c) Head Teachers

In all schools, the Head Teacher is responsible for the effective implementation of all elements of the curriculum, including Religious Education. In a Catholic school, however, the Headteacher has a special responsibility in view of his/her role as “chief catechist, the leader in Christian spirituality, moulding the pupils and supporting the staff” .
(Cardinal Winning : Foundations - Education Week Lecture 2000).

In reference to the Head Teacher’s role it is appropriate to distinguish between, on the one hand, the wider aspects of faith development nurtured by the ethos and quality of relationships throughout the Catholic school and what is legally referred to as Religious Observance; and, on the other hand, the more specific age and stage-related Religious Education teaching undertaken in class. Head Teachers are ultimately responsible for both aspects, but will normally delegate responsibility for the latter (everyday teaching) to a particular teacher. In most cases this teacher will be a Principal Teacher or Coordinator of Religious Education.

It is the responsibility of the Head Teacher to ensure that a proper share of resources is allocated to Religious Education i.e. personnel, time, accommodation, equipment and finance. In relation to time allocation, it should be noted that the Catholic Education Commission ( Scotland ), based on the principle of “use and wont”, recommends that two hours per week be allocated to formal Religious Education.

It is also the Head Teacher’s responsibility to monitor the effectiveness of the work of the Religious Education Principal / Coordinator and of other members of the Religious Education Department. This will normally be achieved through self-evaluation procedures established at school level based on the process of development planning. As part of this process it will be appropriate that specific performance indicators, relevant to Religious Education in the Catholic school, be identified and incorporated into monitoring procedures. These performance indicators will be of assistance also to Religious Education staff in the preparation of departmental Standard and Quality reports.

Once per year Head Teachers are asked to provide for the Diocesan Religious Education Office details relating to the nature of the school and the school’s Religious Education programme. This is achieved by means of completion of the Diocesan Pastoral Analysis Form . The process enables the Religious Education Adviser (Secondary) to report to the Bishop regarding trends and developments in Religious Education at a diocesan level. It also provides the opportunity for schools to raise issues of concern. In this regard, good communication between Head Teachers and diocesan authorities is critical in ensuring effective support for Religious Education.