Meeting documents

BATH AND NORTH EAST SOMERSET

COUNCIL CABINET MEETING - WEDNESDAY 14 MAY 2008

Item 11: A Review of Secondary Schools in Bath and North East Somerset

No one likes change, but it presents opportunities and the status quo is not an option. Fundamentally our priority must remain the best outcomes for the young people of Bath & North East Somerset and the Diocese continues to support the proposal for the merger of Oldfield and St Mark's.

Since the council meeting in March, I believe there has been a degree of discussion around the church status of the proposed school in north Bath. So what would this mean? Put simply, this is the Church of England demonstrating a historic yet progressive commitment to education.

Church of England Schools.... are not about indoctrination - I tend to leave that to certain canned drinks manufacturers and computer software companies - but they acknowledge the roots of the values that underpin our education system in this country. No school is value-free. Our schools offer the possibility of developing a greater level of community cohesion through the understanding of how faith shapes common life. This matters for the lives of individuals, whether they are believers or not - because the failure to understand how faith operates leaves young people ill-equipped for life in a multi-faith society - and world.

Young people are full of questions, passionate about ethical issues, and given opportunity will develop positive and responsible attitudes towards others and the community. Anglican schools are open to dialogue about religious and secular responses to the exciting and yet often tragic world in which we live. This school would be the maintained Anglican school for Bath, but predominantly serve its local community. In so doing, it contributes positively to the authority's offer of choice and diversity across the city.

If we were to wind the clock forward seven or eight years and look at the achieved transition, we would see from the amalgamation of Oldfield and St Mark's, hopefully in new or radically refreshed buildings, a school with high standards and a real sense of community where children from all backgrounds and abilities experience achievement and have aspiration for the future. The curriculum will be enriched - I doubt we can envisage exactly what it might look like beyond the core subjects, or indeed the models of organisation for students that could emerge within the school and through its multiple external partnerships. Students would leave with a portfolio of qualifications, and a positive memory of their education that would inspire their future learning. This may sound idealistic, but with dialogue, imagination and carefully planned steps, I believe it could be achieved.

At the council meeting in March when this was discussed, I entreated the council not to loose sight of its vision during the detailed discussions. I believe that with the amalgamation of Oldfield and St Mark's as a new church co-ed school, and because the current schools are different, the whole could be far greater than the sum of its parts.

Maureen J Bollard

Director of Education

Diocese of Bath & Wells