Education
The Bridge is the monthly newspaper of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark.
Printed copies are available from all Southwark parish churches or from Communications & Resources at the Diocesan Office.
General Information
Board Structure
The SDBE is a charity and company limited by guarantee. It has a Board, chaired by the Bishop of Kingston, the Rt Revd Dr Richard Cheetham, which meets three times a year to consider strategy and policy matters. The Board is currently made up of approximately 30 members, the majority of whom are representatives appointed to the Board by the six archdeaconries in the Diocese.
The Board's committees each meet three times a year.
Schools Committee
The Schools Committee deals with all school policy matters, monitors inspection reports for all its schools, receives an annual report on the work of the twelve Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education (SACRE) in the Diocese, monitors the appointment of senior staff in schools and appoints Diocesan foundation governors where vacancies arise for Diocesan nominees on governing bodies.
Finance & Development Committee
This Committee deals with all financial matters relating to the Board's work, receives reports on the Board's investments and sets the annual maintenance charge for the Board's External Maintenance Scheme for schools.
Further & Higher Education Committee
This committee supports and develops the work of chaplaincy in both these sectors in education. It receives annual reports from the education chaplains in the Diocese.
Trustees' Report
The Board produces an Trustees' Report which summaries the work of the Board.
Policies
The Board has summarised its policy on various school-related matters in a booklet. See the list below to find the latest policy summary, or download the policies booklet.
- Admission of pupils
- Admission appeal hearings
- Admission of siblings
- Admission criteria - defining Christian commitment
- Behaviour management and exclusion of pupils
- Capability procedures
- Chair of governors
- Church of England Academies
- Collective worship
- Ethos statement
- Federations
- Foundation governor appointments
- Grievance and discipline of school staff
- Meeting the needs of gifted, talented and able pupils
- Nursery education
- OFSTED inspection of schools
- Performance management and appraisal in church schools
- Primary education
- Provision of school places - planning principles
- Racism
- Redundancy of staff
- Religious education at post-16
- RE in church primary schools
- RE in church secondary schools
- Secondary and Post-16 education
- Sex and relationship education
- Special educational needs
- Staff sickness absence
- Voluntary controlled schools - change of status
Service Agreement
The Board of Education has a service agreement with its church schools to provide advice and support. These are reviewed each year. The Agreements outline the services provided for each type of school in the Diocese and a summary is given below of the areas covered. Primary and secondary schools, voluntary aided, voluntary controlled and foundation schools and academies have different needs so the Agreement is adapted to ensure that specific needs are supported.
- Appointment of staff
- Buildings
- Church School Ethos, Management and Curriculum
- Employment Practices
- Finance
- Governors
- Insurance
- Pupil Matters
- Religious Education and Worship