Next Weds sees the second of our symposia for governors in Religious Order schools. Please do join by registering via the google form.

Are you concerned about MATs and academisation in your religious order school setting? would you like to raise a question, concern or listen to this discussion? Please join our meting on Tuesday 15th March from 6pm where trustees, religious and knowledgeable participants will field questions and host this vital discussion. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYld-yrrT0sEtPmNaleHOUV6iAtvuOoc3m6  

For all governors in Religious Order schools, register now for the second of the  Charism Symposia scheduled for this academic year. Date: 9th March via Zoom. https://mailchi.mp/d32ca758bb33/governance-in-religious-order-schools

Please note a recording of this Zoom meeting is available for ROE members by request from Sr Brenda or Sr Patricia. ROE Plenary Meeting 1 Dec 2021   ‘ROE – Collaboration in Spirit and Action’ A Summary: At the Plenary meeting on Dec 1^st, participants received an update on:

1. Gaudete Trust developments, presented by Sister Brenda Wallace FCJ, Education Officer for the FCJ Education Trust,
2. setting up a MAT for Religious Order schools, presented by Roisin Maguire, Director of the English Edmund Rice Schools Office,
3. the legal position for Trustees in relation to Academies, presented by Mervyn Williams SDB and
4. the Charism Group’s work this term, presented by Sister Patricia Goodstadt IBV, Chair of Loreto English Education Trust

 

1. Gaudete Trust Developments 

The mission of the Gaudete Trust is to support our family of schools and colleges animated by the distinctive charisms of the founding Religious Orders and sharing a vision rooted in the values of the gospel.   Currently 5 congregations with potentially 18 schools will join the Trust:

• Christian Brothers
• The Sisters of Charity of St Paul the Apostle
• De La Mennais Brothers
• The Faithful Companions of Jesus
• La Sainte Union

  Available on the ROE website

• The Charter (which includes the vision, mission, aims and guiding principles of the Trust)
• The Draft Roles and Responsibilities within the Trust
• And once approved …The Constitution of the CIO/PJP

 

2. A MAT for Religious Order Schools

  A steering group has been established to look at how we might set up a Multi Academy Trust for Religious Order schools in response to requests from ROE members. Our hope is that the Gaudete MAT will be one of those ‘alternate spaces and that membership of the MAT will enable our schools to have a glorious future. Each religious order that is seriously interested in their schools joining the MAT can nominate a representative from its schools to join the steering group and be fully involved in the shaping of the MAT. The Gaudete MAT will share the vision, mission, aims and guiding principles of Gaudete Trust and will honour and promote the distinctive charism of its members. We are exploring whether Gaudete MAT could be initially established by a number of Religious Order Single Academy Trusts (SATs) coming together to form the new MAT. Membership will be open to VA schools and SATs under Religious Order trusteeship who wish to adopt the Gaudete Vision of Education alongside their own distinctive charism and values. It will not be necessary to be a member of Gaudete Trust in order to join the MAT.  

3. The Legal Position for Trustees in Relation to Academies

  The Academies Act 2010 as amended

1. The Governing Body of a Voluntary Aided School can only make an application for conversion to academy status (for an Academy Order) if the school trustees agree.
   1. section 3(4)
2. The Secretary of State must make an Academy Order in respect of a maintained school in England that requires significant improvement or schools requiring special measures.
   1. section 4(A1)
3. ‘Where an Academy Order under section 4(A1) has  effect in respect of a school, the governing body of the school and the local authority must take all reasonable steps to facilitate the conversion of the school into an academy.’ Section 5B(1)

  Catholic Academies Church supplemental agreement single and multi-academy DfE model (Cct 2018)

1. ‘This Agreement is being entered into in acknowledgement of the consent hereby given by the Trustees to the conversion’. (Section 1)

• By implication – no consent by the Trustees means no Supplemental Agreement and no conversion to academy status.

1. The Agreement is between the Secretary of State, the school’s Trustees, the Bishop and the academy Company. (Section 2)

• The Agreement depends on the Trustees’ signature and agreement.

  Catholic Academies Church supplemental agreement single and multi-academy DfE model Ooct 2018) –Land Issues

1. ‘Land’ means the Land owned by the Trustees. (Section 5)
2. ‘Trustees undertake to the Secretary of State to make the Land available for use by the Company in a manner consistent with any restrictions imposed on the Trustees at law and pursuant to any trust deed governing the Trustees’ ownership of the Land and with the terms of this Agreement.’ (Section 8)
3. ‘Nothing in this Agreement shall grant the Company any interest in or control over the Land.’ (Section 13)

• There is no transfer of land ownership from the school’s Trustees to the academy company.

Where a Religious Order owns Voluntary Aided school land, but ‘operational’ Trusteeship has been transferred to a diocese, the Supplemental Agreement still applies, and the land cannot be used by the Academy Company without the Religious Order’s consent.   Memorandum of Understanding between the Catholic Church and the Department for Education April 2016

• ‘Decisions about the future of any Catholic school, particularly any decisions that relate to structural changes, including changes to governance arrangements, require both the consent of the Diocesan Bishop and the Trustees.’
• ‘Decisions about the future of any Catholic school, particularly any decisions that relate to structural changes, including changes to governance arrangements, require both the consent of the Diocesan Bishop and the Trustees.’
• ‘The school occupies the premises subject to the Trustees’ objects and any other parameters laid down by them. Whilst the Trustees permit the school to occupy their site for the time being, they do not give the school any right to occupy and ultimate control of the site and any decisions relating to the land and buildings rests with the Trustees.’

NOTE – no reference to the trustees of a Voluntary Aided School being required to ‘facilitate’ the Academy Order conversion, only the governing body and the local authority.    

4. Charism Group this term

Has developed and led the first in a series of 3 new leadership Symposia – Governance in Religious Order Schools   Nov 2021    March 2022      June 2022 Responds to need and requests from our schools. Charism group meets every 2- 3 weeks via Zoom. The Charism Newsletter has gone digital, we request any contacts who would like to receive it to be sent to the group The first of our symposia for governors explored:

• the meaning and nature of Charism

• Our individual expressions of Charism and one source

• History of RO schools in English education

• How Headteachers and Governors are guided by Charism
• Where governors have seen Charism in their schools

Feedback has been very good, we had over 70 participants and more have signed up for the next two session which will be: March 2022 – Spirituality of Governance June 2022 – Living the Charism  Next newsletter due end Feb 2022 To follow up on last year’s symposia for senior leaders in Religious Order schools we will hold a meeting in June for SLT. Venue – London   date tbc To continue building the ROE community, the Charism group will send an e-Christmas card to all its contacts   ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….   Some questions / issues raised via ‘chat’ facility at the Plenary Meeting   The size of the MAT.

• A challenge but also source of opportunities.
• Will there be a limit to the number of schools in the MAT?
• Reflecting on the experience of the collaborative Trusts in Ireland we then reflected that a sizeable MAT could also be a great opportunity of solidarity and support
• As a governor of a school in a Diocesan MAT we have had really positive feedback: much better collaboration between schools on curriculum, staff development ethos. Staff excited by opportunities.
• We are already part of two CMATs and have found the support of a larger body useful. (Much better than under the LEA). TRUST – It would be good as religious to have the support of other religious. When we were negotiating our schools becoming part of the CMATs we had meetings with the Director of Education, our Trustees and our solicitors

Financing of the MAT and the collaborative Trust.

• Need to ensure the trust is a sustainable model with sufficient capacity and financial viability to safeguard its successful establishment and future

Structure:

• Who makes the decision about joining the MAT – the Members of the SAT or the Directors? Does one or other have a veto?
• The control/role of Bishops in the MAT process?
• What support schools would receive from other schools within the mat?
• The need for some regional structure. Some schools coming into the in the Gaudete MAT may have Gaudete Trusteeship and some not… Will this cause difficulties?
• Some confusion, maybe because of same name between Gaudete Mat and Trust
• How do we keep the individual charisms alive when in a multi-order MAT/ Trust?
• If governors feel that Ofsted is a threat to Charism can the Charism group do some training to show that this need not be the case?

Other:

• Lay representatives for RO not being given recognition by DfE
• Insight needed into diocesan thinking which varies from diocese to diocese.
• Schools can have a greater concern about money than who is in the levels above the school management.
• Appreciated the clarity of the legal explanation we were given
• MAT may be one way of initially obviating the “lack of approval” from the Bishops of the Gaudete Trust.
• Time provision for reading all of the documentation and for clarity will be crucial.

  Ann Nichols Dec 2021  

On 3rd November we convened 75 people online for our first of 3 symposia designed to inform and support Governors in Religious Order schools. We have been delighted at the keen response of governing bodies to ROE and the desire of governors, both experienced and relatively new to the role to share their experiences and seek our support in exploring Charism.  The enormous privilege that Governors feel as holders of the charism was one of the main messages we received as feedback. We look forward to the next two sessions in March and June.

The Charism Group are pleased to be able to present this year’s symposia events for schools. We will focus on some formation for Governors in our schools following this request via feedback form participants and last year’s symposia. There are 3 sessions: 3 Nov, 9 March and 8 June all from 6-8pm online. To register click HERE.  All sessions will have a slightly different focus from an exploration of Charism and how it guides our schools through to practices and decision making by governors and ensuring they see the Charism or Mission of their schools as a priority. Materials  for the sessions can be found on a Padlet page:   flyer for Governance Symposia ROE We encourage all schools to urge governor participation in this series where they will be able to meet other governors and really explore the touchstone of Charism.