Chadwick Group Report June 2016

1. Introduction and context

The Chadwick Group is made up of members of the Diocese of Bath & Wells' School of Formation and the Education department. In the light of the publication of the Chadwick Report (2012) this piece of work was recommended by the DBE and Bishop's Council. The group set out on a journey to answer a very specific research question; ‘What are the components of an effective partnership between Church schools and parishes and how can mission be expressed in this partnership?’ This report outlines the purpose, the methodology and our findings which we hope will have the potential to be transformational within our communities across the Diocese.

The intended outcome of the work is support for schools and parishes in continuing to build vibrant church school partnerships which reflect each local context and which contribute to mission and service within every community. This research focusses on the distinct relationship between church school and the local church, but it is hoped that there are examples of good practice that will be relevant to the relationship between a church and any school. Essentially, the small steps taken as part of this faith-based partnership have the potential to make a significant contribution in bringing 'life in all its fullness' to those we serve.

2. Background and theology

Following the Dearing report of 2001, The Way Ahead - Church of England schools in the new millennium (GS 1406), the Chadwick Report reaffirms the Church's commitment to partnership and mission. It states:

The Church of England clearly reaffirms that Church schools stand at the centre of its mission. It educates approximately 1 million of the nation’s children in primary and secondary schools, which enables more direct engagement with children and their families than any other contact, including regular Sunday worship.1

a) What does partnership mean?

We have been working with the explicit notion that the distinctiveness of Church schools lies in part, possibly in some cases in the main, in the partnership they have with Churches. Even in the loose affiliations that may exist between some churches and their Church schools, there is an expectation derived from their foundation that a partnership exists. Partnership, however, is a

1 Chadwick pg 31

word that needs explanation and the research, rather than working from grounded theory to provide explanation and test it against the experiences of Churches and Church schools, has rather sought to find out how it is described by the players themselves.

That partnership exists is a given, through the historic foundation. How it has developed is contingent on the events of local history. Yet the National Society, national Church and the Chadwick report expects and assumes some sort of relationship in terms of a partnership between the two bodies. We, as researchers, want to expose this, as far as we can in a positive and beneficial form in our research. We do this to carry forward another of the goals of the Church of England at this time, namely Contributing to the Common Good. This goal is stated in the Archbishop of Canterbury’s three quinquennial goals made explicit in 2009:

• To contribute to the Common Good• To reimagine ministry• To promote Church growth

b) What does mission mean?

i) Definitions

In the Church of England there are a variety of views about what the word ‘mission’ means. Especially since the 1988 Lambeth conference and the call to mission (in particular evangelism) that it instigated churches and groups within churches have debated what mission is all about. Some would say that mission is the primary function of the Church, whilst others see it as the essence of the church. The difference is that in the first model, the Church does mission, and in the second the people of God are called to mission, from which the Church is formed. These differences were revealed in the survey and they served to emphasise the different natures of the partnerships. For example, in one partnership Church was beginning to emerge from the mission work done by the incumbent and people. Church existed in the evening clubs and activities of the school. In another example, the partnership clearly distinguished between the two institutions and mission was from the church to the school through services and contact in collective worship.

However, whichever model is adopted, for this to be at all assessable as effective, then a more focused view of mission might be helpful. We chose to work with a view that is currently accepted by many Christian Churches – The Five Marks of Mission. They are:

1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom2. To teach, baptise and nurture new believers3. To respond to human need by loving service4. To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue

peace and reconciliation5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth2

The Five Marks of Mission have been summarized in shorthand by some as the 5 Ts.

1. TELL2. TEACH3. TEND2 Bonds of Affection-1984 ACC-6 p49, Mission in a Broken World-1990 ACC-8 p101

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4. TRANSFORM5. TREASURE

This is a helpful way to remember the Five Marks, although it is important to note for all of the shorthands some of the sense may be lost e.g. “tell” - that proclamation (effective communication of the Gospel) may be in words, but also in actions, by living the Good News.

ii) Commentary on the 5 Marks of Mission

It was in 1984 that the Anglican Consultative Council (www.anglicancommunion.org) began to develop a "mission statement" for the worldwide Anglican communion, and the bishops of the Lambeth Conference adopted these "Five Marks Of Mission" in 1988. They were then adopted by the General Synod of the Church of England in 1996.

One of the reasons the marks have become accepted by many Christian denominations is that they correspond closely to biblical passages concerning mission. Three of the main texts are as follows:

Matthew 28

And Jesus came and said to them (the 11 disciples), “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Clearly the emphasis of the Matthew passage is on making disciples. What marks out a disciple? What do disciples do and how can this be encouraged? It also suggests that a disciple will be baptized. What is Christian baptism and what difference might it make in a disciple’s life?

Luke 4

Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Taking each of the phrases in Luke’s passage we might ask how they apply to today’s world? • to bring good news to the poor• to proclaim release to the captives• to bring recovery of sight to the blind• to let the oppressed go free• to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

What they emphasise is the freedom and wholeness that Christ brings. Perhaps this has something to add to the wellbeing agenda for all human beings and particular for children. What is good news within modern day education? How will a partnership with Christ bring freedom, health,

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safety and economic interdependence (which is to some extent the emphasis of the year of the Lord’s favour)?

2 Corinthians 5

See, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ.

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he speaks of being an ambassador – what is an ambassador and what attributes do ambassadors need? To be reconciled to God is a big theme of this passage – What is needing to be reconciled? and how might this happen. What is needed to help people be reconciled to each other?

Relevance of the five different marks in education

The last three of the 5 Marks of Mission are not specific to a Christian understanding of the world. Many people would accept them as helping the common good of society. However, a specifically Christian reading might include that Jesus came as a servant to proclaim God’s love, the Bible is concerned to promote justice, mercy and righteousness. This is often seen in Old Testament books such as the prophet Amos, but is just as prevalent in a reading of the gospels where Jesus seeks to transform corrupt religious views. The creation narratives in Genesis make it clear that humans have a pastoral responsibility to care for the creation.

The last three marks are open for interpretation in a local Church and school context, however, the first are more specifically for a Church and care must be taken not to proselytize or coerce anyone to accept that Christian message against their will. This will be most acute in considering the second ‘mark’ - to teach, baptise and nurture new believers. Teaching about the Christian faith and nurturing young people in their understanding of it surely is not proselytizing, but we are aware that there is a thin line between nurturing and grooming young people. Baptism is the Christian mark of initiation and so therefore falls within the Church’s practices and is reserved for those who make a commitment to following Christ. This will need careful handling in the context of the two models set out in section i) above, where one model of Church clearly emerges out of the people of God engaging in mission and the Church emerging from this activity.

The first ‘mark’ of mission - to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom is clearly and distinctly a Christian phrase. It speaks about a large concept in the Christian faith, namely the Kingdom of God. When considering this in the New Testament, Jesus speaks of it in terms of parables, which are known as the Kingdom parables – the parables of the weeds among good plants, growing seed, the mustard seed, and yeast, the hidden treasure, the pearl, the fishing net and the owner of a house. These parables speak of more than a religious view when they point to, for example: finding treasure – the world is teaming with wonders and riches to be discovered; looking after a precious pearl – we all possess values and attributes, sometimes latent, sometimes explicit that are worth protecting and fighting for; being yeast - to bring life and growth to projects, the environment, communities, the common good of a society; being a seed, which must die and then come to life again – there are things that must be shed before maturity can be achieved such as childhood, possessions, ways of thinking, dependence. These themes are the stuff of life and while

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all the parables say something about the nature of the Kingdom of God, these particular parables speak of it explicitly.

iii) Conclusion

The ‘5 marks’ are wide in interpretation and rich in their outcomes, given careful thought. These are some of the reasons many churches adopt them and are keen to adapt them to a local context. Although the last three are readily adaptable by all schools, the first two also make a contribution to the values Church schools might adopt. We might wish to label these Christian values, however, they overlap with the Government’s distinctively British values3 which speak, amongst other things of students developing their own esteem and knowledge, their respect for others and tolerance of views different from their own. This, of course, is no coincidence as Britain has adopted Christian values for most of its history as a nation, particularly through its education system and the work of the National Society. Mission lies at the heart the wellbeing of students and teachers in the sense that the five marks are meant to create wholeness – in Biblical language, Christ came that we might have life, life in all its fullness. (John 10.10)

3. Our own context: Bath and Wells Diocese

Our research implies giving new life (John 10.10) to the concept and out-workings of Church/Church school partnership. It clearly mirrors and exemplifies the deliberate referencing within the developing Bath & Wells' diocesan strategy to the Archbishop’s three quinquennial goals (2009) as stated above, remembering that the chief purpose of the Church is to bring in the Kingdom of God to the world, which is not so much about the Church’s own internal growth or the way it deploys its ministry provision but rather, how it contributes to the Common Good. The partnership between the Education Department and the School of Formation in carrying out this piece of research, in itself reflects the desire to form productive partnerships to best serve our communities.

4. Methodology

We considered our purpose: to look at the components of an effective partnership between Church schools and parishes and understand how mission might be expressed in this partnership and did the following:

1 Consulted with Bristol University to plan the project, review the relevant literature and consider methodology2 Constructed methodology3 Chose partnerships - we limited our research to a few examples of good practice, as identified by the diocese in its work through the education department with Church schools. The initial research concentrated on head teacher and incumbent. This is a key partnership but it is recognised that there are other ways in which there are effective partnerships between Churches and Church schools.

3 For a list of fundamental British values by the British Government in Nov 2014, See https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/380595/SMSC_Guidance_Maintained_Schools.pdf Pg 5

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4 Devised questions incorporating semi-structured interviews using a variety of techniques such as specific questions, open conversation, testing of definitions, individual and joint conversation with head teachers and incumbents, and consideration of how their partnership related to the Five Marks of Mission.5 Interviews were conducted over a three month period in 2014/2015 and recorded. Confidentiality was assured and feedback to interviewees was promised and delivered on request6 Collated interview data7 Identified key themes from data8 Constructed an analytical commentary on the themes

5. Data Gathering

Appendix A contains the significant points from the interviews. The points and quotations extracted from the recorded interviews form the basis of this. The interview field notes are not included for reasons of confidentiality but the following key themes may be identified.

6. Key themes identified from the data

Below is a summary of the key themes which emerged on scrutiny of the data, and which we have observed contributing to a flourishing partnership. These are further expanded in the following section of commentary. Our research has attempted to seek out and highlight good practice for all Church/Church school partnerships to be able to carry forward the mission of God.

• Relationships - the centrality of the relationship between head and incumbent is key to the success of the partnership as a whole. This is a shared journey which encompasses a clearly identified purpose, agreed ways of working and a modelling of positive working together to the wider school and community

• Children - are at the heart of the partnership; the benefits for children are manifold and indeed, the partnership enables them to live life in all its fullness

• Families - an effective partnership enables the families/carers of school children to bring a more spiritual dimension into their lives and to experience ‘church’ in a non-threatening and accessible way.

• Shared Language - a shared language is helpful and expresses a common understanding of church and school and allows the use of metaphors to describe the partnership

• Roles and responsibilities - the complementary roles of headteachers and clergy can bring benefits to the whole community both in their distinctive and shared activities

• Identity - Head and incumbent recognise that they have distinctive roles but have a common bond as they share each others role as community leaders

• Sharing - both partners recognise the imperative of sharing; a shared purpose and sharing in working towards it.

• Faith and spirituality - the partnership provides an invitation to explore the Christian faith and personal spiritual growth in school and beyond which may both influence people’s lives now and make contact with church in the future easier

• Challenges - within the partnership there will be individual and shared challenges and where they are named and managed the partnership is enabled to develop.

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7. Commentary

From our research these are our reflections on the components of effective partnerships between Church schools and parishes and the expression of mission within them

Relationships are of paramount importance. It is clear that a strong relationship between Headteacher and incumbent is key to the success of the partnership as a whole. This partnership has been likened to a marriage or sense of journeying together. The relationship needs to be built on firm foundations; these may be historical, based on well established shared experiences and expectations, or may be re-defined at any point in response to change and circumstance, such as the appointment of a new head. Defining the end point of this journeying together is important; with open and ongoing discussion focused on defining and agreeing a shared vision and mission, purpose and principles. This might be described as church being ‘re-defined’ or ‘re-imagined’; perhaps church and school as one. Being child focused at all times is a given; spending time agreeing clearly defined, mutually beneficial outcomes which improve the lives of children and families are powerful focus points. So the out-workings of the relationship can make a real difference to people’s lives. How the relationship is conducted and how it is articulated , is perhaps as important as agreed outcomes; for example an acknowledgement of the importance of shared values such as trust, honesty and empathy, as well as valuing each others’ gifts and expertise. It is vital to give attention also to the practicalities of the relationship and how it works, for example investing in setting aside structured time, working on joint actions and the merging of systems ( such as joint strategic planning ). The modelling of the relationship and understanding that it can go beyond that of just Headteacher and incumbent, to include other members of both school and parish communities, can also enable a wider network of relationships to flourish and greater connections, which in turn broaden the scope and potential of the whole partnership.

Children are obviously central to the life and work of any school, and in a good partnership children in a church school are considered to be an important part of the Church in that locality. However, they are viewed by some in society as the ‘church of the future’, which pre-supposes they will make that choice when they reach adulthood. This assumes a different view of childhood to that agreed by schools and many parents today. Children and their families are considered by many clergy as part of their ‘flock’, in that schools are situated within their parishes, and therefore part of the mission of the Church. ‘Messy Church’, sometimes held in a school building after school, is one example of this. For some, perhaps particularly headteachers, the partnership is all about children and the wide range of benefits and outcomes for them as a result of it. For instance, there are examples of clergy using their teaching skills within RE and the wider curriculum. The partnership can enable children to experience faith and spirituality within a safe, secure and familiar environment and indeed this may be their only opportunity to do so. This can be as a result of the partnership offering varied worship opportunities in school and in the Church building. It can give children an experience of fun and enjoyment in worship, as well as a sense of belonging to their community. The partnership can also break down barriers for children in their perception of church and school as separate entities, as clergy and other church members become familiar figures in school, beyond the ‘collective worship slot’ and children and staff become comfortable in the Church building. It could therefore be said that the partnership can give children Jesus’ offer of ‘life in all its fullness’.

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Families and other carers may be drawn in through the experience of Church school/partnerships they share with their children. They too can have a non-threatening experience of faith, through contact with an incumbent (who may themselves be a parent) and through attending worship in school or in church. This will often be at special times, perhaps the major festivals of the Church’s year. Whilst this may not translate into Church attendance per se, it offers a different opportunity for a wider group of people to access a more spiritual dimension to their lives, perhaps even to worship and to engage in matters of faith. Many modern families appear to be much more comfortable with this experience rather than with a more traditional experience of Church. Clergy say that it takes a long time to build up relationships of trust with parents and carers, but see it is as important, offering a pastoral opportunity and part of the mission of the Church. For families who are church attenders the partnership enables them to see their lives and that of their children as sharing the same consistent message. The drawing in of parents as a result of the Church/school partnership has been described as a way of enabling families to experience a more human and more immediate face of the Church. Beyond this is a simple offer of service and support to the community where families can enjoy activities and simply come together and be together. One summing up of the advantages of the relationship was that ‘it has allowed people to be real’. Another said ‘This school is Church’. This and other metaphors are explored further under ‘shared language’.

A shared language is helpful, with a common understanding of educational and ecclesiastical terminology. One member of the clergy sees the headteacher as a ‘presbyter’ and the school as Church. He said, “St …is not just a Church school, but Church”. Shared definitions of partnership, such as ‘one together’ or ‘partners in mission’ help to articulate the partnership itself.Similarly the language of metaphors can lead to a shared understanding; for instance one school has been described as a ‘Home of Grace’ where for that school and parish inclusivity is paramount. Another described the Diocese as ‘a warm comfort blanket’ indicating that Diocesan support is valued in that setting. Partnership has been articulated as like a marriage or a journey where headteacher and incumbent are co-workers or fellow travellers.

The complementary roles and responsibilities of headteacher and incumbent can bring shared benefits to the whole community, particularly when there is open and frank discussion about how each’ s gifts can complement the other’s, and where both share common aims and vision. It is unlikely this will happen overnight, but take time, patience and trust. Some clergy consider they play a significant and important role on the school governing body; for instance bringing their experience and wisdom when the school is appointing a new headteacher, or ensuring governors take their responsibilities seriously in upholding the school’s Christian foundation. Equally several prefer a more informal chaplaincy role, where they can exercise a largely pastoral role in the school, for children, their families and teaching staff. Some clergy bring skills from their previous careers, for instance in teaching, where they can particularly support the school’s religious education. Many clergy support the worship life of the school, in one case feeling they contribute to the ‘SIAMS success’ of the school as an outstanding church school. This more formal and measurable recognition is seen to be important. In some cases, where this partnership is flourishing, shared strategic planning happens, including with other schools, Church denominations and community groups. This may even lead to the construction of new buildings in a locality, for future community life, worship and learning. This can be seen as contributing to the Common Good. Part of the role of the headteacher within the life of the local Church might be as a regular or occasional worshipper, which can help to keep the school in the mind of the congregation. Although this is rarely an expectation, where the partnership is strong, the

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headteacher is likely to have some contact with the Church community, perhaps through visits to a PCC meeting, articles in the Parish Magazine, or prayer requests. In a Voluntary Aided school, where the majority of governors are appointed by the church, there is an understanding that they will actively promote the partnership between the church and school.

Identity of the two institutions of Church and Church School, head and incumbent, and the communities they serve emerged as a key indicator of the partnership. First, the partnership was demonstrably stronger when the incumbent and head fulfil their distinctive roles, one as leader of church and the other as leader of school. However, the overlapping identities, in terms of leadership, create a common bond. If this is explicitly shared and mutually respected, then it enhances the partnership, giving opportunity for support. Second, the identity of the church and school as buildings and institutions was noted. In one case the school fulfils a role as church and the church is a place (in part) of education. The identities here are more overlapping than distinct, and the use of the school as a place of worship or the church as a place of education gives an enriched sense of holism. However, the point is made that churches or schools are not simply buildings or institutions. They are people and communities. The community life is based upon a range of factors including the philosophy/theology in practice. Good partnership involves a philosophy/theology which is thought-out, human-faced, affirmed and distinct. The intention to do this and review it was evident. The evidence shows that the partnership will benefit from being tested, not to breaking, but challenged. The testing needs to be both internal - how the partners experience and approach the work of church and school, and externally, tacking issues from the world and government. The idea of testing is present in the way both churches and schools form their individual ethos. Testing provides focus and resonance between the partners. It is one of the components of identity alongside collaboration, self description (e.g. a marriage, travellers on a journey, disciples etc.), purpose, governance and inclusivity. Any and each of these can be emphasised in the context of the locale. However, attention to them all will create a greater foundation for the identity of the partnership to be enriched.

Sharing between Church and school was evident in a variety of ways. There was a focus on the relationship between the headteacher and incumbent and how their sharing is vital in developing the one to one relationship they have. Sharing enhanced the relationship between school and church as a whole. For an effective partnership School and church need to be aware of the shared purpose they have and in practice there needs to be a followed through desire to work on things together. Rather than talk of working together there needs to be a “sense of urgency”. This is much easier when there is a common vision and shared end point for the partnership.Sharing was evidenced in a variety of ways. These included planning collective worship together. Sometimes such planning involved more than one school and more than one denomination coming together making things more structured and enabling a more effective sharing of resources. There was work together on development planning with church feeding into school plans and the potential for church to learn from the methods of planning used in schools for their planning. Pastoral care was seen as shared both in an ongoing way and following on from specific crises. There were often projects to work on together and the importance of endeavouring to support one another was recognised through presence at events and through joint fund raising. The spirit of sharing can spread beyond the partnership. Good joint material produced by school and church could be made available to others and there could be a sharing of good ideas to assist in developing partnerships elsewhere.

Faith and spirituality brings positives for children and their families in terms of their experience of faith, the Church and God, particularly when there is a joint commitment to its exploration. The

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partnership can introduce a spiritual dimension to the lives of children and their families, which may influence them later in life. Some clergy talk of songs, hymns and prayers from school requested at weddings and baptisms. It has been acknowledged that there is a need to make space for physical, social and spiritual growth in school, and that the support of the partnership can encourage this. One headteacher and incumbent articulated the belief that faith needs a strong identity and inclusivity, and that inclusivity leads to the value of hospitality in the school and community.

Challenges exist in any relationship and the key thing is that they are recognised and, where possible, addressed. For headteacher and incumbent there are many pressures and on both sides finding enough time to meet is often a challenge. Lack of contact is to the detriment of the partnership and the challenge is exacerbated for an incumbent where they had more than one school to relate to in their benefice. The metaphor of a marriage was used and there were inevitably times when the two parties do not see eye to eye. Succession planning was a challenge and was particularly apparent where headteacher and incumbent had worked well together and there were fears of a new person not having the same philosophy. How can the school be involved in the appointment of a new incumbent and church in appointment of a new headteacher? A number of specific challenges were raised. These included working together to effectively operate with old buildings and differences of opinion over issues to do with admissions policy.

It is positive if the relationship between headteacher and incumbent is strong enough for each person to feel able to challenge the other. It is evident that where there is a strong relationship between them it is possible for each party to challenge the other constructively as critical friend and support them, thus enabling the partnership to develop.

8. Implications and recommendations

The research findings have huge potential to support the Church / Church school partnership in order to serve communities and bring the Kingdom of God to the world in very practical ways. We recommend that:

1. This report be circulated to DBE and Ministry Forum for further consideration and discussion

2. The research project forms a key strand of the developing Diocesan strategy3. The joint departmental approach continues to develop partnerships between Church

schools and churches through the encouragement of clergy and headteacher partnership and also between lay people who serve as Foundation Govs and PCCs

4. A training programme to highlight the research outcomes and explore practical ways in which to develop the partnership is designed and implemented based on data collected in this research project

5. A toolkit, which is accessible to all schools and parishes to support the ongoing development of the partnership within specific contexts is made available exploiting the findings of this research

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Appendix A

Visit 1Significant Points

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Relationships There is a strong relationship between head and incumbent built on historical expectations and experiences

Structure • It works when people are ‘real’• The challenges of the partnership are

identified eg Time

Roles • Positive for the children in their experience of faith/church/God – human face of the Church

• Acknowledgment for modern families today – they are more comfortable in taking part in worship in a school than a church

Metaphors Shared’ is a key word in the relationship – how is this understood in the partnership

Outcomes The focus of the partnership is how the child experiences it – child-based/centred

Visit 2

Significant Points

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Relationships Relationship comes from investing time in it and thinking through its firm foundationsSimilarly, the end point is articulated – seen as a journey – working collaboratively on mission - shared purpose and sense of urgencyHow the relationship works is given attention – eg what is important to both parties such as honestyThe relationship goes beyond that of Head and incumbent and involves others within the school community and the parish community

Structure Acknowledgement of broken and no longer relevant structures lead to more re-imagination of what can work here and nowAt the same time use existing overlaps where they can work in tandem

Roles Formal and informal roles eg governorRoles are seen as complimentary in terms of a shared outcome with shared benefits for the communityA radical approach gives energy

Metaphors MarriageJourneyCo-workers

Outcomes Tangible and immediate outcomes such as shared development planning which feeds into each other’s existing structures and ways of doing thingsCentred on spiritualitySense of ‘church’ being redefined – church and school as one and church is ‘people’ not a building

Visit 3

Significant Points

Relationships Two leaders model the relationship for others

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Structure Space for growth in physical terms makes space for growth in social and spiritual terms

Roles • Strong identity and inclusivity is important

• Identity provides distinctiveness and mission but this is modelled not directly taught

Metaphors Home of Grace

Outcomes Pastoral care, signposting to place of creative Christian learning

People becoming real

Visit 4

Significant Points

Relationships Having a thought out philosophy/theology for the relationship ( eg partners in mission)

Long term building up relationships with staff

Willing to challenge the other (Head and incumbent

Personal relationships and empathy key

Structure Succession planning important

Roles Incumbent feeling a full part of the school not an add-on

Importance of occasional offices

Metaphors Head as presbyter

Outcomes Planning together with other school denominations over eg termly collective worship

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Visit 5

Significant Points

Relationships Mutual understanding, feeling valued, open door policy, Focus on personalities being important

Structure Challenge of three church schools, three old school buildings plus churches Chaplaincy rather than governance

Roles Headteacher focused on benefits to children, Incumbent using teaching skills

Metaphors Church building as a classroom

Partnership is ‘one together’

Outcomes For children: seeing church as fun,

For children and families: Introducing the spiritual dimension

For staff and other: pastoral care

For School: joint planning, ethos, values, engaging CW

For church: joint fund-raising, school at church events (limited)

Visit 6

Significant Points

Relationships Formal – seen more as function, being seen together, being seen to

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agree ‘giving the impression’, both turned to for leadership

Structure Timetabled meetings. Two distinct communities ‘no seamless transition’ difficulty over admissions policy, focus on inspection – getting it right

Governance significant (VA majority)

Seasonal pattern important

Roles Clear roles and responsibilities, mutual respect, spiritual leaders ‘takes time and energy

Metaphors Diocese as ‘a warm comfort blanket’ (HT)

Outcomes Shared pastoral care, first communion classes (children from school and friends), Eucharist, Education Sunday

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