Start from scratch
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It may not be quite as bad as your first day at a new school as a student, but faced with the challenge of making contact with a school as a youth worker is still pretty intimidating. This guide is about how to start out in a school from scratch, including how to make contact, deciding what you’re going to do and, of course, how to make a real and lasting impact.
Where do you begin?
So you’re looking at a school, perhaps somewhere near the church you’re linked with, and wondering how on earth you make contact and offer some input. Where do you start?
There are two different issues here: one is making contact: how you go about introducing yourself, and the second is thinking about what kind of input you’ll be offering: which might depend on your aims, experience, qualifications or interests. This second question is a vital one and is dealt with in another guide ‘I need to develop a strategy’, so we won’t be exploring it here. Instead, we’ll assume you have a clear idea of what to offer and have thought through why you might want to work in a school at all. That leaves the question of how to make contact and start doing something useful!
First steps
Before you make contact with a school, you should know as much as possible about it. That’s not just where it fits into the education system, but also it’s local context. This background knowledge will help you adopt an appropriate approach and make sure you don’t trip up at the first step. It’s no good, for example, offering to help with assemblies if the school doesn’t have any, or putting yourself forward as a cricket coach if the PE department doesn’t play it.
So these basic questions are our starting point. Finding the answers might involve talking to students (perhaps those who attend your church), teachers, contacting the Local Education Authority, looking at the school brochure or finding information via the internet.
What age group of students does it cater for?
Primary, secondary or perhaps it’s a middle school. Does it have a 6th form? If it’s a primary school, does it cover all ages, including Foundation Stage? Does it also run courses or qualifications for other age groups: for example, adult classes in the evenings?
What type of school is it?
Is it a Community School, run by the Local Authority, a Foundation School, run by the Governing Body, or Voluntary Aided, as many faith schools often are? There are also now over 100 Academies open in England and Wales, with 100 more planned over the next 3 years. Alternatively, it could be a private fee-paying school. The type of school will not only impact the ethos - a school run by the Anglican or Catholic Church may be very different to other schools in the area - but also what subjects are compulsory. Remember that some schools, like the new Academies, do not have to follow the National Curriculum and have much more
freedom to innovate. You may want to refer to the schoolswork.co.uk guide ‘I want to understand the UK education system’ for more details about different types of schools.
Where do students come from?
Does the school draw pupils from a small local area or from a much wider catchment. Are some pupils brought in by bus? This might affect how easy it is to run activities outside the school day, like a ‘breakfast club’ or ‘after-school Christian Union’. It may also give some idea of the socio-economic background of the students.
How is the school rated by OFSTED?
The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools In England (HMCI). It is responsible for inspecting the standards of schools. The Education and Training Inspectorate in Northern Ireland, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in Scotland, and Estyn in Wales perform similar functions within their education systems. You can access and read a school’s most recent OFSTED report online at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/. This will also tell you if the school is in ‘special measures’, when a poor report is given. Schools placed into special measures receive intensive support from local authorities, additional funding and resourcing, and frequent reappraisal from Ofsted until the school is no longer deemed to be failing. Again this may impact how you approach the school and what kind of input is most relevant.
What is the content of the local RE curriculum?
RE is an unusual subject in schools in that, although it is compulsory, there is no national curriculum dictating what must be taught, unlike in many other subjects. Instead, local authorities are responsible for developing their own currciulum, usually through a committee called the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE). You should be able to get hold of a copy of the local curriculum from your council or download it from their website. More recently, the government has produced a National Framework for RE which, although it is non-binding for local authorities, may encourage a more common approach.
In addition to these general questions, it’s also worth finding out what kind of links already exist between the local churches and the school.
Is there any Christian schools work already being done in the school?
This might range from local ministers and church leaders taking the occasional assembly, to churches being used for special services and events (Christmas, for example), or church youth workers regularly visiting the school. There may also be Christian schools work organisations giving input: remember that some projects cover a wide area and so may not be based in the locality of the school. Finding out what’s already happening not only prevents duplication, but may also provide crucial links for you to make contact with. For example, if a local church minister hosts a Christmas service for the school each Christmas, do they know the Head Teacher? If so, they may be able to provide an introduction for you.
Are there Christian members of staff in the school?
It’s very likely that at least a few members of staff will attend churches: although sometimes staff live some distance from the school and it may be harder to track down these links. But start with the churches in the area and find out whether there are teachers, senior management, non-teaching staff or perhaps the Head Teacher themselves in the congregation! These contacts are probably the most crucial step in starting to work in a school so be prepared to do some digging and find them.
Are there Christian members of the Governing Body?
Although Governors may be one step removed from the every day life of the school, they can provide useful links towards meeting staff or making contact for the first time. Again, you’ll need to research local churches to find out if any members of the congregations are governors. It’s not uncommon for church ministers to be invited to become a school governor by virtue of their role in the local community.