Looking Outward: Looking Forward

Diocese of Carlisle Church School Leaders Conference20 May 2015

Revd Nigel Genders, National Society

Church of England Schools

1. A unique past

What’s the narrative for education?

Tony Blair: “Best Economic Policy we’ve got:

Education, Education, Education”

• Qualifications• Job• Money• Consume• Happiness

Education in whole not in part

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly John 10:10

The flourishing of every child.

Going for Growth:

Every child and young person having a life-enhancing encounter with the Christian faith and the person of Jesus Christ

Why are we involved in Education?

Why education and why Church of England education?

What is our Vision for Education?

Change of emphasis from ‘What?’ to ‘Why?’

• a transforming vision for children and young people

Formation of children and young people, for the transformation of the world.

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly John 10:10

Our involvement in Education?

Church of England Schools

1. A Unique Past

2. An Influential Present

Church school performancePrinciples and tasks

• More than producing efficient units of economic production and consumption, education is a route to liberation and justice

• Rooted in Christian character

• Building on our high standards

• No child in an underperforming Church school

• Drawing on capacity and good practice within the system

Academies

● Interdependence not Independence

●400+ Academies but move to Diocesan or ‘Church school led’ Multi-Academy Trusts

●A new spirit of partnership

●A system that works for the whole family of schools.

Academies: Independence or interdependence?

A change in language

A recognition of inability of Secretary of State to relate to 20,000 individual schools

New Regional approach and Regional Schools Commissioners

The knowledge that schools improve most when they support

and challenge one another

Interdependence has always been our language.

Collaboration and partnership: The primary goal

Not academy driven, but partnership driven

Academy (or not) a secondary issue

Hence the need to find ways for schools to group together

Especially with our number of smaller, rural schools

Building a resilient and sustainable family of schools

Partnership and Collaboration: Vital for the future

An opportunity today to shape Church schools for the future

Need to build the strength of our system for the good of the whole

Interdependence, partnership, and collaboration: the way to continue to develop a full and rounded education which truly promotes the human flourishing of every child.

Working Together: The Future of Rural CofE Schools

Securing a future for education at the heart of our villages

Proactive, not reactive

0 30 60 90 120150180210240270300330360390420450480510540570600630660690

Very Small

Small

210+

Non-Cofe

Headcount of Pupils

CofE Non-CofE

Urban 0.427638982669368 0.78753036437247

Rural 0.572361017330633 0.212307692307692

5%

15%

25%

35%

45%

55%

65%

75%

85%

95%

57% of Church of England primary schools are situated in a ‘Rural’ OA compared to only 21% of Non Church of England primary schools.

Very Small

Small

210+

-30% -10% 10% 30% 50% 70%

CofE

Rural

Urban

Very Small

Small

210+

-30% -10% 10% 30% 50% 70%

Non-CofE

Rural

Urban

CofE Non-CofE

Urban 210+ 1,261 (28%) 7,723 (63%)

Urban Small 564 (13%) 1,851 (15%)

Urban Very Small 75 (2%) 152 (1%)

Rural 210+ 321 (7%) 698 (6%)

Rural Small 879 (20%) 929 (8%)

Rural Very Small 1,343 (30%) 995 (8%)

Numbers of small and rural primary schools

CofE Pupils

Urban 210+Urban SmallUrban Very SmallRural 210+Rural SmallRural Very Small

Non-CofE Pupils

Urban 210+Urban SmallUrban Very SmallRural 210+Rural SmallRural Very Small

Numbers of pupils in different sizes of primary school

Education Funding

David Cameron: “With a Conservative government, the amount of money following your child into school will not be cut.”

However, “I accept that that is a difficult decision for some schools because the amount of cash per child is not going up by inflation, the amount of cash is staying the same.”

Institute for Fiscal Studies economic think tank said the real-terms budgets would be eroded in the next parliament because they were not inflation-proofed. The impact would amount to a 7% fall in real terms.

Education Funding

Schools will have to pay 5% more to fund rising teachers’ pension and national insurance contributions

10% cut in real terms?

Questions about impact on most poorly funded LAs and particularly the place of rural schools within them.

Working Together: The Future of Rural CofE Schools

Embracing new opportunities to enhance our provision.

Dioceses and schools to be innovative and demonstrate a willingness to seize the initiative under three broad headings:

• Structural Collaboration

• Dare to be Different

• Face the Future

Structural Collaboration

• Schools need to form effective structural partnerships and collaborations if they are to survive into the future.

• The need to offer a broad educational experience, whilst facing the challenge of sustaining experienced leadership under increasing financial pressure, is such that the days of the individual autonomous small school are numbered.

• It is only as our schools work more intentionally in structural collaborations that they will find the strength and resilience they need to continue to offer an outstanding education in the heart of local rural communities.

Next Steps

“Doing nothing is not an option!”

Self Review by Governing Body:

• Quality of Education• Leadership and Staffing• Governance• Demographics• Links with community• Partnership and

collaboration

Church of England Schools

1. A Unique Past

2. An Influential Present

3. A Confident Future

4,700 1 million 11 135,000 22,500

Impact?

Occasional courses for ITT about Church schools

A few examples of diocesan leadership training

An optional ‘faith school’ module for NPQH

Stronger Together

What we have….

A Church of England approach:• rooted in theology • underpinned by high quality research • offering understanding of childhood development and

spirituality• providing training, leadership, pedagogy, approach to

curriculum• building expertise in Theology and Religious Studies

In order to produce exceptionally talented teachers, leaders and governors who understand and share our vision for education and can be consistently trained as teachers and developed as leaders for our schools.

What we need….

• World-class training and development, harnessing our network of 11 Anglican foundation universities, 4,700 schools, 66 teaching schools and parishes across the country

• Nationally co-ordinated, locally delivered

• Fostering and equipping: A Christian vocation to teach, lead, govern

The Church of England National Institute of Teaching and Educational Leadership