Confirmation of the Process of Approval for NABS Certification of General RE in Catholic Sixth Forms in Schools and Colleges
 
 
The Process and Criteria  (Adobe Acrobat document - 121KB) Coversheet for submission  (Adobe Acrobat document - 82KB)
 
Today is the deadline for confirmation of the criteria and process to accompany this year’s round of NABS approval to ensure that Bishop’s Certificates for General RE 16-19, may be available for funding for our sixth forms from the LSC.
You will recall that there has been much urgent activity recently to ensure that our college and school sixth forms will be able to attract funding from the LSC for the coming years. The attached paperwork is the fruit of much labour on the part of those who attended the extraordinary NABS meeting which was held on Friday 23 May 2003 and their subsequent contribution to drafts of the criteria. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all involved for their commitment, hard work and energy to bring this to fruition.

I hope that everyone will feel that the attached documentation meets their needs. There are, however, two points which I would like to draw to your attention. In responses, I was reminded that the canonical procedure is that bishops approve the RE in their diocese and it was therefore suggested that the terminology should be changed to approval by bishops and endorsement by NABS. I am wary of doing this because it changes the terminology enshrined in the development of these certificates when they were approved for colleges and in our more recent dialogue with the LSC. The Oxford dictionary defines endorsement as “declare one’s approval of”. I therefore hope that you will not object to the fact that I have left the terminology as “endorsed by bishops” and “approved by NABS”. The second point is to do with the degree of detail and advice contained in the documentation. There were some very helpful suggestions of additional material which might be included. I think that this gives us future opportunities to pursue good practice guidance, appendices etc but, for the moment, the imperative is to ensure that our schools and colleges are all in a position to complete their pupil count forms in September 2003 and therefore I hope that we have kept the requirements and guidance as straightforward as possible at this stage. I am sure that through NABS and NBRIA additional support will be part of the ongoing review of the certificates and the approval process in the future.

Some of the “approval” group meetings for NABS to follow due process have already been set up but Canon Peter will be in touch with others who have volunteered (or seeking additional volunteers) to co-ordinate meetings in the near future, in accordance with our published deadline.

Once again, thank you for your support and help. I am confident that we now have a good system which should enable us to serve our young people in ways appropriate to their needs, and which will continue (or in some cases begin) to nurture their knowledge and understanding of the faith, alongside issues of religion in our contemporary society.

 
 
Oona Stannard

Director
Catholic Education Service

9 June 2003