Schools and Parishes Partnership Officer

This is an important role, newly created to support schools in strengthening their collective worship and creating Pupil Leaders of Worship.

We are looking for someone, clergy or lay, with experience of working in the education sector who will be able to plan and deliver projects within schools. The programme’s work is externally funded by the national church, and this role is therefore offered initially as a fixed-term, three-year contract, on a part-time (0.8) basis.

Are you passionate about spiritual growth and discipleship? Do you believe in investing in the faith, formation and leadership of children and young people? If so, this is the role for you.

Duties and Key Responsibilities

• To support the Board of Education’s aim to ‘Live God’s Love in Education,’ working with its schools and their communities to ‘enable life in all its fullness’ and see them flourish.
• To be committed to promoting educational excellence in an environment that is deeply Christian and focused on the spiritual development of the children in its network of schools and their communities.
• To engage with the day‑to‑day work of schools, statutory service providers and other local, regional, and national organisations as conducted by the Schools Team.
• To lead on staff training in schools, embedding and strengthening approaches to pupil‑led worship in both schools and churches.
• To develop a peer network of volunteer chaplains through piloting an ‘Authorised Chaplaincy Assistance Programme’ based on approaches trialled in other dioceses. This 7–9‑month programme combines facilitator‑led training, school placement, and parish support, with content underwritten by Ridley Hall, Cambridge. We propose to access the resources developed by Ridley Hall which would reduce set‑up costs and enable a swifter roll‑out. This role would build a peer network of volunteer chaplains, each of whom would work with Years 4–6, train staff, and boost pupil‑led worship in schools and churches. The vision is to build long‑term relationships with children and support key transition points, where young people typically drop out of church.
• To develop, pilot, and roll out a ‘Living Covenant’ model to strengthen the relationship between parishes and schools. This would align both in shared vision, engaging wider stakeholders beyond the headteacher and incumbent, and focus on local service, environmental stewardship, and nurturing Christian community. The model has been developed in other dioceses, and we can draw on their experience. Engagement and support for parents in discipling their children would be incorporated.
• To support the development of strong relationships between schools and parishes, working towards the diocesan strategy to ‘Grow Younger and more Diverse’, alongside programmes such as, for example, The Alban Way and Launchpad.