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The information on this site is provided in good faith as guidance and stimulus to those involved in the Church’s strategy for new housing areas. No responsibility can be accepted for information which is inaccurate, and professional advice specific to particular places should be sought.
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| Creating Community : Education | 20th Feb '07 |
| Kathleen Wood is a member of the Co-ordinating Group for New Housing Areas. As Education Officer for the Methodist Church she offers the following. |
One of the first services that Local Authorities (LAs) must provide when new housing schemes are developed is education. Provision of new schools, particularly for primary education, is often the subject of a Section 106 agreement. This is sometimes also true for secondary provision, although quite often education for additional pupils and students in the 11-18 age range is provided by expansion of existing schools and FE colleges. With the development of the 'Every Child Matters' and 'Youth Matters' agendas, new education provision usually includes facilities for a wide range of other learning and leisure services on the same site. Schools and colleges are encouraged to engage in partnerships with local community and charity groups - including faith groups - to commission, provide or manage such services.
Thus, opportunities for churches to engage with the educational process and educational institutions are legion, and in most areas the churches - particularly the Church of England and the Catholic Church have well-established links with Children's Services Teams in their Local Authority. In addition, LAs have a legal obligation to engage faith communities specifically, in consultation about community service provision for children and young people, and Christian churches can take a lead in ensuring that they fulfil this obligation in new development areas.
New schools are usually the first expression of 'community' for residents in new housing areas; they create communities of their own which include not only pupils and staff, but parents and families as well. When facilities for adult learning and leisure are included on the site, the managers are likely to engage with upwards of 80% of the new population. This provides a splendid opportunity for outreach into the new community for churches to exploit. The school premises can also offer accommodation - probably very early in the development - for a worshipping community, in a building already familiar to new residents, and therefore more appealing than a traditional church building might be to potential new comers to faith.
LAs and developers are usually receptive to interest from faith groups in promoting their own schools. There is an expectation by government that at least one in three primary schools will be a faith-based foundation, and the popularity of Christian schools amongst parents often leads to higher demand still. Church of England and Catholic Church representatives already have statutory rights to be involved in LA planning for new schools, and will often be the first to know of opportunities for the churches. Additionally, all new schools are subject to competition from prospective providers, and significant help is offered by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to potential promoters www.dfes.gov.uk/schoolorg. In most cases, the combination of 90% DfES grant for voluntary aided schools, Section 106 provision, and LA Basic Need funding, means the capital cost to churches intending to promote a new school, is negligible or even nil. Funding for Trust Schools and Academies is more complex. |
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