Preparing students for Church schools Hendon 2013

In the headlines

Some FAQs  How many Church of England schools are there in the country?  Why is the Church of England involved in education?  Why are Church of England schools funded by taxpayers' money?  Do Church of England schools provide the full National Curriculum?  How do Church of England schools serve all sections of society?  How do Church of England schools teach children about other faiths?  How is diversity reflected in the staffing of Church of England schools?  What is important about the Christian ethos of Church of England schools?

Do you know enough?  FAQ’s  Voluntary Controlled and Voluntary Aided schools  The National Society  Your local Diocesan website  Your local Diocesan RE adviser eg

Developing students’ understanding of Church schools  Professional Studies programmes  Preparation for placement  RE  Collective worship  SMSC  Applying for teaching posts It will depend on the structure of your programmes as to where you might address these aspects – include them as part of the education of the trainee teacher so that you build up a complete picture of the range of contexts within our school system.

Professional studies – my values  Can you identify the personal values and beliefs which influence you? How have they shaped you as a person?  Do you think that you are able to reflect upon your values and beliefs to enrich your teaching? Can you think of any examples when you have done this in the classroom?  Do you think of yourself as a role model who could 'pass on' important messages to children. What do you think that you will pass on to those whom you teach?  How are you going to make sure that you are objective in your teaching across the curriculum? Do you think that this is important?  Are there correct ways of 'deploying the resources of our own convictions in the classroom'?

Professional studies – ‘our’ values Values in education Whose values are reflected in our schools? Why? How? What questions might we ask and explore about the values which explicitly or implicitly underpin our education system? As a part of this sort of discussion, do you take some time to look at distinctively Christian values in Church schools

Preparation for placement Encourage students on placement in Church schools to consider:  Is this school distinctive and inclusive?  What are the values of the school and are these distinctive in any way?  Are there any characteristics or everyday practices which mark out the school as a Church school?

Religious Education  Religious Education or Religious Instruction? RE  Do I have to be a Christian to teach RE in a Church school? No  Will I only teach Christianity in a Church school? No  Can pupils be withdrawn from RE in a Church school? Yes  How is the RE in a Church school different to that in a community school?

Collective worship (assembly) Church school:  Daily  Worship  Christian  Denominational (Anglican) Community school:  Daily  Worship  “wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character”.

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) In a Church school setting, the sense of ‘personal spirituality’ (not personal faith) is important. There may be explicit opportunities to, for example:  Pray – in collective worship, Grace at lunchtime, end of day prayer, prayer stations  Faith and belief will be expressed and discussed  The local church and clergy will be part of the life of the school

Applying for teaching posts If you have built up a picture during your ITE programme, you will be able to remind students of this as they come to write job applications and prepare for interviews. Encourage them to ask themselves Is a Church school for me? based on the information you have threaded into your programme A good letter of application to a Church school should make reference to this fact. Students may be asked specific questions about working in a Church school in their interview.

Application letter A I believe that the Christian values (perhaps mention them if you know what they are) of your school provide important messages for the whole school community. I have been encouraged to examine my personal values and to explore the way in which values should underpin my educational thinking throughout my ITE course. This has helped me to understand the fundamental importance of embracing the vision and values of the school in which I choose to work.

Application letter B I am applying to …….. School because I want to work in a Church school. I believe that Church schools provide a practical outworking of Biblical values in a school context, which creates an atmosphere of love, forgiveness and respect. Seeing children specifically as God’s children means that pupils are enabled to progress spiritually, socially and emotionally, as well as academically, and so are shaped into happy, well-rounded individuals. I am a practising Christian. I lead children’s activities in my local church as well as during summer holiday weeks.

Be ready to talk about…..  Are you going to be happy to work within the context of our Church of England school? (be prepared to say more than ‘yes’ or ‘no’)  This is a Church of England school. How will you be able to support our school ethos…values….distinctiveness?  In what ways will you be able to contribute to the life of our school as a Church school?