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The Education Service is committed to providing excellent professional development opportunities to help all members of our school communities to reach their full potential. Our training programmes and events are designed to support school staff and governors in their current roles as well as providing opportunities to prepare them for the next stage in their career, with Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities at all levels.
We are constantly striving to update our CPD offer. If you identify an area of need we have not addressed, please contact our Deputy Director of Education. Our termly event and course calendars are available to download below.
Leading in Faith aims to develop current and future school leaders, and welcomes both Catholics and non-Catholics. It will provide the following opportunities for you:
- A chance to reflect and explore your own faith and formation;
- An understanding of the unique role and mission of Catholic schools
- An insight into what it means to be a leader in a Catholic setting
- Guest appearances by Catholic leaders from across our Diocese
- The opportunity to work with a spiritual director
For more information, contact the Xavier CET Director of Education, Sam Crome.
The Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies (CCRS) is a nationally accredited course in Catholic theology that supports and enhances the teaching of Religious Education in schools and parishes. The course is designed for teachers in Catholic schools who would like to grow in understanding as they live their Catholic faith. The course may be particularly relevant to those teaching the new RE Curriculum Directory and anyone considering school leadership roles would also benefit from studying for the CCRS.
The six core modules cover Old Testament, New Testament, Church, Christology, Sacraments and Morality. The two specialist modules relate to each participant’s ministry in the Church and covers Religious Education in schools. The CCRS offers a very flexible and accessible way of learning and includes some online content. Each of the eight modules involve ten hours of course time and an assignment. Participants can take between one and five years to complete the CCRS. To read an overview of the course structure click here. You can access a range of helpful FAQs on the CCRS website here. For more information or to register your place please contact our Formation Adviser.
Xavier is one of 87 Teaching School Hubs, created by the Department for Education, to support schools with the development of their teachers. You can visit the Xavier Teaching School Hub here.
We aim to enable all young people in our schools to access to the highest quality teaching. Through collaborative partnerships, we work with schools cross regionally, primarily in Surrey, Sussex and Northamptonshire. Our philosophy is underpinned by a desire to provide lifelong teacher development for colleagues across the schools we work with, with a vision that high quality teacher support and education ensures a fulfilling and sustainable career. We are privileged to work with a wide range of established and experienced partners who bring expertise and passion for teacher development to our provision.
The diocesan Education Service work very closely with St Mary’s University in Twickenham to provide opportunities for middle and senior leaders in their development of a Catholic philosophy of education with the principles and practice of effective school leadership. An introduction to the Masters course in Catholic School Leadership (CSL) forms part of our Leadership Development course, ‘Leading in Faith.’
The Education Service is delighted to offer Masters level credits on the Leadership Development Programme in conjunction with St Mary’s University, and are proud to be the first diocese in our region to have established this. We are equally proud that the diocesan programme is accredited as a stand-alone module within the MA in Catholic School Leadership, meaning that participants can gain 30 M-level credits upon submission of assessed work.
The Trustees of the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton have generously agreed to part-fund the cost of undertaking a Masters in Catholic School Leadership at St Mary’s University and will reimburse 1/3 of fees upon completion. This is a valuable opportunity for middle and senior leaders to develop spiritually and professionally, in recognition of the critical ministry undertaken by Catholic school leaders.
Many staff will already have Masters level credits attached to their PGCEs. Please note that, in many instances, these M-level credits can be used as accredited prior learning and can count towards an MA in Catholic School Leadership (CSL). The MA in CSL at St Mary’s is four taught modules:
Catholic Education: The development of Catholic education internationally and contemporary challenges. It also focuses on key principles and service to others.
Leadership and Management: An in-depth exploration of current leadership and management theories with a particular emphasis on theories which are compatible with Gospel values, including invitational and servant leadership.
Spiritual and Theological Foundations: Spirituality, spirituality development of students and staff and the significance of spiritual leadership in Catholic schools and colleges are explored.
Leadership for Learning: Curriculum, excellence, inspection and self-evaluation feature strongly in this module.
These taught modules are followed by:
Research methods: This module aims to develop a secure understanding of the methods and tools of educational enquiry/research and the ability to select and use these appropriately.
A Dissertation: The aim of this module is to undertake a small-scale research project relevant to leadership within Catholic education and to communicate the findings and other outcomes through a dissertation.
You can find more information about the course here. Headteachers who are considering basing a course in their school or college, and believe they can attract a group of 10-12 from their own community and neighbouring Catholic schools, should contact the St Mary’s MA in Catholic School Leadership Course Lead.
