act ion. Across t his count ry we need t o underst and one anot her bet t er (t hrough) excellent RE. Trying t o pret end religion doesn’ t mat t er has a very different and damaging effect . Religious illit eracy st ruggles t o cope wit h t he blandishment s of ext remism, lives lived in a compelling narrat ive of spirit ual realit y have t he best ant ibodies t o t hat virus. Church schools are called t o be const ant in fait h and generous in welcome, t o enable children t o build t he st ories of t heir own lives and underst and t heir neighbours. To build bridges t o families and communit ies and be a part ner as t hey build bridges wit h one anot her.
Learning f rom the Bible six religions+ (RI to RE?)
Statutory I nspection of Anglican Schools How well does t he school, t hrough it s dist inct ive Christ ian charact er, meet t he needs of all learners? What is t he impact of Collect ive Worship on t he school communit y? How ef f ect ive is Religious Educat ion? (VA schools)?How ef f ect ive are t he leadership and management of t he school as a Church school? NB:Dist inct ive charact erist ics of worship, Governors’ role in Christ ian vision and st rat egic planning, Focus on t he t eaching of Christ ianit y, Explicit ly Christ ian underst anding of shared human values
Courses Clergy Governors Teachers I nspect ors
How can you help? • Christ ianit y input • Help wit h underst anding t he Anglican t radit ion • Links wit h ot her Christ ian t radit ions • Help RE t eachers/ coordinat ors wit h no RE experience • Ret reat s
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