I was struck recently by the moving performance of Jess Glynne at the Brit Awards when she sang the song “Thursday.” It is about a storm. A storm in the mind of a young woman, trying to discover who she is. It reflects what life is like for a young person today. It highlights the fact that because of technology nearly every young person is under scrutiny almost the whole of the time. There is no hiding place and this can create a storm inside the mind. Storms are unpredictable and life threatening. Storms can be the symbol of the forces of chaos that are often present in our lives and which can sometimes threaten to overwhelm us.

Current statistics show that one in four girls in this country aged 14 self-harm. This is a way of coping with the pressure they feel from the storm within. For boys, the symptoms are different, but the storms are the same. Also, one in ten children aged 5-16 now suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder. Where do these inner storms come from? Amongst many there is certainly a fear of the future. Today’s young people understand the problems which will face the world in their lifetime because of climate change. There is also no way you can cut yourself off from the disasters happening in the world as they are brought to your device 24 :7 within hours of happening.

In the biblical story of creation God makes the world. God does not make the world out of nothing. He makes it out of chaos. The earth is without form and void; there is darkness over the face of the deep; the whole empty universe is one great storm. God creates by speaking. He brings order out of chaos, by setting boundaries, by pushing back the waters, by allowing the earth to emerge, by dividing day from night and dry land from sea, by naming and giving meaning to creation.

Chaos is unleashed when boundaries are taken down. Many young people today are growing up without boundaries, with fewer rules and with few inner resources to hold back the forces of chaos. Taking down some boundaries can be good but if we take down too many, the storms rise within us, not least the storm of the perpetual Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), which is such a feature of young people’s lives. Technology means we have also taken down the boundaries of personal space and privacy. We are connected 24 hours a day

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Acting Exec Headteacher Paul Higginbottom - Sutton cum Lound Church of England Primary

This term we say goodbye and thanks to:

Jackie Heath - Acting Principal The National CofE Academy, Hucknall

Kate Watson - Headteacher at Archbishop Cranmer, Aslockton

Helen Bent - Headteacher National C of E Primary School, Hucknall

www.southwell.anglican.org

We will be saying farewell and thanking our retiring headteachers, our headteachers who are moving on and acknowledging the tremendous achievements of those who have gained their CofE PQH

We will also be praying for the wider work of church schools across the Diocese.

We do hope that you can join us in this celebration at Southwell Minster.

Thursday 4th July

5.30 - 6.15pm

The annual global wave of prayer, from Ascension Day to Pentecost is being promoted across the diocese with a wide variety of events taking place in our churches, schools and communities. Once again we are hoping all our schools will take part in this initiative. It is a fan-tastic opportunity for our church schools to become involved in the wider work and ministry of the diocese but more importantly it can provide a focussed opportunity to introduce children and young peo-ple to the power of prayer or deepen their existing experience of prayer. We have chosen Thursday 6th June as the day when we would like schools to arrange some intentional prayer activities or gatherings. We are compiling a central list of what each school is doing here in the diocesan office in order that we can enter the infor-mation on a diocesan wide map. The Diocese will be sending an Adventure Prayer map for every year 4 5 & 6 child to take home Please let Ally Horne ahorne@southwell.anglican.org know what you are planning. Our hope is that one of the education team or maybe a senior clergy person from the diocese will be able to visit some schools and be part of events going on. If you would like further help with arranging prayer activities, then this could be a great opportunity to partner with your local church or you could talk with one of our schools’ advisers.

We are holding a second briefing for the Headteachers, Chairs of Governors, Clergy and School Business Managers of schools which are less than one form entry in size. This is in response to the national Church of England Education Office report “Embracing Change: Rural and Small Schools”. It will look at issues such as forming partnerships, delivering a high quality curriculum, sustainability and recruiting staff. It will be held on April 24th at 2pm at Jubilee House Southwell. We are very much hoping that any small schools which did not attend the first briefing will be represented. The report can be found here https://tinyurl.com/y98rsbc4

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Little is hidden and there are few private spaces. There is no back-stage area where I can take off the mask and be myself. How can I find out who I am if there are no private spaces? How can I grow and change and learn if every mistake seems to be exposed?

All of this backdrop means that it is more important than ever that we keep re-evaluating the purpose of education and ensure that our schools are offering a rounded holistic education that fulfils that promise of Jesus of “Life in all its fulness” Within this education we must also acknowledge the massive need we see in children and young people growing up today for safe spaces, for sanctuary, for reflection, for love, for purpose and acceptance and identity, all of which we believe as Christians are found in Jesus Christ. In school we are thinking a lot about curriculum at the moment. We must con-tinue to endeavour, to find space within school for children to consid-er the Christian faith, for them to reflect on how much God truly loves them and build in intentional opportunities for them to develop their character and self - esteem.

Claire Meese

Diocesan Director of Education

It is a requirement of the DfE as set out in a Memorandum of Understanding that it has entered into with the National Society (Central Church of England Office) that every diocese has an academisation strategy. This sets out the approach of the DBE regarding the development of Academy Trusts in the diocese as church schools convert to academy status. It is based on a fundamental principle that it wants all church schools to be part of MATs that will intentionally continue to promote and develop the Christian character of the school. It has been drawn up taking into account the Trusts (MATs) that have already been formed and other key factors such as the geographical spread of schools, the size of schools and the current performance of the school (as judged by its most recent Ofsted or based on current monitoring information held by the DBE if this is significantly different)

Currently, there are four MATs that it is possible for our church schools to join. These are :-

•The Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham Multi Academy Trust

•Archway Learning Trust

•Transform Multi Academy Trust

•Aspire Multi Academy Trust

All four trusts above have been set up on a VA majority diocesan governance model. This means both VC and VA schools can be part of these Trusts.

The DBE wants the Diocesan MAT and all church school-led MATs to thrive. It therefore has a responsibility to work towards achieving “balanced MATs” in terms of the size, context and Ofsted performance of schools. This is key to providing strong school to school support and viability. It carefully monitors the growth of MATs and the performance of schools in them.

Given the large proportion of small schools, the Board believes there is no need for further MATs to be formed at the current time. As funding is dependent on pupil numbers, in some parts of the diocese large numbers of schools are needed to provide viability and sustainability.

Given the geographical spread of the schools in the Diocesan MAT

hubs are now being formed in the west ( around Hucknall/ Sutton

in Ashfield/Mansfield) north (around Worksop, Harworth/Retford)

and east (around Newark). This still leaves some schools in the

centre and the south of the diocese. For schools around

Southwell, the MITRE MAT has recently been formed by the

Minster school. This will be made up of Minster and its “family” of

primary schools. The DBE does not plan to give consent to other

high performing church schools to join this MAT at the current time.

To the south of Southwell there is already a choice of MATs to

consider, but if a group of schools here wish to become a hub of

the Diocesan MAT this will be considered. Please do remember

that it is a statutory requirement to receive the consent of the

DBE in order to convert to academy status. We also ask that

you keep the Board informed through the DDE of discussions you

are having about joining trusts as this enables the board to be well

informed in its strategic planning and helps manage expectations

around conversion timelines etc.

HeartSmart is a new approach that primary schools use to build character, emotional health and resilience in children.

It is a creative way of enabling children to adopt a growth mindset whilst maintaining a healthy emotional epicentre and has a specifically Christian approach.

A number of our schools have adopted the materials and are finding them excellent for developing character education. Please consider using them. Please click on the LINK to find out more information

Bishops and their teams from

the northern half of The Church of England led by the Archbishop of York have been sowing the seeds of the Gospel and encouraging people to learn more about the Christian faith in diocesan missions across the country.

The Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham will host a mission from 12 - 15 September 2019

Join in and be part of the Mission LINK to information

Wednesday 22nd May is an awareness and an education day. A fun and interactive way for schools, teachers and pupils to explore the reasons why millions of children globally are missing out on an education, and why that matters. For more information:

https://

www.ventforchange.co.uk/ Money raised is used by a charity to provide education in areas effected by war and poverty

Small Steps , Big Changes for Key Stage 1 Pupils

Never before has it been more important for our young people to develop the character, life skills and leadership skills to help them become contributory citizens with an understanding of the importance of serving other. The Archbishop of York Young Leaders Award Programme enables children and young people to do this within a Christian framework. The award is already well established in some of our schools at secondary level and in key-stage 2. Recently, the Trust have launched a key-stage 1 programme. It also supports personal development and well-being (linking well to the likely new Ofsted framework) and the development of a growth mindset. The majority of schools who use it embed it within the curriculum usually in RE or PSHE. The key stage 1 themes are kindness, Perseverance, Teamwork & Action. They are based on stories and interactive learning activities.

To become part of the award scheme you can apply online here and this will then give you access to the resources and instructions for running the programme

We are committed to ensuring Church schools have the support they need to enable all children and young people to flourish and live life in all its fullness. In November 2017 the Church of England Education Office published a second edition of Valuing All God's Children a guidance document to help Church schools challenge homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. A survey is being run to find out what the impact of Valuing All God's Children has been and what more can be done to help you create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all children.

Church schools are being asked to respond to a survey to find out whether you found the guidance helpful. This survey is not about checking up on schools – it is about finding out how things are going. There is also an opportunity for you to say what further guidance or support you think is required. The survey can be completed here www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/F65CPZB. It should take you no more than 15 minutes to complete. It will close on 3 May 2019. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. The full guidance document and Word versions of the appendices can be downloaded here www.churchofengland.org/more/education-andschools/education-publications.

All at Jubilee House unless

otherwise stated

MAY 01. Developing Meaningful Ways of Engaging with Encouraging Prayer in Schools 09.00 - 12.30 £60 22. Primary Headteacher Network Meeting 13.30 - 16.00 23. Leadership Development: Your Next Steps 13.30 - 16.00 £30 JUNE 04. Secondary Headteacher Network Meeting 08.30 - 10.30 11. Reflect and Refresh Day: Paying Attention to Wellbeing 09.00 - 15.30 Sacrista Prebend 12. Middle Leadership in Church Schools - session 4 16.30 -19.00 18. Training for Foundation Governors 19.00 - 21.00 £30 20. Completing the SIAMS Self Evaluation Form under the new SIAMS Schedule 13.00 - 16.00 £60 26. Secondary RE Teachers Network Meeting 09.00 - 12.30 26. Primary RE Subject Leaders Network Meeting 09.00 - 12.30

The MAT Governance Leadership Programme is for MAT governance leaders and members of MAT Boards. The programme is delivered in partnership between The Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership, Confederation of School Trusts and Ambition School Leadership with specialist support from Stone King solicitors and PS Financials. This programme is FREE for one individual per MAT or Directors of academy trusts. Additional places are available at a cost (with further subsidies available for local governing bodies).

See more information and book a place for yourself or

colleague here.

Applications close on 7th May.

Schools who are expecting SIAMS in the next academic year are expected to attend.

This is a session for headteachers and other school

leaders completing the new SIAMS self-evaluation

document. The session will provide a opportunity to work on

your schools; self-evaluation document with support from

Schools’ Advisers.

Led by

A day for school leaders to explore strategies to nurture the

self as well as their school communities. The day will

include practical ideas to take back into school to enhance the

wellbeing of staff.