PESTEL del sector moda:

Each week the school produces a newsletter for parents entitled ‘INTOUCH’ (a pseudonym). This is an A4 piece of paper with text and images printed on both sides. It is given to each pupil at the school to pass onto their parents. It is also posted on the web-site so that the images can be seen in colour. The fact that it is produced every week means that parents come to expect it and sometimes contact the school if their child has not, for whatever reason, passed it on. This is becoming less of an issue as an increasing number of parents make use of the school web- site via the internet.

The purpose of the newsletter was made clear in one of the editions by the Executive Head teacher:

“INTOUCH is a very visible, and regular, reminder of our desire, as a school, to ensure that parents are kept informed and able to play an active role as partners in their children’s education here at The Bishop Pritchard School.” (INTOUCH Weekly Newsletter No.579, 02/03/12).

In my research, I carried out an analysis of the content of these newsletters by scrutinising a sample of 20 such newsletters which were produced between December 2011 and May 2012. Each newsletter comprised approximately 6-10 short news stories accompanied by

approximately 4 – 6 images, typically of pupils and staff. News stories were mainly written by

members of staff but occasionally by the pupils themselves. The target audience was the parent body and one of the main purposes of the newsletter was to portray the school in a positive light.

To this end, news stories reported covered, inter alia, the success of all the school sports teams, success in performing arts events, charitable fund raising events, school visits abroad, letters of praise for the school from the general public and prominent individuals who have recently visited the school as guests. There were also a small amount of notices which were purely for information, such as forthcoming parents’ evenings, options evenings or INSET days.

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The content and style was entirely consistent with any school newsletter although, the frequency with which the newsletters are produced was unusual. Most schools produce newsletters once a month, or once a term, as opposed to once a week. Where the newsletter

departs fundamentally from other school newsletters is in the headteacher’s introduction.

Each week, the Christian ethos of the school is made explicit in the opening narrative of every newsletter. Invariably the headteacher will communicate to parents what the school has been looking at during worship times in the week leading up to the day that the newsletter is

published on the Friday. Although the headteacher’s report is relevant to education in general

and the school in particular, he does make frequent use of Gospel stories, famous Christians from the past and even lines from a hymn.

The following extract from the headteacher’s introduction is typical:

“The Kingdom of heaven is ‘like treasure in a field’. This thought for the week has been used in worship to remind every pupil of their own supreme value and as such, that they are all valuable treasure. Feeling valued and treasured is something we all thrive on, whether as individuals, or as a family, or as an institution. Therefore we feel very proud to receive heartfelt recognition from

AB, the Director of Children’s services.” (INTOUCH Weekly Newsletter No.573,

13/01/12).

Such a prominent statement of Christian ethos, every week, is unusual, even for a Church school. What is significant is that, talking to a parent about the weekly newsletter, she never mentioned the headteacher’s opening narrative. She seemed to value the fact that she was regularly informed and the fact that her child’s school is doing well, more than anything else. This divergence between the manifest aims of the school leadership to promote the Christian ethos through the newsletter and the view of this one parent may be explained in various ways.

Perhaps the parent was ‘immune’ to the Gospel message or, alternatively, perhaps in our

modern culture, it is not common to talk about spiritual things – even in a Church school. A larger sample of parents would be needed before any general conclusions can be drawn. I requested to meet with the school’s PTA but was informed that it was no longer running.

Where there may be a meeting of minds between the school leadership and this one parent concerns the inclusive nature of the school:

“I mean obviously I haven’t got anything to compare it with as this is the only school that I know, so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I really do believe that they take everybody as an individual and cater to their needs……..I just think it’s just catering to every child’s needs and caring for the individuals and you know if that child is going to excel there, then they’re going to put all their efforts into that child excelling in that area rather than sort of treating everybody as a whole. It’s just treating everyone as an individual and supporting their strengths, you know, and their weaknesses, just sort of working

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with them individually and caring as well…” (Interview transcript, Parent SS, 15/05/12).

This dovetails nicely with the comments from the headteacher, already noted, about the need for an inclusive curriculum:

“It’s about going right back to the basic curriculum you are offering. Is it inclusive, does it give all pupils an opportunity to succeed?” (Interview transcript, Head Teacher NJ, 31/01/12).

Based on the life and teachings of Jesus, many would argue that Christianity is intended to be an inclusive religion. Jesus had many companions who were considered at the time to be ‘outsiders’ from the respectable community of the day. Today, membership of the Church of England is open to everyone within the parish or outside it. There is no need to belong to a particular group, ethnic background or culture in order to join. The words of the famous hymn by William A. Dunkerley in 1908 capture this sentiment:

“In Christ there is no East or West, In Him no South or North;

But one great fellowship of love

Throughout the whole wide earth.”

The Apostle Paul writes to the Church in Galatia: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 2:28

TNIV). In the Gospels, we have the words of Jesus “I say to you that many will come from the

east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 8:11, TNIV).

Inclusivity may be regarded as a key feature in the teachings of Jesus. Nonetheless, Church schools with a Christian ethos cannot claim to have a monopoly in being inclusive. Many secular schools with humanistic tendencies will have an ethos which is highly inclusive.

Inspection reports from Ofsted and SIAS would suggest that the inclusive and caring nature of the Bishop Pritchard School does contribute to its good educational outcomes in terms of attendance, behaviour and exam results. More will be said about this later. However, a friendly, caring and supportive ethos does not make the Bishop Pritchard School markedly

different from many other (non-Church) schools. If we are searching for a ‘distinctive’ Christian

ethos having an impact on educational outcomes, then we may have to look elsewhere.