The main organisers used to identify CLPL opportunities which appropriately meet the needs of teachers in Catholic schools at various career stages are the 6 Catholic School CLPL Areas which cover a range of personal, spiritual and religious needs, as defined below. When planning to take advantage of the CLPL opportunities which will appropriately meet their needs throughout their professional careers, teachers in Catholic schools should consider the types of experiences and activities which can be ‘matched’ to the GTCS Professional Standards – for Provisional Registration, Full Registration, Career-long Professional Learning, Middle Leadership and Headship . So, when auditing or planning Catholic School CLPL provision, these Standards can be used to ‘frame’ different CLPL opportunities which will be available to teachers at different career stages.
Personal Spiritual Development
Vocation of the Teacher
Catholic School Mission and Identity
Religious Education
Catholic Curriculum issues
Catholic School Leadership
Personal Spiritual Development: experiences which provide opportunities for personal reflection and prayer, leading to growth of self-awareness, beliefs, values and commitments
Your own spiritual development is integral to your continued professional development as a teacher in a Catholic school. Our relationship with God should be a living one and therefore needs the same care that any other relationship requires. CLPL opportunities that focus on personal spiritual development such as: personal reflections, retreats, prayer services and Mass, allow the time and structure for you to engage in this within the context of your role as a Catholic educator.
If you are not of the Catholic faith, it will be important for you to develop an understanding and awareness of the Catholic spirituality that shapes the school in which you work – including the seasons of the year and different ways in which Catholics worship (Mass, devotions, prayers etc).
Vocation of the Teacher: exploration of a personal response to being called to teach, called to evangelise, called to catechise, called to witness, called to lead, called to accompany young people
In Christianity, teaching is understood as a vocation, or a calling, and not simply one career choice amongst many. This means that because of our particular talents and abilities, God has called us to be teachers and we have responded to this call. This call to teach reaches far beyond just communicating information and instead means being both excellent professionals and positive witnesses to the Catholic faith, irrespective of our subject areas.
Catholic School Mission and Identity opportunities to understand the vision and values of Catholic education, to reflect on how these affect the mission of the Catholic school and to explore how they are addressed in school evaluation and planning; working in partnership with the Church, with parents and the wider faith community to address Catholic school mission
The mission of the Church is to make Jesus Christ known and loved. In partnership with the Church, parents and the wider faith community, Catholic schools share in this mission in a fundamental way. The Catholic school has a unique understanding of education and of the human person that necessarily shapes every aspect of the school – from discipline to evaluation and planning.
Religious Education: knowledge of Scripture, Church teaching and of world religions; learning about the purpose and nature of Religious Education in a Catholic school; experience of using ‘This Is Our Faith’ to plan lessons, units and programmes
This Is Our Faith, the syllabus for Catholic religious education in Scotland, governs the planning, learning and teaching of religious education in Scotland’s Catholic schools. It is designed to inform teachers’ understanding of the nature of the Catholic school and the purpose of religious education taking Scripture, Church Teaching and Tradition (the handing of the faith from Jesus to the Apostles onwards) as its core sources.
Catholic Curriculum Issues: familiarisation with range of moral, social, ethical and spiritual aspects of some curriculum topics e.g., Life issues in Science; education for loving relationships; War, Peace, Environment, Hunger etc.; Learning about Rights, Social Justice etc
Some curricular areas demand a response that is unique to Catholic schools. This is not limited, to but includes RSHP education. The way that this is delivered within a Catholic school is formed by the Catholic Church’s teaching about the human person and sexuality. This example, and others, require staff to be familiar with a range of moral, social, ethical and spiritual aspects of a range of curriculum topics.
Catholic School Leadership: discernment of personal call to leadership roles at various career stages; knowledge of statutory arrangements affecting Catholic schools; knowledge of Church teaching which offers guidance on a range of ethical practices required of school leaders; familiarisation with Catholic school systems internationally
Every teacher in a catholic school is asked to be a positive example of leadership, whether this takes place in a formal or informal role. The process of discerning, or seeking to understand the will of God for our career choices, is key to taking on the responsibility of any promoted post. The responsibilities associated specifically with formal leadership roles at various career stages require knowledge of Church teaching, understanding Christian leadership and statutory arrangements for Catholic schools both in Scotland and internationally.