LONDON - 14 February 2008 - 450 words
Catholic
Education Service launches recruitment drive for 'best job in
the world'
The Catholic Education Service (CES) will today launch a DVD in
collaboration with the National College for School Leadership
(NCSL), as part of its strategy to secure future leaders for Catholic
schools.
In a statement the CES said: "The
job of headship is challenging in all schools and most schools
find head teacher recruitment a difficult task. The high
expectations of the leader of a Catholic school and the cliché
that there are currently too few potential new leaders to fill
the gaps when present post-holders retire pose particular challenges
for the Catholic sector. As such, the CES is undertaking a wide
variety of work to support and promote headship, and the DVD is
a key part of this strategy."
The head teacher of a Welsh Catholic school featuring in the DVD
reinforces the key message: "It's the best job in the world;
there isn't a job to touch it for variety, for excitement, for
challenge. Yes it's tough and there's a lot of pressure,
but I love my job, I love coming to school every day and I still
enjoy it as much as when I first started!"
Oona Stannard, Chief Executive and Director of the CES said: "There
is no shortage of people well-qualified to be head teachers in
our Catholic schools; only a shortage of people coming forward.
We have to make sure that they are given the support and encouragement
they need in order to present themselves for this exciting and
demanding role. Head teachers help to make society a better
place for all and we celebrate what they do, whether they are
already in other senior leadership posts in our schools or Catholic
staff working in community schools."
The CES has commissioned Leading a Catholic School: the Best Job
in the World to emphasise the joys of the job (while not avoiding
the challenges), with the aim of assisting governing bodies and
dioceses in their planning to ensure a supply of excellent leaders
for the future. The DVD and associated training materials
draw on the experience of successful serving heads and those aspiring
to headship in order to challenge the negative view of headship
often portrayed in the media. The title reflects the view
of the heads filmed during the making of the DVD, who emphasised
the joy of leading a school with a special, distinct Catholic
character.
The DVD particularly aims to support Governing Bodies and dioceses
in their roles of appointing leaders and nurturing potential leaders,
not only for their own schools but for other schools too. It
explores alternative models of leadership, seeking to inform Governors
about the national scene and thus equip them to make wise decisions
in the context of their local situation. One section examines
how Catholic schools can reach out to and welcome those in the
community who might be looking to return to work in the Catholic
sector.
Every Catholic school in England and Wales will receive a free copy of the DVD and support materials. Further copies of the DVD are available from the CES priced at £15 and the supporting material at £10.
For more information see: www.cesew.org.uk.
© Independent Catholic News 2008
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