Guidance for Foundation Governors on Church Schools and their Role
Church Schools – Some Historical Background:
· 597 – founding of Canterbury Abbey where teaching took place, therefore earliest foundation of a Church school in England (re-founded in 1541 as The King’s School Canterbury)
· 1541 – with 89 schools previously in existence, new foundations/royal charters extended to many more following the dissolution of the monasteries.
· 1811 - National Society for the Promotion of Religious Education was founded to provide education for 'the children of the poor in the principles of the Established Church'.
· The vision for Christian education was so great that on average a new school opened every day for forty years! By the 1851 census 17,000 schools had been established. The over-riding aim was to educate children within a Christian environment.
· 1870 - State provision of education established to fill the gaps. Many new church schools have opened since as Christians have continued their vision of offering a Christian education wherever possible.
· 1944 - Church schools were brought into the state system. Choice between: greater state funding and control as 'Voluntary Controlled' schools or less state funding and greater independence as 'Voluntary Aided' schools.
· 2010 – Academies Bill passed to enable schools to become independent of local authority control. Church Academies retain their CE designation.
Today:
Foundation governors are the link between the school's original benefactors and now. They have a special legal responsibility to ensure that the distinctive character of the school as a Church of England school is "preserved and developed" – i.e. that the school is recognisably Christian.
Being Voluntary Aided (VA)
In Aided church schools the governors employ the staff and have wider responsibilities. Foundation governors are in the majority and therefore have greater influence. Most of the funding comes from the local authority, but governors have to fund 10% of capital costs.
Voluntary Controlled (VC)
Other church schools are "Controlled" and funded entirely by the Local Authority. Foundation governors, although in the minority, ensure that church involvement remains active.
In church schools, the need is for inclusive but distinctive working to ensure we offer excellence across the curriculum. We need to be inclusive - for all pupils regardless of their background - and at the same time distinctively different as we share and live out the Christian message to all within the community.
How does someone become a Foundation Governor?
Usually the local church is involved in choosing Foundation Governors. Sometimes existing governors who are Christians offer to take on this special role, or it may be that the church or school approach individuals or ask for volunteers, but they will always consider anyone who offers to serve in this role.
There is separate guidance available on the process of appointing foundation governors and a nomination form. This is filled in by the applicant and signed also by the parish priest. Those interested in applying to be a foundation governor may wish first of all to have an informal conversation, either with the Chair of Governors or the parish priest, or both. Occasionally the parish priest is not involved in the process of nominating foundation governors (this is especially true when there is a vacancy!) and the PCC secretary or churchwardens would then be able to advise on the right next steps.
Who can be a Foundation Governor?
In a Church School, foundation governors are either appointed by the Diocese or by the PCC (sometimes more than one PCC) of the parish or parishes to which the school is attached. There are no formal legal requirements for church school governors, over and above the general requirements for governors, Anyone aged 18 or over, who is legally resident in the UK and not disqualified from being a school governor under the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2003 can apply to be a foundation governor.
In general though, we expect the vast majority of our foundation governors to be committed Christians, though not necessarily from the Anglican tradition. In a VA school, up to about a third of foundation governors may be Christians from other mainstream denominations.
Sometimes the skills a person can bring to the role of governor are so needed by the school that it may be appropriate to appoint someone who is sympathetic to the Christian values and ethos of the school, but doesn’t hold a personal position of faith. Such applications are considered warmly, on a case-by-case basis.
To fulfil the role of foundation governor then, a person should generally, but not necessarily, be an active member of a Christian worshipping community. They should certainly be committed to education in a Christian context. They must be willing to uphold and promote the school's distinctive Christian foundation. They should be enthusiastic and active in developing links between the school and the parish, which means that it is often helpful to be members of the Church of England, but there is no need for them to be members of the PCC, or even on the electoral role - they just need to be willing to make a Christian commitment to the life of the school. The contribution that Christians from other traditions can make to the life of school is also warmly welcomed.
It is also currently necessary for all governors to be CRB checked.
How are Foundation Governors different?
All governors have a responsibility to challenge and support senior staff, approve the budget and review the school’s progress against the budget and its objectives. They also play a part in appointing staff and are accountable for the use of public funds and the quality of education provided. While they share the responsibilities of all school governors, foundation governors are unique to schools that have a religious or historic foundation, most of which are church schools. Their specific role is to ensure that the school is effective as a distinctive and inclusive Church of England school.
What does it mean for a school to have a Designated Religious Character?
Today church schools, like all schools, are working to ensure that they offer excellence across the curriculum. This provision needs to be inclusive - for all pupils regardless of their background. At the same time they work to be distinctively different as they share and live out the Christian message to all within the community.
Three distinct but interrelated legal instruments safeguard and underpin the school's religious character. These are:
· trust deed
· ethos statement
· school designation
The wording of the ethos statement will be something like:
“Recognising its historic foundation, the school will preserve and develop its religious character in accordance with the principles of the Church at parish and diocesan level.
The school aims to serve its community by providing education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice. It encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith and promotes Christian values through the experience it offers all its pupils.”
The whole governing body has a responsibility to ensure that these instruments are upheld. NB: A school can only lose its religious character by closing!
It is a particular responsibility of the foundation governors to see that the school's Church of England basis has a relevant and meaningful role in the daily running of the school, so that the school community is distinctively Christian They need to ensure that the school's policies, procedures, custom and practice are founded in Christian values and that all members of the school community are valued.
Relationships between governors and staff are very important
It is essential to build good links with the local parish church and diocese. It is important that the church sees its local school as part of its mission, and is willing and keen to be involved. It is a key role of the foundation governor to develop this.
Some extracts from: “Going for Growth”:
· The numbers of children and young people in formal contact with the church has declined, but the Church’s universal mission to humanity has not changed. We need to reconsider how we engage with and express God’s love to this generation of children and young people, whoever and wherever they may be. (1.2)
If, instead of trying to teach good news to children (and young people), the Church tries to become good news… (1.9)
“2.4 Most parishes have one or more schools within their boundaries. In 2001, Lord Dearing’s report The Way Ahead: Church of England Schools in the New Millennium highlighted the potential for creative relationships being forged between parish church and school.”
The Three Guiding Principles
· The absolute value of every child and young person
· The importance of relationship
· The establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth
“4.7 A primary strand of the mission of the Church is concerned with education and learning, requiring us to consider what Christian education is offered to children and young people in church and in school, and how its provision reflects the principles in section 3. It calls us to look at how children and young people learn, and their capacity to offer models of discipleship, nurture others in faith, offer new insights and challenge and change those around them.
5.2 The Church, at National, Diocesan and Parochial level, is called to work towards every child and young person having a life-enhancing encounter with the Christian faith and the person of Jesus Christ.
5.3 The Church, at National, Diocesan and Parochial level, is called to transformation both in the church and the world, and to recognise and enable the capacity of children and young people to be the agents of change both for themselves and for others.
Going for Growth: Called to Action
5.4 The Church, at National, Diocesan and Parochial level, is called to provide professional support and development for all those working with children and young people in the name of the Church, so that they might demonstrate the highest qualities in their practice and personal life.”
What features would make a good church school?
In most circumstances, a church school should serve the whole local community, as it attempts to provide excellence in education for all, within a happy and safe environment. In addition it should nurture those who come from Christian homes within a faith context. This means that the Christian faith should be visible throughout the life of the school. The school is aiming to develop a community based on Christian values that does not force its beliefs on others. It should offer places to local families, including Christians, but also those of different faiths or none. This balance between being inclusive and being distinctively Christian should be reflected in the school's admissions policy. Secondary Church schools often serve a wider area, and governors will need to have regard to the inherited ethos of the school and the trust deeds; some of our schools for example are selective, and/or fee-paying, but pupils can and should be encouraged to develop charitable activities and build links with the local community.
Central to a strong and distinctive Christian character within the community is the provision of good quality collective worship and religious education. While all schools should hold daily acts of worship and teach RE, these take on a special significance in a church school. The daily act of worship provides an opportunity for the whole community to come together to celebrate their Christian foundations. They can show that every child really does matter just as every person mattered to Jesus, and that the Christian faith is still relevant and meaningful to modern life, even when some of those present are from other faiths or none.
The distinctive position of a church school is monitored through the Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools (SIAMS). This happens every five years (or after a shorter period if a school is experiencing difficulties), but checks things that should be ongoing.
It asks four questions, which summarise the extra distinctive areas a church school is trying to achieve. These are:
· How well does the school, through its distinctive Christian character, meet the needs of all learners?
· What is the impact of collective worship on the school community?
· How effective is Religious Education? (Only in Voluntary Aided schools)
· How effective are the leadership and management of the school as a Church school?
If you would like to know more about the SIAMS process there are regular training courses available via the Board of Education.
What is the Foundation Governor role in this?
Foundation governors should be involved in all aspects of school life, not being afraid to offer a Christian viewpoint within any discussion. They need to constantly ask the question 'Would a visitor see that this is a Christian school?' For this reason it is helpful if, when possible, foundation governors are represented on each sub-committee.
Foundation governors have a special responsibility for Collective Worship and Religious Education. In discussions about the school's priorities they can argue for adequate resources and ensure that these areas are included in the school's development plan. They can help to fulfill this role by acting as link governor for RE or Collective Worship.
Foundation Governors should also try to ensure that Collective Worship is taking place according to the Anglican tradition. They need to know what takes place within the collective worship in the school, so they should be willing to attend occasionally, and then talk informally to staff and children to gauge the impact of the worship.
Foundation Governors should play an active part in supporting the headteacher in working through the SIAMS Toolkit and completing or updating the school's Self Evaluation Form. When inspections take place foundation governors will be interviewed to ensure that they are fulfilling their role as a 'Christian critical friend'.
A key role for Foundation Governors is to maintain and develop links between the school and the parish church. They can do this by:
· reporting regularly to the PCC or Parish Church on the school's life
· supporting and challenging school and parish to develop their links
· ensuring that the parish magazine regularly promotes the school
· helping to promote and support joint school/church activities
· liaising with the diocesan advisers