1. The Role of PTRE in the Catholic School

2. 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.

3. Varied role of a leader – multi-faceted

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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 & 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