Registered Charity Number 233699

WDES Bulletin 6/98

Our Lady’s, Camden: Mrs Deirdre Finan Morrissey

St Edward’s, Westminster, Mrs Maureen Donnelly

John F. Kennedy, Hemel Hempstead, Mrs Bernadette Jenkins

St Anne’s, Enfield, Mrs Cheryl Byamukama

The following temporary arrangements are in place for the Autumn Term, 1998:

Governing bodies are reminded of the legal requirement to elect a chairman and vice chairman at the first meeting of the school year. It is good practice also to review the composition and remit of committees, together with delegated powers to the headteacher and to set dates for the full annual cycle of meetings so that they are co-ordinated with other key dates in the school diary.

A further responsibility falls to the governing body in the autumn term 1998. It must set targets for pupil attainment at Key Stage 2 and in the last year of compulsory schooling. Circular 11/98 ‘Target Setting in Schools’ gives full information on this item.

The joint WDES/LDBS training programme for the Autumn Term, 1998 and the Spring Term 1999 is enclosed. Further sessions will be offered when the various Regulations giving effect to the provisions of the School Standards and Framework Act, 1998 are published. Sessions based at the LDBS in Causton Street are normally led by Penny Harvey, with specialist input from other colleagues as appropriate. The sessions at Vaughan House and St Joseph’s, Hendon, are normally led by Ian Beck. Please note that bookings for these sessions must be made with the LDBS, who kindly administer the whole programme.

You may be interested to know that negotiations are underway with the Diocese of

St Albans to produce a similar joint CE/RC programme to better meet the needs of governors in Hertfordshire. Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage and London Colney have been identified as possible venues.

It is possible for a governing body or cluster of bodies to request bespoke training, at no cost, from our service. Topics most frequently requested include

• The Effective Governing Body
• Admission Procedures and Appeals
• Personnel Issues including capability, disciplinary and grievance procedures
• Committees and Working Parties
• The Responsibility of the Governing Body and the Headteacher

The Act received Royal Assent in late July and the Catholic Education Service will shortly be publishing a commentary for schools. A summary produced by the DfEE is enclosed with this bulletin. Detailed guidance on the implications and implementation of the new legislation will be issued by the WDES when the detail of the many sets of Regulations is known. The current diocesan guidance on admissions and exclusions will be published in revised form as soon as possible. Summary notes on admissions and exclusions, including details of provisions that take effect from September 1998 are enclosed.

Fr Curry writes to commend Lawrence Lenske, an accomplished cellist and concert performer. He works for an organisation called In Recital which gives free performances / introductions to the world of classical music, in particular the cello. He works with infants, juniors and secondary children. The sessions last 40 minutes and Mr Lenske can do a morning and afternoon session for different groups. There are no hidden costs - all he asks is that lunch be provided! His itinerary, from Oct 19 to 23,is being organised by Janice Kirby.

The next CCRS study day is Saturday 19 September. It is Module 1 on the Old Testament. The day begins at 10am at Vaughan House, 46 Francis Street, to the rear of Westminster Cathedral. Booking in

advance is preferred but bookings on the day are accepted. The study day for the subsequent module on the New Testament is on Saturday 16 January 1999. (For further details and booking contact Moira Wilson on 0171 798 9006.)

Up to date information about conference dates and other matters relevant to schools and religious education are to be found through the sites listed on the diocesan web page, the address of which is http://www.westminsterdiocese.org.uk.

With the end of the first cycle of OFSTED inspections, reports on the provision of religious education have now been completed for all the schools of the Diocese. These have been of great benefit not only for governors and parents of the schools, but also for the Cardinal and bishops in their task of overseeing the quality of religious education and for the RE advisers in offering support and guidance to the schools.

Thanks are due not only to the many headteachers, RE co-ordinators and heads of departments who have undertaken this work, but also to the schools themselves, who have made the inspectors welcome and co-operated closely with them in their difficult task.

A special word of thanks is also due to Sister Patrice, who retired from the WDES at the end of August. She bore the brunt of the administration of the inspection process in our schools and worked tirelessly to ensure that the reports were efficiently and professionally produced. She will be greatly missed and we wish her every blessing and happiness in her retirement.

Her place as secretary to the Inspection Unit has been taken by Mrs Judy Wood, whom we welcome back to the office. Mrs Wood will work on a part-time basis only. Normally she will be in the office on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of each week, but urgent messages will be passed on at other times in case of emergency.

Many of you will be familiar with the division of financial liability paper issued by the DfEE in November 1990. A revised version was promised in 1995 and should have been Annex H in the VASA Building Grant Guide, which has been notable for its absence. On 1 July 1998, a revised list was circulated to all VA and SA schools. This should be inserted in your copy of the VASA Building Grant Guide. The revised list is far more comprehensive than the 1990 edition but there will still be some items requiring clarification from the DfEE before work is implemented. In many instances your technical consultants will be responsible for applying the list but on very small schemes you may have to refer to it.

The new arrangements came into force on 12 August and will apply to any project that has received full tender approval after that date.

Two items to bring to your attention. 1. That the diocese supports involvement in JC2000 the Millennium Arts Festivals for schools (ring David Senior 0171 371 3716 for full details etc) - it looks to use the arts to apply the words and actions of Jesus to the issues of today and 2. To commend to you Sr Sheila Gosney CJM who can offer help both with art and with preparation courses related to the Millennium - contact her on 0181 960 7128.

The Catholic Housing Aid Society (CHAS) has launched a joint project with the pupils of St Edwards Roman Catholic Primary School in the Diocese of Westminster to help raise funds. CHAS token gifts enable people to make a donation to CHAS in lieu of a gift and send an attractive gift card to friends or relatives as a Christmas greeting and a record of help. The pupils of St Edwards held a competition and as a result CHAS have five colourful and unique designs giving children's impressions of the Christmas story, which show that homelessness has been around for a long time. A free leaflet gives more details and has full colour pictures of the token cards. Obtainable from CHAS, 209 Old Marylebone Rd, London NW1 5QT, Telephone 0171 723 7273.

Please find enclosed a leaflet advertising resources to promote priestly vocations.

St Aloysius Infant School is proud to have been designated a ‘Beacon School’ by the DfEE. This means that resources have been provided to enable the school to spread good practice, particularly in literacy, numeracy and music. Visits to the school may be arranged for classroom observation, followed by discussion with the appropriate co-ordinator.

This note contains advice on how to respond to your local SACRE in the following two cases. (SACRE is the acronym for Standing Advisory Committee on Religious Education, a committee which every LEA is obliged to have and which sets the Local Agreed Syllabus in RE which all county schools are required to follow.) If the SACRE of the LEA in which you are situated requests a copy of your Section 23 Report, under the provision of 2.(4)(b) in Schedule 4. of the Schools Inspection Act 1996, you should forward a copy of your Section 23 Inspection Report 'for information only'

If you are invited to attend a SACRE meeting where your Section 23 report is to be considered, you are advised to reply that it would not be appropriate either to attend the SACRE meeting or to accept the offer of assistance and support.

However, under the 1996 Education Act, religious education in denominational voluntary aided schools is not in the responsibility of the local SACRE or LEA. In this diocese the programme to be followed is prescribed by the bishops and advice for our schools is provided by the WDES, through its RE advisers. Whilst there are many areas in which the diocese is pleased to work with the local SACRE, it would not be appropriate for the SACRE to 'consider' Section 23 reports on Catholic schools, or offer advice.

Among the many charities which produce cards each year, one you might like to try is an ecumenical group, Christians Aware, which aims to raise awareness of international justice and peace issues. Most of the illustrations honour ethnic richness in religious art. A flyer with order form is enclosed.

A possible enrichment resource for RE, additional to the programme you are using, is the This is Our Faith series for primary schools. Sr Mary Denise of St Paul Multimedia, Middle Green in Slough is running a Come and See day on 16 October 1998 at Heston parish.

On Wednesday 9 December 1998 Monica Brown is offering a Workshop on Spirituality and Ministry for those who work with children in RE and liturgy. It will take place at Vaughan House from 9.30am to 3.30pm. Places are limited to 65 and it will cost £10. An application form is enclosed.

(For further details contact Margaret Sheldon on 0171 798 9006.)

You should have received two copies of a letter from the DfEE concerning the religious character of the school, one for the governing body of the school and one for the trustees. Please sign and return the governors’ version, as requested, amended if necessary. Schools in the trusteeship of the Diocese of Westminster are requested to forward the copy for the trustees to Tony Mackersie at Vaughan House.