Continuing to read some Grove Booklets about churches and schools and church schools (see previous posts on church schools and collective worship).
Here are some brief reviews of three booklets from the Grove Education series (starting with the most recent), followed by one from the Grove Youth series.
Paul Rusby & David Tait, Developing a Theologically-rooted Christian Vision in Schools
Published in 2024, this booklet answers the question I was asking myself after reading about church schools: How does a school go about developing a ‘theologically rooted Christian vision’?
The authors are certainly qualified to answer that question, being (respectively) a SIAMS QA inspector and the Deputy Director of SIAMS. (SIAMS, the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools, is the framework for inspection of church schools.)
Chapter 2 is focused on how to develop the vision, while the remaining chapters are about how the vision is worked out in various aspects of school life (following SIAMS inspection questions 2-5).
A theologically-rooted vision should be rooted in something about God, and it should be appropriate to the context of the school (in terms of the kind of school it is, and also the kind of community it serves). The key is to explore the needs of the school and the community, and to find connections with ‘Christian beliefs about the nature of God and God’s relationship with the world’ (p. 7).
There are plenty of examples in the booklet of what it looks like to have a ‘theologically-rooted Christian vision’. Some of these are more theological than others, it has to be said, while some simply draw on an image in the Bible, with no specific connection with God, such as the image of things growing, as in some of the parables of Jesus. (Given the authorship of the book, this does suggest that schools won’t be criticised for having a vision that is not really very theological, which is reassuring on the one hand, but slightly disappointing on the other.)
This booklet would be very helpful for anyone preparing a church school for SIAMS inspections.
Judie Horrocks, Church in School: From Separate Buildings to Shared Premises
Published in 2018, this booklet is based on some research into ‘churches worshipping entirely in schools’ (p. 3). The research began in the Diocese of Manchester, where the author was based as ‘Church in School Development Worker’ between 2014 and 2017.
(This is particularly interesting to me, as one of my churches worships almost entirely in a school.)
Many of the findings are relatively unsurprising, but worth noting anyway.
The main benefits of such an arrangement are: financial freedom (not having to look after a church building), self-understanding (having to think about what it means to be a church), accessibility (school buildings are accessible and familiar), and greater potential for growth. There are also benefits for the school in having such a close relationship with the church.
The main challenges are: having to share the space, the building not being ideal for ‘occasional offices’ (baptisms, weddings and funerals), being visible, and relating well to the community:
[C]omments [were] made by those who were not able to identify with a church that no longer had a traditional building. A church-in-school did not speak to them of God in a way that they could recognize and understand (p. 15).
However, on balance, ‘there was a consensus that church-in-school was a way of being church that was worth embracing’ (p. 17).
Good practice includes: sustaining good relationships (involving multiple people on both sides), having appropriate written agreements, and creating ‘a climate of mutual respect and tolerance’.
The booklet points to a full report for the research project, and to a special resource pack, both of which are … not available on the Diocese of Manchester website. I have emailed them to enquire, and I’ll update this page if I hear back. (It’s a constant frustration the way that diocese and national Church of England websites become dumping grounds for all sorts of wonderful material, but then so much is lost when it gets out of control and someone decides to start again from scratch.)
Anthony Buckley, Help, There’s a School in my Parish!
Published in 2013, this booklet has a lot of helpful advice about developing relationships with schools. ‘It is written partly with a three-session discussion day in mind; possible questions are listed towards the end’ (p. 3). There is a lot of emphasis on relationships and listening, with some specific comments on assemblies, chaplaincy and governance.
Matt Brown, Loving and Serving Your Local School
Finally, from the Grove Youth series, this booklet was published in 2019, and is written by the National Director of Reality Youth Project. The content overlaps with the previous booklet, but more from the perspective of a youth worker. Again, the emphasis is on relationships, with specific comments on lessons, assemblies, lunchtime groups, chaplaincy, Prayer Spaces in Schools, mentoring, and serving as a governor. It’s a very inspiring read too!