Under construction.

‘The educational vision should describe why you are setting up this Free School and its defining features and ethos. This is your opportunity to tell us in your own words about the overarching vision for your school’.

EDUCATION VISION

Bethany School has been providing high quality education in Sheffield for the past 25 years. We have developed a successful model of education and, by taking advantage of the free schools initiative, we would like to make our model more widely available throughout the city. Our proposal will add to the educational provision for families in Sheffield. In addition, the model would be suitable for use in other cities.

In 1987, our vision was made explicit in the NAME and the OBJECT of our Company as set out in the Articles and Memorandum of Association. They establish an order of priority for our vision.

Name: Christian Family Schools Limited
Object: ‘To provide a school or schools staffed with committed Christians using a distinctively biblical approach to knowledge and learning. Parents will be expected to be committed to active participation in the education of their children both at home and at school. The aim being to provide each child with biblical understanding which will equip that child for practical living in this world and to encourage the child’s awareness of spiritual and eternal realities. The parents will be expected to support fully these aims though their own religious or world views may differ.’
Thus, our first priority is to be true to our faith. Our second priority is to put the needs of families at the heart of our work. Our third priority is to work with parents to establish schools that they feel part of and committed to. The schools will serve families rather than dominate family life. Our final priority is to make sure we fully comply with any legal, moral and social regulations that relate to faith, families and schools.

Since 1987, we have been working in the independent sector but, unusually, our policies have always sought to be rigorously inclusive.

For example:
A place at Bethany School has never been related to:
1. Ability to pay (We have never charged fees and we have operated the school, debt-free, for 25 years, using voluntary contributions from parents, fundraising, gifts from supporters and a small annual award from a local grant-making Trust)
2. Academic ability (We do not use any methods to assess, judge or select pupils according to ability, gifts or capabilities)
3. Faith background (We have an open admissions policy which is absolutely open to all)

We ask that families actively support our Core Values and they confirm that they will not deliberately undermine our ethos.

CORE VALUES

Christian Education
A prevailing view in education is the idea that knowledge is neutral; that it is possible to teach in a way that does not reveal a religious view of the world. In the Sheffield Christian Free School we dissent from this view and so are completely open about the way we teach the whole curriculum from a Christian perspective. Of course, we understand that ‘some people think differently’ and we are absolutely committed to teaching, as thoroughly and accurately as we can, other world view positions. When people become Christians they begin to believe that they live in a world where God, not human reason, has the first word on everything and the last word on everything. This means that everything, quite literally everything, has to be re-centred, re-imagined and re-thought. If one part doesn’t fit then whole thing collapses as a satisfactory faith position on which to base our life on this earth and our hopes for eternity. The faith position, the ultimate convictions, of an individual, a family, a school, in fact, any institution, including a government, has a significant effect on the whole of life, our ethos, ethics, thoughts and practices. All teachers, schools and education systems should be explicit about their own world view and teach other world view positions as thoroughly and accurately as they can.

Diversity, Liberalism and Christian Schools
Dr Mark Pike’s article evaluates the position of Christian schooling within a liberal democracy and the rights of Christians within a secular state. The aim of the article is, ‘to demonstrate why distinctively Christian education is of such political and cultural value to life in a diverse democracy.’

‘Liberals who are “egalitarian” and argue we should treat all alike are not quite the same as more enlightened “diversity liberals” who acknowledge the importance of communal rights such as those of churches and parents. Callan, for instance recognises that “the liberal democracy worth having will also respect the right to live in some ways that renounce the stringent ideal of autonomy” (Callan, 1997, P11) and acknowledges that there are ways of life that do not favour individual autonomy that are legitimate, morally defensible and worthy of respect. Burtonwood (2000) terms this “diversity liberalism” because it accepts that autonomy need not be a right to be valued above all else.
While political liberalism underpins citizenship education for all children in a democratic state it is important that cultural liberalism is seen as merely one of a number of competing ideologies. Arguably, education for a Christian cultural attachment that is balanced by attention to cross-cultural understanding will lead to a more genuinely pluralist society than the secular approach of many public schools which pays insufficient heed to the needs of religious individuals. The conclusion might be reached that “faith-based” schools “play a crucial role in pluralist liberal democracies” because they “strengthen civil society” (Jones, 2003, p.5) by their very existence.
If schools that conform to the state’s wishes by implementing the state’s curriculum receive funding and those which do not are unfunded, this is discriminatory and illustrates the tyranny of liberalism as it is further evidence of a liberal hegemony wishing to perpetuate its own values. Parents who have to pay for Christian education because one is not available in the state sector are being discriminated against. Funding Christian schools (such as those of the Emmanuel Schools Foundation chaired by Sir Peter Vardy, for instance) is a non-discriminatory position to adopt, as it does not seek to impose a secular worldview on education. There is a clear argument for successful schools, such as those of the Christian Schools Trust (CST), being offered “no strings” funding including flexibility with regard to the curriculum. In a diverse society a single, secular, “national” curriculum can be seen as something of an anachronism.
It should be remembered that the reason most liberals can see no reason for religious schools is that can compartmentalize life in a way that is impossible for the committed believer. To fail to recognize that such separation is a product of one’s secular, liberal mindset is simply to provide further evidence of the hold that egalitarian liberalism has on our society. Egalitarian liberals face a stark choice: an oppressive and tyrannical liberal secularism founded on the educational aim of individual autonomy or a democracy for diverse groups which respects the values of Christians who are neither secular nor liberal. The Christian School should be seen as an asset to any truly inclusive democracy. If liberals want a genuinely inclusive society they must include Christian education.’

Journal of Research on Christian Education 2004, Vol. 13, No.2 pp. 149-166, Dr Mark Pike

Family Education
The family is the cement that holds society together. When marriage and the family is held in the highest esteem then communities, cities and countries have the opportunity to thrive. The family will be at the heart of the Sheffield Christian Free School. Parents who want to be fully involved in their children’s education will get all the support they need. Each of the 10 Free School sites will take no more than 96 pupils, aged 4-16 and from about 40-50 families. This will enable families to be educated together, giving a focus to family life and long term links with the school. Relationships are the key. Regulation and regime will be a back-up to the strong relationships formed between our families and with the school.

Family Scale Education
Family-scale education has worked successfully in Sheffield for the last 25 years. As parents join together and pool enthusiasm, expertise and ideas with their children’s teachers, together, they produce a stimulating and versatile curriculum for their own children. At the Sheffield Christian Free School teachers assist parents they do not replace them. For this model to be most effective the numbers of families needs to be limited on each site. In the Sheffield Christian Free School every family will be involved and feel that their contribution is valued. The school will actively seek participation from parents and equip them as they take responsibility for their children’s education. Parents will be learners at the Sheffield Christian Free School.
Community Education
The Sheffield Christian Free School, based on 10 sites around the city, will be a local Christian school, serving local families and local communities. Each Free School site should be a base for community activities. Being a Christian is a neighbourly, inclusive, community activity. SCFS will form partnerships with local businesses, churches and community groups. Local groups know the needs of the area and develop specialities to meet those needs. School leaders on the SCFS sites will be committed to the areas they serve.

The ten Free School sites should be a base for community activities, for example, libraries, community cafe or line-dancing groups. Some local churches have a speciality, for example, youth work, debt advice or work among asylum seekers. The school could work in tandem with them and may be able to offer TESL courses, operate a Credit Union or facilitate children’s holiday activities. Some sites may be able to host concerts, offer sports facilities or provide gallery space. It may be that a site develops expertise in bio-fuels and takes a lead in energy efficiency.

The school could work in tandem with them and may be able to offer TESL courses, operate a Credit Union or facilitate children’s holiday activities. Some sites may be able to host concerts, offer sports facilities or provide gallery space. It may be that a site develops expertise in bio-fuels and takes a lead in energy efficiency projects.

‘Set out why you are establishing your Free School – the rationale for this age range/ curriculum offer/ location / pedagogy; and  identify what will make the school distinctive in its vision and ethos.’

Sheffield Christian Free School would benefit Sheffield by:

Extending Choice – Parents have limited access to Christian faith-based education beyond the existing Catholic and CofE church schools. The only Secondary provision in the city is limited to the two Catholic schools.

Raising Standards – Christian schools have a proven track record for excellence in areas including academic performance, behaviour and character development.

Providing Additional Places – Sheffield has a shortfall of places, particularly at secondary level, from 2015. The City Council would welcome the extra places the Free School would provide.

Responding to Parental / Pupil Demand – Parents involved with family-scale Christian schools give a high level of practical and emotional (and, at present, financial) support to the model. The pupils enjoy being at school!
(Pupils confirm that they are well cared for, that they appreciate the support provided by their teachers and that they enjoy being at the school.  Their view is supported overwhelmingly by the parents who praise the work of the school and staff.’ BSI Inspection Report March 2010)

Supporting Communities– Christianity is a neighbourly, inclusive, community activity. The Sheffield Christian Free School will aim to be a local Christian school, serving local families and local communities. We have been able to build up good relationships with the local businesses that provide services to the school and participate in activities arranged by community.

Introducing an Innovative and Successful Model – We are proposing a tried and tested model which has been developed, reviewed and refined for over 25 years. The model works and the key to its success is the ‘innovation’ of parental responsibility and involvement. Our ability to recruit parental support is a strength of our proposal.

Being Easy to Replicate – In 2006 we facilitated the establishment of a second school in the city. This school was deliberately set up as an autonomous organisation but it successfully uses our model. Using this experience in the Free School context we would be able replicate this proceedure much more economically and efficiently. (A centralised structure rather than an autonomous organisation would reduce some of the ‘re-inventing of the wheel’ that was necessary in 2006) In addition, the model could be used in other cities and we have had some enquiries from other areas.

The educational plan should describe the structure of your school and the experience that pupils will have whilst attending it. You should set out what pupils will achieve, how they will achieve it and how the school will evaluate performance, both of individual pupils and the school as a whole.

Bethany School is an existing independent school. Our vision is to provide small, family scale schools which offers places only to whole families.  We started in 1987 with 11 pupils from five families and now we have 71 children from 45 families. We are operating successfully at 74% capacity. Since we became established we have had on roll a total of 290 pupils from 154 families with 85 pupils graduating from Bethany School aged 16 years.

We have found that the nearer we get to full capacity (96 pupils) it becomes increasingly difficult to fit families into year groups where there are vacant places. This ‘problem’ became critical in 2004 when we had far too many parents with pre-school children wanting to join the school. In September 2006 we opened a second school in Sheffield, Emmaus Christian Family School (DfE number: XXXXXX). Emmaus continues to operate successfully as an autonomous school, predominantly using the Bethany School model but notably it has adapted further to become more of a parents co-operative. It is likely that Emmaus Christian Family School will remain in the independent sector for the present time. Also, since 1986, Handsworth Christian School (DfE number: XXXXXXX) has operated in Sheffield as a very successful Christian independent school. Both these schools were involved with Bethany in an initial investigation of the free school initiative. It soon became clear that it would be difficult to agree a joint proposal but both schools asked to be kept informed of the SCFS proposal and both schools may  be open to becoming involved at a later stage as one of our ten school sites.

We include this information to demonstrate that we have a good relationship with other like-minded Christian schools in the city and this could have a significant effect how numbers may build over time.

The second SCFS ‘Core Value’ is Family Education. Our commitment is to only admitting whole families.

          The exceptions would be:

1. 1.     In the first two years where families had children in, or about to enter, Y10 or Y11 at other secondary schools. (although Y10 places would be available in 2013)
2. 2.     Where a families have children who need to attend a special school

In September 2013 we will be offering eight places per year group, Reception – Year 10, on four sites. We intend to open two additional sites in each of the following three years, 2014 – 2016.

Section D: Education plan – part 2

Please refer to pages 16-20 of the ‘How to Apply’ guidance for what should be included in this section.

Information required

Admissions

Set out your admissions policy, including the criteria to be used to prioritise places if your school is oversubscribed. Free Schools with a religious character will have to balance the needs of (a) children with a faith and (b) children of other faiths or none; and when oversubscribed, be able and willing to admit at least 50% of their intake without reference to faith. 16-19 Free Schools do not have to adopt arrangements that are consistent or in accordance with the School Admissions Code but should still set out the details of their planned admissions policy.

Curriculum and organisation of learning

Set out expectations around the length of the school day, term and year.

Describe the curriculum in detail, setting out how it will be broad and balanced and meet the different needs and interests of all pupils including, for secondary students, the range of qualifications which might be offered (16-19 Free Schools do not have to offer a broad and balanced curriculum).

The SCFS Curriculum
We have chosen not to follow the National Curriculum at the Sheffield Christian Free School because we are committed to using our own successful and distinctively Christian curriculum which is consistant with a conservative evangelical worldview. However, we do continue to keep abreast of current educational thought, we evaluate new initiatives and we will always adopt examples of good practice. All the curriculum areas adopted by the National Curriculum can be found in the SCFS Curriculum Plan. At the moment, subjects covered include: Literacy, Numeracy, Science, Art, Design and Technology, History, Geography, French, Spanish, Physical Education, and Drama. Areas such as Citizenship, PHSE, R.S., Music and ICT are threaded into our courses. As a Free School we would be able to include some of these areas as discrete subjects. (e.g. Music and ICT)

The schools will be able to prepare pupils for a range of G.C.S.E. examinations. Courses which may be offered include:

• Mathematics
• English – Language and Literature  (two subjects)
• Science and Additional Science      (two subjects)
• Spanish
• French
• Art
• Design and Technology
• Religious Studies
• History
• Geography
• Drama
• Music
• ICT

The SCFS Curriculum is broadly based on nine themes, which were developed initially by parents and teachers. Each theme provides the starting point for one term’s work, as part of a three year cycle, at an appropriate level, by all pupils from Year 1 to Year 9. At KS 4 pupils follow the GCSE Specifications.

Planning for each term’s work begins during the previous half term when the biblical context is discussed by the Staff. This contains some relevant biblical passages which the staff can study, meditate on, think about and pray over as they begin their preparation.

During the first week of term the Context is explained to parents and an ‘Ideas Web’ is available which they can use to focus their minds on the new topic and add to the pool of ideas available to the teaching staff. Parents can also use their ideas to build on the work done in school and devise some home education activities.

A brief overview of the work which is covered in each Topic and in a particular subject area is published in Curriculum Grids. These Grids are working documents and may be adapted from time to time.

Each term the Staff produce a Scheme of Work in the form of a weekly planner. This breaks down the content of the course into teachable segments and gives some indication of any particular emphases that will be made during the term. The schemes for the Topic lessons are shared and discussed at Staff meetings. Analysis and comment are invited and new ideas are suggested. On occassions, a Curriculum Day will be devoted to a particular curriculum area or theme. Off-site visits are usually planned at this stage. The Schemes of Work for the current term are published can be viewed in the Curriculum Folder in the office.

Appropriate lesson plans are produced by the teachers. In each lesson we seek to provide the opportunities for all pupils to learn and make progress but, above all, to experience ‘joy in learning’.

The lesson plans take into account:

1. learning objectives
2. length of lesson
3. learning styles of the pupils
4. resources needed / available
5. type of activity
6. differentiation
7. assessment
8. classroom management
9. record keeping

We believe that whole school activities have great value and we can build into our plans activities such as; Family Afternoons, Open Mornings, World Book Day, Sports Day, Field Trips, School Camp.

Family Afternoon
This important curriculum area is planned, organised and delivered by the parents. The group parents who comprise the Family Afternoon Team produce a programme of events which are usually topic related. Parents share their expertise with their own children and with other families. Families learn to learn together and adults gain skills in teaching their own children and often mixed groups of adults and children. The parents all have roles and responsibilities during the Family Afternoon. These may include; supervision and teaching their own child, leading a small group either with other parents or on their own, taking responsibility for a whole school activity. As the parents develop through these roles this builds capacity in the school, their homes and in the wider community. Most importantly, it helps parents to understand how their own child learns.

Set out a curriculum model that shows what proportion of learning is given over to each subject or area of learning for each year group.

Set out your approach to disabled pupils and pupils with Special Educational Needs, who may or may not have a statement, and set out how you will have regard to the SEN Code of Practice.

Organisation of pupils

Explain how pupils will be organised, for example through year groups, tutor groups or other class structures.

Pupil development and achievement

Show how your school will define, measure and hold people accountable for the success of: i) the whole school; and ii) individual pupils.

Behaviour and Attendance

Show how the Free School will promote good behaviour, positive relationships and good attitudes to learning; and show how the Free School will maintain high levels of attendance.

Community Engagement

Explain how when the Free School is established it will aim to foster good community relations and promote active contribution to modern British society, in line with the Equality Act 2010.

You must demonstrate that you have sufficient parental demand for the type of provision and number of places proposed and have engaged with the wider community. Solid evidence of parental demand is a minimum requirement and you must provide the information required in order for your application to be considered.
Information required

Evidence of parental demand

Provide information that clearly shows the number of parents that want to send their children to your particular school, ensuring that the evidence you have collected is consistent with your stated admissions policy (eg. age range, proximity to the proposed site etc.) However, please do not provide us with copies of individually completed survey forms.

Tell us the questions that you asked in your survey – which should be specific to your school.

Applications for 16-19 Free Schools may wish to show demand directly from young people of the relevant age.

Demonstrate how you have – or how you intend to – make the school known and attractive to pupils from deprived or disadvantaged families.

If you are proposing a faith school you should demonstrate that you have actively engaged with parents of other faiths and none.

You may consider providing wider demographic data and evidence about local need in the area to add context to the data from your survey findings.

Consultation and equality of opportunity

For all applications that are approved, the Academy Trust will need to carry out a statutory consultation – please set out your plans for consultation as set out under Section 10 of the Academies Act 2010; in doing so, you will want to consider your wider responsibilities under equalities legislation.

Marketing strategy

Provide a plan for how you will market the school to prospective parents. You will need to be able to achieve the demand you have identified for your school so that places will be filled in each intake year going forward.

Include details of any discussions you have had with the local authority to admit pupils, although having had such discussions is not essential.

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