Weekly Newsletter

25th of June 2025

Something to reflect on....

Dear colleagues

Readers of a certain age will instantly recognise the dog above – it’s Snoopy, along with his friend Woodstock. From 1950 to 2000, Charles M Schulz's ‘Peanuts’ comic strip was a constant feature in 2,600 different newspapers across 75 countries and in 21 languages, with a global readership of 355 million. Ostensibly it looked like a strip about children for children, and although the characters lived in a childlike world, they were beset by adult hang-ups. Over its 50-year lifespan the strip addressed very broad themes including art, existentialism, race, feminism, war and faith. These transferred to the well-loved TV cartoon versions.

Schulz was a Christian, and the strip and cartoons regularly made references to God, Jesus, and the Bible; indeed, the majority of his stories were underpinned by his faith and Christian values.

We are only a few weeks away from a long break. For many children and staff the lead-up is exciting, and the holiday is eagerly anticipated. However, this is not true for all staff or all children, and the coming weeks can be quite worrying for them. Temporarily, the routine, the safety and support network, guaranteed food and more will shortly be in abeyance. For six weeks, some children and adults will not receive the affirmations that happen sincerely and regularly in our schools. In times and places globally when ‘othering’, ‘exclusivity’ and negativity are seen as acceptable, even promoted, the Christian view of human beings can be surprisingly antithetical. We teach children to be resilient and confident, but perhaps reinforcing some of the characteristics we know are God-blessed, especially at this time of year, would be time well-invested?

Schulz’s faith translated into the introduction of Franklin, his first black character, just weeks after the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968, when segregation and overt and institutionalised racism was rife, acceptable and legal in his home country, the USA.

Thank you for all you do for our communities and families, but importantly for who you are and how your presence matters, even when you don’t know it.

Jeff

Book recommendation: Peanuts for The Soul by Charles Schulz

The kids (and canines!) of Peanuts know a thing or two about how tough life can be. But with a philosophical approach to the trials and tribulations of growing up - from not being able to talk to the girl you like, to having a silly brother who won't take your flawless advice - they're never short of the small comforts, and the great wisdom, that can help us get by.

Fans of Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Peanuts might be interested in books by Robert L. Short : ‘The Parables of Peanuts’ and ‘Short meditations on The Bible and Peanuts’ and 'The Gospel according to Peanuts'.

Winchester Cathedral Year 6 Leavers Workshops & Services – waw!!!!!!

Last week we enjoyed the coolness of the Cathedral in the five afternoons while the sun was blasting after five mornings of fun and participation in a range of workshops. Over 500 different children each day marked the transition of their time in our schools and moving to secondary schools, while celebrating this year’s project : Triwonder. Bishop Philip, Bishop Rhiannon and Bishop Geoff enthused and encouraged staff, children and others during the days. There was much laughter and massive cheering as a pigeon flew the length of the nave (the longest Cathedral nave in Europe, so, well–done Mr/Ms Pigeon!) during the final procession one day! It blessed our Triwonder theme beyond our best hopes! Our amazing installation of creatures from Land, Sea and Sky has been seen across Meridian TV, and numerous media outlets. Thank you to each and every child who contributed to the installation, that required a cherry picker with Cathedral staff to install over two days on the North Nave. Do come and visit – enjoy the Cathedral, the installation (here until September 8th) and all we are doing to celebrate our very own Jane Austen’s 250th anniversary. Meanwhile enjoy some photos – and thanks to Jules W for her creativity and camera! View here : https://photos.app.goo.gl/ELBEfvELMfKveEdk7 (and please share on your School websites / weekly newsletters – many parents have visited our Cathedral to enjoy the installation, and we’ve alerted them that photos are available.

Triwonder Celebration Booklet

Each year we put together a booklet to celebrate all the great work our schools have done linked to our Diocesan annual project. We know that many of you have organised TriWonder days or weeks, or have used the TriWonder resources to support your curriculum. We would love to share your work, to inspire other schools in the two Dioceses and beyond. Please send your photos and an account of any TriWonder work you have undertaken to Jane.Kelly@portsmouth.anglican.org by Friday 4th July. Please note that if any photos show children’s faces, we will need to have parental permission to use them in our booklet, this is in addition to any school permission forms they may have completed. Please use the consent form here and return it with the photos. We look forward to hearing about all that you’ve been doing to celebrate God’s creation this year!

Garden Party at Wolvesey Palace

Eighty colleagues, including HTs and Chairs of Governors joined senior diocesan staff and our team at Wolvesey Palace a few weeks ago in glorious sunshine, for our annual tea party. Bishop Philip and Jeff shared some reflections and thanks for the superb work and service of those who continue to make our schools such fantastic places for learning.

Vacancy in Diocesan Education Team & Richard Wharton moving to a new role

Richard Wharton, one of our schools’ advisors, is moving on to a new role as a vicar within Portsmouth Diocese. Richard has worked in the Education Team for eleven years and will be leaving in September. We are pleased for him but will clearly miss him greatly and wish him well. You can read more about Richard’s new role here.

The timing of this and notice periods for serving Headteachers and senior leaders who may be interested in the role, means there will be a significant gap between recruiting a permanent Schools Advisor and that person starting. We will be advertising soon, and again in September, given trends in recruitment and this being a quiet time for people looking at job adverts. Therefore, we are looking to offer a secondment to a serving senior leader, or to temporarily appoint someone who is currently available, to work in the team for the Autumn Term and probably longer while we recruit. If you are interested or know anyone who may be interested please contact Sam.powell@portsmouth.anglican.org 02392 899680 to arrange a mutually convenient time for an informal conversation with Jeff. There are multiple possibilities – part time, full time, job share, and colleagues are content to review our own responsibilities and work streams if someone doesn’t have expertise or experience in aspects of the Schools Advisor’s current role. Ideally this would appeal to someone who has Headship (or acting Headship) experience, but an experienced deputy may be suitable for the secondment, which would be a great CV opportunity. If you know anyone who is currently not a senior leader in a CofE school, but has been, or is someone who would be able to undertake aspects of the role without CofE school experience, please ask them to get in touch.

Outcome of our referral to the Independent Adjudicator regarding Isle of Wight school closures

The Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) wrote to us on Monday with its ‘determination’. The adjudicator has overturned the IoW Council’s decision to close Arreton Church of England Primary School. The OSA said the council offered misleading and incorrect information, and there were procedural flaws that are likely to have influenced the decision.

We feel vindicated and justified in the relentless work we have undertaken on behalf of the children, staff, Headteachers and communities at Arreton, Oakfield and Brading. We remain saddened that the unnecessary damage and impact on children, their families and communities remain, because of a ‘flawed’ process, which we repeatedly asked officers and councillors to pause. The full determination (30 pages) will be posted on the OSA / DfE website soon and is being reported widely across the media. You can read more here.

St George’s Beneficial School : 270th birthday!

This month St George's in Portsmouth city is celebrating being 270 years old! The school opened in 1755 and originally served just 6 boys on a ticket-basis, meaning that each member of the Beneficial Society was allotted a place that they could offer to a Portsea boy of his choice. All these years later they are delighted to still serve this diverse, dynamic community of boys... and girls too, of course!

In celebration of this special anniversary they held a sing-along with families last Tuesday which included classic hymns and primary school favourites. Later in the week they held a Monster Sponsor to raise some funds for the Foundation Stage playground and Science garden, and for a special commemorative plaque for the anniversary. Earlier this year, the school brought back its (now infamous) Bene Bun day - a special day from the school's past where each child was given a current bun by the church (originally from the Beneficial Society after their feast). While there are mixed tales about the origins of this day, many recall the walk back from St George's church with a delicious bun tucked under their arm, a daffodil in their hand and a hymn or two still being sung!

Headteacher Izzie Lewis shared with families what a privilege it is to be part of such a great school with a rich history and how excited they are to bring these events back in celebration of their amazing past.

Hook with Warsash school engages with ‘Art of Jesus’ project

Pupils from Hook-with-Warsash were given the opportunity to create paintings based on stories about Jesus. Worshippers from St Mary’s Church led the 12 sessions after school each week during the Spring term as part of the ‘Art of Jesus’ project. Their paintings and drawings were then placed on display in the church over Easter. You can read more about it here.

Schools participate in prayer pilgrimages

Schools in Portsmouth diocese were involved in prayer pilgrimages as part of the global prayer initiative ‘Thy Kingdom Come’. Pupils from Swanmore Primary and Oakfield Primary joined in with their local walks, and pupils from Steep Primary welcomed walkers to collective worship at All Saints Church.

Global Neighbours

It is really encouraging to know that so many schools across both dioceses are prioritising global citizenship, enabling their pupils to become ‘agents of change.’ We have been advised that the September cohort of training for the Global Neighbours award is almost full, so if you are planning to include global citizenship in your school development plan for next year, please sign up on the Christian Aid website. We are a Christian Aid partner diocese, so you will receive a 10% discount on the cost of the award. If you would like to know more about what is involved in becoming a Global Neighbours school and how it can change your school culture, please contact Jane.Kelly@portsmouth.anglican.org.

Trick Box

A few years ago we featured Trick Box at our Area Briefings and some schools took up this programme and rate it. The Trick Box programmes support children, young people and their families from EYFS1 to KS5. It’s evidence-based with over 1,000 children, studies found improvement in : General wellbeing by 80%, Positive behaviour by 67%, Interpersonal skills by 76%. Trick Box is offering a free zoom info session which covers all the key areas (so it's like a mini training session) and a 15% discount on all programmes and products. (This offer is not on the Trick Box website.) If interested please get in touch: https://trickbox.co.uk/contact/ You can read all about Trickbox here.

New Net Zero Animation for Schools

A new animation to help schools take the first steps to lowering their carbon emissions has been launched by the Church of England’s Net Zero programme. The short ‘claymatian’ style animation offers tips for schools to help reduce carbon emissions from their buildings, as well as signposting to regional and national support. An updated digital guide has also been created, offering schools simple tips to get started on their net zero carbon journey. Read more here and watch the video here.

Jane Austen 250 Years

This year marks 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen. To mark this significant anniversary, our Cathedral joins local organisations to celebrate her legacy. You can find out about a whole range of events including lectures, tours, cream teas and more at the website: Winchester Cathedral | Celebrating Jane. Importantly, a newly commissioned statue of Jane Austen will be permanently located in the inner close. This will be unveiled on 16th October – meantime, there's a variety of events happening so do consider a visit!

This year’s project; a free Creation Care resource; and the Year 6 Cathedrals’ Installation instructions

Our project booklet for schools and churches, packed with resources and ideas is available here. The project overview, explanation of the title and logo, as well as other background information is contained in the Introduction to the booklet. This provides an excellent opportunity for churches to work with their local CofE or Community school specifically on the focus areas of Creation Care, Outdoor Learning and Mental and emotional well-being. A free resource ‘Caring for creation together’ has been shared with schools, but you can access here under the licence I’ve agreed. Details and instructions regarding our Year 6 Installation at the Cathedrals can be accessed here.

You are receiving this message because you are: a Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, RE Lead, Chair, Foundation or Ex Officio Governor, Children and Youth Worker, or have requested to join our mailing list in the Diocese of Winchester or the Diocese of Portsmouth.

Our resources and further information are available at:

https://winchester.anglican.org/education-schools/resources-for-schools/

https://www.portsmouth.anglican.org/education/resources/