Training and Advice for Chaplains & Churches

There is a great deal of useful advice and training for Chaplains and Churches wanting to support a local school.

• Serve Your Local School site https://www.syls.org.uk/ has lots of ideas and stories of ways that churches can engage and support local schools. For Catholic education in Scotland, the go-to site is the Scottish Catholic Education Service https://www.sces.uk.com/

 Are you a School Chaplain?

• If you work with a non-denominational school, “The Role of the School Chaplain” is a helpful and practical leaflet. It is produced by the Church of Scotland, but applies equally to any schools worker or to clergy from other denominations working as school chaplains https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/13296/302_C_and_S_Reps_Handbook_Leaflet7.pdf302_C_and_S_Reps_Handbook_Leaflet7.pdf
• Education Scotland carries a useful case study on the development of a new Chaplaincy team at Rosshall Academy in Glasgow.

• Best practice in School Chaplaincy is undoubtedly a team approach. Have a look at “Anytown Chaplaincy Policy”, developed with advice from HMI (N.B. this is a further development of the school Chaplaincy Policy highlighted in “The Role of the School Chaplain” (see above)
• Schoolswork https://www.schoolswork.co.uk/home/  is a rich source of advice for all Schools Workers. You may well find useful material here if you want to extend your Chaplaincy beyond taking School R.O Assemblies. Though based in England, most of what is on the site applies just as well north of the border. Check out www.schoolswork.co.uk/ineedto/ and their training pages especially.

 Are you a church leader wanting to encourage church members to support your local school?

• We strongly recommend that you spend some time on the Serve Your Local School site https://www.syls.org.uk/  As well as a whole range of ideas for making a real difference to your local school (in really relevant ways that they’ll appreciate), this site has excellent practical advice about the Do’s and Don’ts of working in partnership with schools in Scotland.
• For Catholic education in Scotland, the go-to site is the Scottish Catholic Education Service https://www.sces.uk.com/

Nothing beats talking to people who have practical experience, however, and there are a couple of excellent ways to do this:

• Join the CVE Community and start networking by emailing someone in a similar situation
• Contact one of the national organisations that support different aspects of Christian Values in Education as part of Curriculum for Excellence.
• Sign up for one of the periodic Supporters Evenings around Scotland (see News for further information)

What about some serious study?

• Are you a Chaplain in a non-denominational school? Glasgow University (in association with the Church of Scotland and SU Scotland) offers a Master’s level module on Religious Observance in schools https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/3784/Religious_Observance_leaflet.pdfReligious_Observance_leaflet.pdf
•  The University of the West of Scotland (Scottish Baptist College) runs a Chaplaincy and Schools: Spiritual Development within the Curriculum for Excellence module, led by CVE Scotland’s school chaplaincy project lead worker, Rev. Steve Younger. The course is open to all who work with young people and ideal for anyone who is, or hopes to be, a school chaplain.