The Role of PTRE in the Catholic School

That feeling when you’re leading an RE Dept in a Catholic school . . . Noone else has the whole school responsibility you have Noone else has the generalist issue Noone else has pupils removed so easily Noone else has as little time to get through a course Noone else is as front and centre CURRICULUM – it is a whole curricular area. If you’re not teaching it, where do they get it? You have to hold yourself to the same professional standards as other PTs, although you undoubtedly have more demands.

Varied role of a leader – multi-faceted

Key Purposes of a “Middle Leader” (GTCS) In line with the visions and values of the school, and within the school, departmental and faculty improvement agendas, middle leaders: Develop a range of strategies for individual and collective self- evaluation which contribute to school improvement Model good practice in personal self-evaluation; develop colleagues’ skills Promote an open, honest and critical stance, eg in discussion at DMs Classroom visits HGIOS/Developing in Faith Question of Generalist staff In line with vision and values - Within Improvement agenda The need not just to be a reflective professional, but to build reflection into the working structures of the department

Key Purposes of a “Middle Leader” (GTCS) In line with the visions and values of the school, and within the school, departmental and faculty improvement agendas, middle leaders: (ii) Develop coherent approaches to professional learning which build and sustain teachers’ practice Take account of policy and guidelines Model: take responsibility for your own professional learning to enhance knowledge and skills Professional learning is more than courses Support the PRD process Create opportunities for colleagues to take on leadership roles In line with vision and values - Within Improvement agenda In ALL things, modelling is vital. The integrity of the message you deliver to pupils, colleagues, parents, management

Key Purposes of a “Middle Leader” (GTCS) In line with the visions and values of the school, and within the school, departmental and faculty improvement agendas, middle leaders: (iii) Lead and work collaboratively to enhance teaching which leads to high quality learning experiences Work with team to identify and articulate a shared vision, values, ethos and aims. What does a “successful learner” look like in your department? Set clear standards in practice in terms of inclusion, social justice, gospel values, etc. Model and develop a culture of mutual respect and accountability Know and understand your curriculum and teaching approaches In line with vision and values - Within Improvement agenda Is a successful learner good marks? Good behaviour? Engagement in lessons? How much they want to come to RE? Showing them that learning is not always directed to exams?? Wish to get involved in extra-curricular? Transferring what they learn in RE to other subjects? To life? To sacramental life of the school? ROA - Literacy story Differentiation

Key Purposes of a “Middle Leader” (GTCS) In line with the visions and values of the school, and within the school, departmental and faculty improvement agendas, middle leaders: (iv) Build and sustain partnerships with colleagues, learners, parents and other stakeholders to meet the identified needs of all learners Communicate desired and actual outcomes with all relevant partners Ensure opportunities for personalisation and choice, and for discussion of learning strategies Provide opportunities for learners to evaluate their learning and progress Identify relevant partners and build communication and relationships In line with vision and values - Within Improvement agenda Church agencies and Diocese

Key Purposes of a “Middle Leader” (GTCS) In line with the visions and values of the school, and within the school, departmental and faculty improvement agendas, middle leaders: (v) Manage allocated resources proactively and effectively to meet learning and development priorities Work with teams to agree appropriate resourcing decisions Demonstrate transparent and equitable allocation of resources which takes account of identified need and priorities Foster collective responsibility Be open to new ideas and suggestions from the team In line with vision and values - Within Improvement agenda Not always reinventing the wheel! Share. Clever use of rotation, etc for generalists Use of ICT

For all schools – not just Catholic. So what is the link to RE and RC schools? Hyperlink and Handout. Look at first section: SOCIAL JUSTICE; INTEGRITY; TRUST AND RESPECT; COMMITMENT

Distinctive Nature of the Catholic School All things we find in our Charter. (ISSUE CHARTER) By following our Charter we do this, as well as bringing a rich, experiential element to the shared experience of staff and pupils And how do we, at an organisational level, ensure and assure the charter? Suite of documents allows us to carry out the purposes of PT through a Catholic lens.

Catholic Schools – Delivering Our Mission Catholic Religious Education Strands of Faith RE: A Divine Pedagogy Core Learning Prayers, Notes and Glossary This is Our Faith (BGE & Senior Phase) The Vision of the Catholic School The Charter for Catholic Schools Charter Themes and Characteristics Advice on Catholic School Evaluation Case Studies Points for Reflection and Dialogue Developing in Faith: Catholic School Evaluation and Planning This slide is intended to allow teachers to see how this suite of documents can work individually in different areas, looking at different aspects of how our schools function as communities of faith and learning, but also work together to ensure a continuity of approach. Each box shows the main content headings of the associated document. THIS IS OUR FAITH – the nature of the Catholic School and academic support for teachers in the school to support the building of a distinctive Catholic ethos and delivery of a quality core RE programme DEVELOPING IN FAITH – evaluation and planning COMPANIONS ON THE JOURNEY – CLPL: help with selecting Catholic School CLPL which will work in tandem with GTCS Professional Standards as well as addressing CLPL needs specific to teachers in Catholic schools. A Vision for Catholic School CLPL Catholic School CLPL Framework Catholic School CLPL Activities Designed to articulate with GTCS Professional Standards Companions on the Journey: Career-Long Professional Learning in Catholic Schools

Companions on the Journey “A Catholic school CLPL strategy is intended to encourage teachers, school leaders and others to nurture a particular culture of professional development for teachers within the network of Scotland’s Catholic Schools. This culture will be distinguished by its recognition of teachers’ personal religious needs being part of their professional learning needs within schools which are communities of faith and learning.” Quote from document emphasising distinctive nature of the Catholic school as a community of faith and learning: addressing pupil needs by addressing teacher needs for personal and professional learning and development.

Framework for Catholic School CLPL: 6 Catholic School CLPL Areas (P.6) When researching and planning CLPL opportunities, teachers in Catholic schools should consider the types of activities which can be matched to the GTCS Professional Standards for: Provisional Registration Full registration Career-long Professional Learning Middle Leadership Headship Examples of the kind of courses/activities which would be relevant at various career stages can be found on pages 8 & 9 of Companions on the Journey. The main organisers used for teachers in Catholic schools to identify their CLPL needs at any given stage of their career are contained in this table. Taking into consideration their PRD discussions and the school/departmental improvement planning, teachers can use this as a tool to help them identify their CLPL needs, and to discuss this with colleagues and managers ISSUE HANDOUT