As the Government publishes its White Paper on Education, the Church of England’s Chief Education Officer says that Multi Academy Trusts can be the foundation for fruitful partnerships supporting all pupils to flourish.We have much to learn from the African concept of Ubuntu which outlines how an authentic individual is part of a larger and more significant relational, communal, societal, environmental and spiritual world, writes Revd Canon Nigel GendersIt’s a concept which is at the heart of the Church of England’s approach to education which sets out our commitment to educating for life in all its fullness through a broad and rich curriculum that enables children and young people to truly flourish. Such an education, with its focus on hope and aspiration, is vital in the light of a pandemic which has impacted massively on children’s mental health and wellbeing. The latest Government White Paper has stepped up momentum for schools to become academies, with the Government setting a clear aspiration for all schools to join a strong multi academy trust by 2030.Since the beginning of the Academy programme, I have always spoken of the need for interdependence rather than an approach to the school system which has been driven by individualism and autonomy. Our work on rural and small schools has highlighted the need to work together and for schools to embrace change through formation of structural collaborations and partnerships, so I am delighted to see this emphasis in the White Paper.The leadership practices which lie at the heart of our work as a national provider of National Professional Qualifications and are underpinned by our Church of England vision for education, are based on the three core concepts of being called, connected and committed, and it is that connectedness which is vitally important for the future of our school system. For us, the purpose of connection and collaboration is not simply the economies of scale or the benefits of sharing practice across a group of schools (important as they are) but it is fundamentally about doing better for the children we serve and the desire for us to move from being a network of schools and leaders who share a common vision to being a powerful movement for transformational education for the common good. It’s a movement which needs to work for the small rural schools (of which the Church of England provides the vast majority across the country) as well as the large urban schools (where the majority of our 1 million children learn).The White Paper recognises the vital role the churches have played over the last 200+ years in this country and sets out how that role needs to continue to be enabled in the future development of the school system. The move towards the fully academized educational landscape set out in the White Paper requires two key things:Significant investment of resource to make that transition possible. The Church of England is the largest provider of academies, with 1535 of our schools having already converted - but that still leaves two thirds of our schools to become academies and this will require time and resource for the conversion process as well as new strong trusts to be formed to enable that transition. The recognition that MATs must grow to a sustainable level of about 7,500 pupils means thinking carefully and strategically about the small rural schools and how a funding model can work for them which enables their vital education to remain at the heart of communities across our land.Legislation to ensure that the statutory basis on which the dual system of Church and State as partners in education (which has been in operation since 1944) securely translates into the contractual context in which academies are based so that the sites on which are schools are situated can continue to be used for the charitable purposes for which they were given.
In the Diocese of Chichester, covering Chichester, Horsham, Brighton, Lewes and Hastings, parishes are partnering with local authorities to help the Afghan refugees, through donations, support with learning English, and the offer of vacant vicarages to house families.The diocese has given the go ahead for three vacant unfurnished vicarages to be made available. The Diocese of Norwich has made a house available to provide a home for an Afghan refugee family for two years. The Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, said: “My prayer is that this house has become a home for a family to settle and thrive in. I hope they’ve found the welcome that so many “strangers” down the centuries have received in the wonderful city of Norwich. It’s another way of living out the Gospel of Christ in loving our neighbour.”Lesley Lynn, Chair of Chichester Diocese finance committee, said. “The churches are offering a lot of support, people are offering to help in all sorts of ways – such as help teaching English. “They have really taken this to heart. Back in August we saw the absolutely heart rending pictures and stories from Afghanistan. I am bursting with thankfulness that we have been able to do something.” More than £120,000 has been raised so far by the Bishop of Norwich’s refugee fund to support Afghan refugees in the region. The funds have helped to pay for TV licences to help with language learning. Bicycles, safety equipment and road safety training have also been provided. Separately, Norwich Diocese Mothers’ Union is working in partnership with Norfolk County Council to provide full bedding sets for Afghan refugee families, continuing work first started five years earlier to support Syrian refugees. Jenny Holcombe, of the Norwich Diocese Mothers’ Union, said: “Helping these families is a very important motherly act, as Julian of Norwich said, 'God is our mother', he provides for us. “We set them up, we love them and we give them the best we can and then we go away and we leave them to find their feet and for the County Council social work team to support them to establish themselves in Norfolk."(Picture: picnic for refugees from Syria and Afghanistan, held in the Bishop of Norwich's garden last year)
Churches Together in England (CTE) - along with partners Christian Aid and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) - are inviting Christians and churches to join together in an act of witness to pray and light candles for Ukraine, for an end to the war and for all those affected.The Archbishop of Canterbury and CTE President, Justin Welby, said: "When we pray, we invite the presence of God into the messiness and darkness of our world."When we pray together, we witness to the possibility of unity and the promise of reconciliation that God promises us in Jesus Christ."I urge all Christians to come together on the 3rd of April to pray and light candles for the people and the peace of Ukraine: to pray for hope for those fearful of the future, to pray for God’s comfort for those suffering, and to pray for the Holy Spirit to turn hearts towards the compassion and justice that the resurrected Christ promises us will eventually prevail."
The Bishop of Coventry wants the city to retain its link with Volgograd.Coventry council voted last week to suspend the city's 80-year twinning arrangement with the Russian city due to the Ukrainian war, despite an appeal by the Right Reverend Christopher Cocksworth for it to continue.The bishop said it was important to "draw a distinction between the Putin state and the people of Russia".He said he would keep in contact with friends in the Russian city.The Labour-run council said it was pausing its twinning links "with a heavy heart" until "such a time" they could resume. Bishop Cocksworth said he understood the decision, but added: "It says something about the deep disruption, the tearing of bonds, the breaking of relationships that war causes."He said he hoped others would also stay in touch with people in Volgograd, to support those protesting against the war and to tell Russians what was happening in Ukraine.And he added he believed the war was most likely to come to an end because of internal pressure within Russia.The bishop also praised the "instinctive" help the people of Coventry had given to Ukraine."The people of Coventry always rise to these challenges and that's partly because we have, even if we might not have experienced it ourselves, we have by being in this city this connection with people who are suffering during war time."
