The Annual Report of the National Director of the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) 2023 - 2024 is now available.
This report reviews the evidence and data that have been produced from the 904 Church School SIAMS inspections.
This Annual Report details the main points that have emerged from that evidence and shines a spotlight on the strengths within Church of England and Methodist schools, as well as on the areas that need more attention. It makes recommendations for schools, dioceses, MAST, and the NSE alike.
New anti-bullying guidance for Church of England schools published
The Church of England has published new anti-bullying guidance for use in its 4,700 Church schools. This resource now replaces the Valuing All Gods Children Guidance (2019) and schools should remove references to this document. The press release for the release of this document can be found here.
Significant Change Consultation for Church of England Schools and Academies
Local authorities and governing bodies proposing to make significant changes to a school which has been designated as having a religious character should engage any trustees of the school, and in the case of Church schools the diocese or relevant diocesan board, or any other relevant faith body where appropriate, at the earliest opportunity. Where the school occupies land held by a charitable trust, trustees should always be consulted on whether any proposed alterations to a school are compatible with the terms of the trust. Please complete this form as fully as possible, answering all relevant questions.
A request from the people at Parents Promise...
I am writing to you to ask if you might help by filling in a very short survey that has been developed by the Positive Parenting Alliance to help with a very important schools initiative which we support.
The Positive Parenting Alliance is a group of organisations, and individuals, who are looking to change the culture of separation for the better in the UK. They launched the Parents Promise in 2021 and last year worked with some of the UKs largest organisations to change HR policies to better support separating families. This short video gives some background to the HR initiative and the Parents Promise website is here
Their next initiative is to look at separation in the context of schools: how does separation affect children? What support and protocols do schools have in place? and what further resources might be helpful? We'd love it if you could fill in this short survey and send it around to your school colleagues to help provide insight for the initiative.
The survey is short and multiple choice in the main so should take a handful of minutes to complete and all information is confidential/anonymised. The insight gained will be invaluable and it will help the Alliance develop assets to aid schools, and parents, better support children during separation. The aim is to launch the campaign in 2025.
LDBE Christmas Card Design 2024
We’re looking for a creative young person to design this year’s LDBE digital Christmas card. The winning design will become our official Christmas card for 2024, and will be seen by 100s of schools and teachers across the diocese. Using any of the following mediums: Paint, crayon, pencil, digital media, or charcoal. Be creative and let your imagination run free.
The theme for this years Christmas card is Faith, Hope and Love. There are a range of organisations that have been compiled by the Growing Faith Foundation, this document is to help resource your thinking about Christmas.
In whatever way the design is created, please submit your entry digitally.
To enter a design, it must be A5 in size and has a theme of Faith, Hope and Love. Please send your entries to education@lichfield.anglican.org by 8th November 2024 (Not by post please).
A new RE resource from Christian Aid : Speak Up Or Stay Silent?
We are launching a new RE resource this autumn called Speak Up or Stay Silent?
This resource offers teaching and learning activities for pupils from Early Years – KS3/S3. Pupils will use the climate justice theme as a lens to look at the themes of poverty and injustice, and to explore Christian views about justice - reflecting on how faith and belief impacts the lives of individuals and communities.
- A photo pack for use with specific RE units and also more flexibly to explore the work of Christian Aid
- ‘This is Christian Aid’ activity/research leaflet for pupils
- Teaching and learning activities for each key stage including opportunities for reflection, questioning and developing thinking skills.
Schools - Count Your Carbon
Count Your Carbon is the nation’s first free, full-scope carbon emissions calculator, built for – and in collaboration with – nurseries, schools and colleges. It supports educational settings to calculate, understand, reduce and track your carbon emissions.
Brian Ball the LDBE estates manager is encouraging as many of our schools to sign up to this as we will be able to get an excel spreadsheet over view of our schools carbon use. This will enable us to target our carbon reduction funding more effectively.
Let's Go Zero 2030
Let’s Go Zero is the national campaign uniting teachers, pupils, parents and their schools as they all work together to be zero carbon by 2030.
Black History Month – Live Primary Assembly
Tuesday, 15th October, 9.30-10am
Join us for a 30-min live assembly where we’ll be exploring Black History Month and this year’s theme, ‘Reclaiming Narratives’ and we’ll be joined by BBC Presenter Swarzy Macaly.
Suitable for: Children in KS1 and KS2
Full details and registration here
Free Advent Collective Worship Resource
As we journey towards Christmas this Advent season, we invite your school to join us in Follow the Star: Calm and Bright drawing on the world-famous carol, Silent Night:
“Silent Night! Holy Night!
All is calm, all is bright...”
We’ll hear from 4 main characters in Luke’s account of the Christmas story, Angel Gabriel, Joseph, a shepherd and Mary. As we listen to their stories, we’ll think about how they experienced ‘All is calm, all is bright’, the message their story brings of Jesus’ birth and what those messages might mean for us today. What actions could we take to bring calmness and brightness to our world?
Schools can sign up here: www.abyyt.com/advent
Do you practise gratitude? And is it something you experience or express – or both? This latest meditation from the Bible Society invites you to slow down, be present and take hold of the good things in your life: your senses, the people and the places you love. In what ways are they a blessing? Then, you’ll move on to exploring spiritual gratitude – asking where the good gifts in our lives come from, creating space for you to express gratitude to a higher presence.