Heads Together
11 November 2009
Ann Fowler reports for cliftondiocese.com from our recent headteachers conference.
‘I have come that you may have life and have it to the full’. This was the title of the Clifton Diocese headteachers conference. The aim of the conference was to consider the question of distinctiveness; how to make sure our Catholic schools are communities clearly centred on the presence of the risen Christ and offer a vision of life which is based on the values of the Gospel.
We were privileged to have with us the Archbishop of Westminster Most Reverend Vincent Nicholls and Dr Kevin Treston. The Archbishop began our conference by speaking about Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical ‘Caritas in Veritate’, saying that its central phrase, is ‘integral human development’ – that development of each and every person in each and every dimension of his or her self. Relationships, the Archbishop stressed, are integral to the development of each human being. They need to be characterised by both charity and truth. They are at the heart of the life of a school. A crucial contribution which our schools can make, he said, is a strengthening of the ability of people to think rationally and ethically about how they behave and relate to others. An outline of the task of Catholic education, the Archbishop said, therefore would be to link truth to charity, rational, faith-enlightened discourse to heartfelt pastoral are. The challenge of providing sound moral education is a crucial one for the Catholic school. You can download the Archbishop’s address in the multimedia panel on the right.
The second speaker at the conference was Dr Kevin Treston. Kevin, who is Australian, flew halfway round the world to be at the conference and went on to look at how our distinctiveness might find expression in practice. He explored the themes of anthropology, who we are as a people; epistemology, how we learn; cosmology, our place in the universe; and our heritage, the traditions and practices from our 2000 year history. Kevin showed how reviewing the curriculum and practices of the school in the light of these areas might provide insights into how we develop our distinctiveness.
On the final day of the conference Bishop Declan celebrated Mass with the group. He also launched ‘Called to be a People of Hope - An Implementation Guide for Schools’. This publication is a direct result of our ‘Seeking the Face of Christ’ consultation and is part of our diocesan pastoral guidelines ‘Called to be a People of Hope’.
‘Called to be a People of Hope - An Implementations Guide for Schools’ can be downloaded in the multimedia panel on the right.
Bishop Declan thanked the headteachers for their commitment to Catholic education and asked them in the light ‘Called to be a People of Hope - An Implementation Guide for Schools’, to review the work they already do and consider how this could further be developed.
Apart from the formal activities there were opportunities to pray, to share examples of good practice and to reflect on what they heard.
Ann Fowler
Ann Fowler reports for cliftondiocese.com from our recent headteachers conference.
‘I have come that you may have life and have it to the full’. This was the title of the Clifton Diocese headteachers conference. The aim of the conference was to consider the question of distinctiveness; how to make sure our Catholic schools are communities clearly centred on the presence of the risen Christ and offer a vision of life which is based on the values of the Gospel.
We were privileged to have with us the Archbishop of Westminster Most Reverend Vincent Nicholls and Dr Kevin Treston. The Archbishop began our conference by speaking about Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical ‘Caritas in Veritate’, saying that its central phrase, is ‘integral human development’ – that development of each and every person in each and every dimension of his or her self. Relationships, the Archbishop stressed, are integral to the development of each human being. They need to be characterised by both charity and truth. They are at the heart of the life of a school. A crucial contribution which our schools can make, he said, is a strengthening of the ability of people to think rationally and ethically about how they behave and relate to others. An outline of the task of Catholic education, the Archbishop said, therefore would be to link truth to charity, rational, faith-enlightened discourse to heartfelt pastoral are. The challenge of providing sound moral education is a crucial one for the Catholic school. You can download the Archbishop’s address in the multimedia panel on the right.
The second speaker at the conference was Dr Kevin Treston. Kevin, who is Australian, flew halfway round the world to be at the conference and went on to look at how our distinctiveness might find expression in practice. He explored the themes of anthropology, who we are as a people; epistemology, how we learn; cosmology, our place in the universe; and our heritage, the traditions and practices from our 2000 year history. Kevin showed how reviewing the curriculum and practices of the school in the light of these areas might provide insights into how we develop our distinctiveness.
On the final day of the conference Bishop Declan celebrated Mass with the group. He also launched ‘Called to be a People of Hope - An Implementation Guide for Schools’. This publication is a direct result of our ‘Seeking the Face of Christ’ consultation and is part of our diocesan pastoral guidelines ‘Called to be a People of Hope’.
‘Called to be a People of Hope - An Implementations Guide for Schools’ can be downloaded in the multimedia panel on the right.
Bishop Declan thanked the headteachers for their commitment to Catholic education and asked them in the light ‘Called to be a People of Hope - An Implementation Guide for Schools’, to review the work they already do and consider how this could further be developed.
Apart from the formal activities there were opportunities to pray, to share examples of good practice and to reflect on what they heard.
Ann Fowler
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