Archdiocese of Westminster
Education Service
Dedicated to Lifelong Growth of the Whole Person in Faith
BULLETIN
December
2002 6/02
It has come to our attention that some secondary schools have already
been approached by their local Connexions Service to enter into a “Partnership
Agreement” for the delivery of the Connexions Service within the school. The
Catholic Education Service has made it clear that these “Partnership
Agreements” are the key document where the safeguards for the Catholic ethos of
the school must be located. Therefore GOVERNING BODIES ARE STRONGLY ADVISED
NOT TO ENTER INTO ANY “PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS” UNTIL THEY HAVE CONSIDERED
DIOCESAN ADVICE ON THE CONTENTS OF ANY SUCH AGREEMENT.
Diocesan advice will be forthcoming as soon as the exact nature of
the proposals for the contents of “Partnership Agreements” are known. Schools
where proposals have been made are requested to pass the details of the
proposals on to the Department of Schools. Governing bodies are not obliged to
enter into such agreements until they are entirely satisfied that adequate
safeguards are in place. If any schools have already signed an agreement, they
are requested to contact the Department of Schools urgently for advice. (Contact
Paul Barber on 020 7798 9005, e-mail: paulbarber@rcdow.org.uk)
In the last Bulletin we promised to give further details of the
Responsibilities of the Officers within the Department. Enclosed is a sheet
indicating the topics where each Officer will take a lead responsibility,
although all Officers remain able to respond to a broad range of enquiries. If
you call the Department of Schools, please state your name and outline the
nature of the call and its urgency to the secretary who answers the telephone.
This will enable your call to be directed to the officer who will be best
placed to help you at that time.
As from 1st January 2002, Liz Duffy
will take over the task of co-ordinating diocesan representation at all head
teacher and deputy head teacher appointments. When any vacancy occurs for the
post of head teacher or deputy head teacher, all schools are requested to
inform Liz as soon as possible. The representative at shortlisting and
interview may be either a member of the Department of Schools or of the
Department of Religious Education and Inspection (and very occasionally both).
These arrangements will be co-ordinated and finalised by Liz in order to ensure
that the Department of Schools has an overview at all times of the changes in,
and movement of, senior staff. This procedure replaces interim arrangements
made while the Department was understaffed. (Contact Liz Duffy on 020
7798 9005 or by e-mail: elizabethduffy@rcdow.org.uk)
The new Code of
Practice on Admissions is currently before Parliament. If approved by
Parliament it will come into force on 20th January. Schools should
not be pressurised into making any decisions on their admissions arrangements
for September 2004 until after that date. A short advice document is enclosed
dealing with immediate problems. More detailed diocesan guidance will be
available when the new Code of Practice comes into force. (Contact Paul
Barber on 020 7798 9005, e-mail: paulbarber@rcdow.org.uk)
Thank you for those who have volunteered to
represent the diocese on the new Statutory Schools Forums which deal with
Funding. In a few areas we are still looking for volunteers, so remain willing
to hear from any head teachers or governors (particularly those with experience
of school funding) who would be willing to be nominated for their local Schools
Forum. (Nominations to Paul Barber
020 7798 9005, e-mail: paulbarber@rcdow.org.uk)
Insurance
A
number of schools have inquired about the increase in this year’s insurance
premium compared to last year. We are advised that the reasons for the increase
are threefold. First, the general state of the insurance market creating an
increase in all insurance premiums. Second, the increase in the capital
responsibilities of governors as a result of the changes made on 1st
April this year (e.g. excepted buildings), and third, an increase in claims. An
accurate comparison between last year’s premium and this year’s premium can
only be made if the supplementary premium paid in May last year, relating to
the 5 months after the changes of 1st April, is also taken into
account (see Bulletin 03/02). Two documents summarising the cover given and
other issues are available at our website: www.rcdow.org.uk/education.
(For information about whether your school has paid a premium,
contact the Finance Department on 020 7798 9002. For further enquiries about
the scope of the insurances, contact the Catholic Church Insurance
Association, 0845 6030337, e-mail: enquiries@ccia.org.uk)
CES Census 2003
Schools will shortly be receiving details of the
CES Census for 2003. The new-look form contains fewer questions than last year,
but the new requirement to send an additional copy to the diocese remains. In
particular, ethnic data will this year be collected by the CES directly from
PLASC. Schools and colleges have two options when completing the Census Form.
1) Download an electronic version of the form, fill it in and e-mail it to the
CES (copy to greenylongville@rcdow.org.uk).
2) Fill in and return a hard copy to the CES sending a photocopy to Greeny
Longville at the Department of Schools. It is very important for the
purposes of strategic planning that we receive copies of your CES Census Form
at the earliest opportunity.
E-Teach – Catholic Education Vacancies Online
E-teach
have now successfully launched Catholic Education Vacancies Online, which
includes a virtual recruitment fair arranged by diocese - try the site at www.ces.eteach.com. All vacancies are
also listed in the Education Supplement to the Independent every Thursday,
resulting in a substantial saving over the equivalent advertisement. The
Independent now sets out vacancies in Catholic schools in a dedicated section,
listed by diocese. These moves mark a significant step forward towards a more
coherent and national way to recruit Catholic staff. Research shows that well
over 50% of those leaving teacher training college now get their first teaching
job via the internet. Can you afford to miss them? If you haven’t yet done so,
consider contacting e-teach for a demonstration, or to join, contact Azita
Sayer at the CES: 020 7901 4880.
The next study day for the CCRS is on Saturday 18th
January 2003 at Vaughan House, starting at 10am. The topic is the New
Testament. Extra tutorials centres have been set up, one in East London and one
in West London. Participants can register on the day but prior registration is
appreciated. (Contact Moira Wilson on 020 8202 3611 or by e-mail moirawilson@rcdow.org.uk )
The new diocesan yearbook is now available. Click on the www.westminsteryearbook.org.uk
site for details. Unfortunately, there are some corrections to the listed
telephone numbers:
Vaughan House: Margaret
Sheldon 020 7798 9006
Mary Mullarkey 020
7798 9188
Westminster House: Paul
Uden 020 8202 2371
Kathleen Gilbert 020
8202 2371
Sr Mavis Langmead 020
8202 2371
Sr Sheila McNamara 020 8202
2371 (nb: McNamara)
Enclosed is a letter from John Gibbs, Diocesan Financial Secretary,
relating to these issues. Please note its contents, whether or not you are
contemplating any capital expenditure imminently. Our thanks to all schools
who, through their participation in the Schools’ Building Fund, allow the
current capital programme to happen. (Contact John Lee: 020 7798 9168,
e-mail: johnlee@rcdow.org.uk).
Education Sunday 2003
Education Sunday is on Sunday 13th
February 2003. Further information can be found on the CES website: www.cesew.org.uk . Schools are encouraged
to find ways of celebrating it, bringing it to the notice of parents and
parishes, as well as staff and pupils.
Cultural Exchange – Verona, Italy
We have been contacted by a school run by the
Sisters of Mercy in Verona with a view to arranging a cultural exchange for
16/17 year old students. Any schools or colleges interested should contact the
Department of Schools for further details. (Contact Liz Duffy on 020 7798
9005 or by e-mail: elizabethduffy@rcdow.org.uk)
Catholic Children’s Society (Westminster)
The Catholic Children’s Society has recently
appointed Audrey Barnett to the position of Education Officer. Audrey has sent a pack of resource materials
to all Heads of PSHE in Secondary schools.
The materials have been designed specifically to link in easily with
(but are not exclusive to) the Here I am
or Icons programmes. The Catholic
Children’s Society offer to come into schools and speak to year groups about
their work within the Diocese, which links in perfectly with Citizenship
education. Audrey will be contacting
all Heads of PSHE with regard to this service, but in the meantime if you would
like to know more please contact her on 020 8969 5305 or e-mail audreyb@cathchild.org.uk.
All voluntary aided schools are reminded that they should have
adopted the CES version of these procedures, rather than their LEA’s, because
the LEA procedures will not be appropriate for a Catholic school. Copies of the
current procedures (1998, with minor amendments 2000) may be ordered from the
CES. Independent schools are recommended to adapt the CES procedures to their
individual governing arrangements. For advice and support in adopting or using
these procedures, please contact Liz Duffy. (0207 798 9005 or email
elizabethduffy@rcdow.org.uk)
Detailed Guidance
from the CES to help you draft your policy was included in Bulletin 03/02. It
is also available on their website (www.catholiceducation.org.uk)
or via the link from ours. Please note that a policy statement
incorporating a Race Equality Policy into an Equal Opportunities Policy, as
suggested by the CES, is acceptable to comply with the governing body’s legal
duty. However, a policy statement on its own is not sufficient, so please
check that your policy is up to date in line with the detailed CES advice.
We are always happy to check drafts or discuss issues with you. (For further guidance,
please contact Liz Duffy on 0207 798 9005 or email elizabethduffy@rcdow.org.uk)
This course is
aimed at colleagues who may, in the longer term, consider applying for a Deputy
Headship, but for whom the Aspiring Deputies’ course is not yet appropriate.
You may be a middle manager, perhaps quite new in post, or you may be someone
who is simply looking ahead and wanting to gain a wider view of leadership and
management issues. We plan to respond to participants’ particular areas of
interest and concern as well as covering broad topics such as vision,
responsibility, accountability, context and relationships with stakeholders
both inside and outside the school, and a consideration of the path to senior
management. The possibility of this course was publicised in the summer and we
have had a good response. The date is now fixed as 7th February
and the venue will be Vaughan House. Those who have already sent in their
expression of interest should please fill in the new pink form accompanying
this bulletin. We hope there will be lots of new applications, too. If you want
a chat about it, please telephone Maureen Roe or Liz Duffy on 0207 798 9005.
Good News Slot
·
St Thomas More
Primary School in Letchworth was
named in the new Ofsted publication “The Curriculum in Successful Primary
Schools”.
·
Geraldine Freear (The Convent of Jesus
and Mary Language College) and Bernadette Jenkins (John F Kennedy School)
were also amongst the group of head
teachers of outstanding schools invited to Highgrove to meet HRH the Prince of
Wales in addition to those mentioned in the previous two Bulletins. Once again
we are delighted to congratulate these schools, apologise for their delayed
appearance in this slot, and hope we have now given the full picture!
Congratulations to all of these schools. Please keep the good news rolling in.
Vaughan
House • 46 Francis Street • London • SW1P 1QN • Tel: 020 7798 9005