Diocesan Department
for Education
April 2015
Welcome to the Summer 2015 Newsletter from the Diocesan Education Department.
We all hope that you have had a restful, refreshing break over Easter.
This may strike a chord with some of you!
If I tirelessly teach five outstanding lessons a day, and
see my students make excellent progress against their
targets, but have not love, I am only a broken window
or a wall covered in graffiti.
If I create a perfect climate for learning, have excellent
meetings with parents and resolve all the problems of
the day through focused toil, but have not love, I am
only an uneaten school dinner or a messy office.
If I give all I have to my school and work a 70 hour
week marking, planning, preparing and evaluating and
have the most perfect colour-coded action plan to
guide my path, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does
not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not selfseeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of
wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres.
Love never fails.
Based on 1Corinthians 13: 1-8
Andy Wolfe, Vice Principal,
The Nottingham Emmanuel School, unpublished.
Farewell to Department for Education Staff
We have said our farewells to Debbie Pinfield and
Margaret Thomson who left the Diocesan Education
Department at Easter. Debbie has been here for nine
years and Margaret for eight years, both have been
valued members of the team. We wish them well for
all that lies ahead.
Mrs Gilly Maxim has been appointed from 27th April to
fill the PA / admin. post and we hope to appoint for the
second part time admin. post soon. You will find a
copy of the advert in this newsletter should you know
someone who may be interested in applying.
Welcome to New Headteachers:
Janine Burton, Himbleton CE First School
Mark Pollard, Bishop Perowne CE College
Jenny Birchall, Oldswinford CE Primary
Through Young Eyes
The Children’s Commission on Poverty
With the Service Level Agreement and Training Booklet
mailing you will find an executive copy of Through
Young Eyes, published by The Children’s Commission
on Poverty. Some of the children and young people
involved in the inquiry introduce the study in these
words:
“School is where young people spend a lot of their
lives. This is why we decided to hold an enquiry to
explore how poverty affects young people’s
experiences of school. We wanted to remove the idea
that poverty stops at the school gates.
If put into practice, these recommendations would
prove to be a big step in establishing that children can
have the same opportunities in school no matter who
they are of what they have. This equality in society is a
goal that not only we feel is important as The
Children’s Commission on Poverty but the entire
country, both government and people alike, should
take upon themselves.”
The inquiry heard how poverty can make children feel
excluded, stigmatised and bullied because they cannot
afford the same things as their peers. It affects
whether they are properly fed and clothed and in turn
their ability to concentrate and engage in learning.
Church School Headteacher
and Senior Leaders Conference
Too many children are missing out on the opportunity
to make the very most of their education, because they
struggle to afford the costs of school life.
I commend this report to you. If nothing else – do read
the recommendations on page 11 of the report.
When?
Friday October 16th2015
9.30am – 3.00pm
Where?
The Pear Tree Inn, Smite, Worcester
WR3 8SY
What?
Theme: Developing Spirituality
New Instrument of Government for Governing Bodies
By 1st September 2015, all Governing Bodies of
maintained schools are required to be constituted
under the2012 School Governance Regulations.
This means that any school which has an Instrument of
Government (IoG) dated before 1st September 2012
needs to reconstitute it during the course of this
academic year.
The main changes are that the maximum number of
staff governors, other than the Headteacher, is now 1,
the category of community governor no longer applies
but governing bodies can co-opt onto the governing
body and there can only be 1 LA governor. Regulations
covering the appointment of foundation governors are
not significantly different, so the smallest VA governing
body size remains at 12, although the regulations
surrounding removal of Foundation Governors have
changed somewhat.
Please make sure you obtain Diocesan approval, along
with that of the foundation governors and your
trustees BEFORE a draft IoG is sent to the LA. Any
schools contemplating federation must also talk to us
at the earliest opportunity so as to obtain pre-approval
for a new governance arrangement before it is drafted
by the LA and consulted on.
All this is in the documentation, which can be found
here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa
ds/attachment_data/file/418202/The_Constitution_of_G
overning_Bodies_of_Maintained_Schools_Stat_Guidance.
pdf.
The next dates for Worcester DBE meetings to approve
Instruments are: April 20th 2015 and June 2nd 2015.
Enquiries should be addressed to:
[email protected]
01905 732825
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What’s new?
Nurturing spirituality
Spirituality in practice throughout
the curriculum
Spirituality and school leadership
First place free for SLA schools with
second place £50
Non SLA schools £100 per delegate;
second place £50.
Diocesan Education Department
Training Programme 2015 - 2016
I hope that you have received your copies of the April
2015 – April 2016 training programme. Feedback from
training events has been overwhelmingly positive and I
am delighted that as well as offering some of the key
courses again we have been able to identify and offer
new training, particularly in the ‘Going Deeper’ series.
One change that we have had to include this time is
that we will reserve the right to charge for lunch and
for admin costs for any late cancellations or for any noshows. You will appreciate that we have to order
lunches from the catering team at the Old Palace and
we have to pay for the number of lunches ordered and
prepared. I am sure that you will also appreciate that
the admin team puts in a lot of hard work in preparing
for each training event, so again a small charge will be
made for any late cancellations or no-shows.
Thank you for your understanding.
Diocesan Educational Courses this term
All being held at The Old Palace:
Mon 27th April 2015
Being a Governor in a Church School
7.00-9.00pm
Thurs 7th May 2015
RAISEonline
1.00-3.00pm
Tues 9th June 2015
Living out Christian values in a
Church Family of Schools
9.30am – 3.00pm
Mon 15th June 2015
KS1 World Faiths Course
9.30am – 3.00pm
Wed 1st July 2015
RE Planning and Resource Sharing
10.00am-12noon and 1.00-3.00pm
(please state choice)
Mon 6th July 2015
Support in Implementing new
Worcestershire RE Syllabus
10.00am-12noon and 1.00-3.00pm
(please state choice)
th
Tues 7th, Thurs 9
and Mon 13th July 2015
Looking Ahead …
We look forward to welcoming the 4 Front Theatre
Company to this year’s Church School Headteacher and
Senior Leaders Conference.
The name '4Front Theatre' stems from an underlying
Christian belief and the desire to place faith at the
'4front' of everything they do. They perform their
plays in schools and churches and will give us a flavour
of their work, including their Christmas 2015
production ‘Wingin’It’ for which bookings are already
being taken!
More information can be found at :
http://4front-theatre.com/
RE Moderation
10.00am-12noon and 1.00-3.00pm
(please state choice)
Please reserve your place using the application form in
the courses booklet or contact Liz Etty-Leal:
[email protected]
Tel 01905 732825.
Courses are free as part of your SLA agreement.
A charge applies to non SLA schools.
Summer Term 2015 Heads & Governors Meetings
We are currently putting the summer schedule
together and will advise you of dates and venues as
soon as possible.
THE DIOCESAN EDUCATION TEAM
PART-TIME SECRETARY / ADMINISTRATOR
Worcester Diocesan Board of Finance Ltd intends to
appoint an Administrator Secretary (part-time) to work
within the Education Team. The role includes providing
administrative support for training courses and special
events.
Resources:
Barnabas in Schools
Resources for Collective Worship and RE
(leaflet attached)
We hope the attached leaflet will be of interest - a mix
of new titles and tried-and-tested popular resources.
New titles for 2015 are:
RE New in the classroom with 4-5s
http://www.barnabasinschools.org.uk/9781841016146/
What Makes a Winner?
http://www.barnabasinschools.org.uk/9781841017426/
Valuing Money
http://www.barnabasinschools.org.uk/9780857461216/
36 Ready-to-Read Assemblies for Collective Worship
http://www.barnabasinschools.org.uk/9780857463753/
This is a part-time appointment of 18 hours per week
during term time. (38 weeks per year)
Application form and more details from the website:
http://www.cofe-worcester.org.uk/vacancies/category/
or the HR Administrator,
The Old Palace, Deansway, Worcester, WR1 2JE
Tel 01905 730730, e-mail [email protected]
Closing date for applications:
Noon on Monday 27 April 2015
Please forward this to anyone you know who may be
interested.
The Spring Term 2015 RE NEWS UPDATE is attached
with this newsletter; this includes details of TV
programmes for 7 – 11 year olds on world faiths.
Teachers – Special People
On the 6th day, God created men and women. On the
7th day, he rested. Not so much to recuperate, but
rather to prepare himself for the work he was going to
do on the next day. For it was on that day - the 8th day
- that God created the first teacher.
This teacher, though taken from among men and
women, had several significant modifications. In
general, God made the teacher more durable than
other men and women. The teacher was made to arise
at a very early hour and to go to bed no earlier than 11
PM, with no rest in between.
When God finished creating the teacher, he stepped
back and admired the work of His hands. And God saw
that the teacher was good. Very Good! And God
smiled, for when he looked at the teacher, he saw into
the future.
He knew that the future is in the hands of the teacher.
And because God loves teacher so much... on the 9th
day God created... SNOW DAYS!
The teacher had to be able to withstand being locked
up in an air-tight classroom for six hours with thirtyfive "monsters" on a rainy Monday. And the teacher
had to be fit to correct 103 papers over Easter
vacation. Yes, God made the teacher tough...but
gentle, too. The teacher was equipped with soft hands
to wipe away the tears of the neglected and lonely
student.
And into the teacher God poured a generous amount
of patience. Patience when a student asks to repeat
the directions the teacher has just repeated for
someone else. Patience when a child forgets their
lunch money for the fourth day in a row. Patience
when one-third of the class fails the test. Patience
when the books haven't arrived yet, and the new topic
starts tomorrow.
And God gave the teacher a heart slightly bigger than
the average human heart. For the teacher's heart had
to be big enough to love the child who screams, "I hate
this class - it's boring!" and to love the kid who runs
out of the classroom at the end of the lesson without
so much as a "goodbye," let alone a "thank you."
And lastly, God gave the teacher an abundant supply of
HOPE. For God knew that the teacher would always be
hoping. Hoping that the children would someday learn
how to spell... hoping not to have lunchroom duty...
hoping that Friday would come... hoping for a free
day... hoping for deliverance.
With best wishes for the term ahead,
The Old Palace, Deansway, Worcester WR1 2JE
Tel: 01905 732821 Switchboard: 01905 20537
Fax: 01905 612302