CSSC and TRC affirm collaborative partnership

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The organisations have the common aims of the provision of excellence in education and enabling children and young people to fulfil their potential. 

Many controlled schools have a special relationship with the Presbyterian, Church of Ireland and Methodist churches, the original owners and managers of schools that were transferred into state control in the early 20 th century.  This relationship is continued today by the TRC having representation on many controlled schools’ boards of governors as well as CSSC itself. 

CSSC Chief Executive Barry Mulholland said, 

CSSC supports controlled schools, which are open to all faiths and none, in providing high quality education for children and young people to enable them to learn, develop and grow together, within the ethos of non-denominational Christian values and principles. 

I am delighted that we are building on the sound working relationship we have developed with the TRC through the publication today of our MoU.  

The MoU clarifies how the organisations will work in partnership to advocate on behalf of the sector and enable the 142,000 pupils who attend controlled schools to fulfil their potential.

The Right Reverend Ken Good, Chair of the TRC said, 

The TRC, which represents the interests of the founding owners and managers of controlled schools, is pleased to have agreed a MoU with the Controlled Schools’ Support Council which clearly sets out the joint and several roles and responsibilities of both bodies in supporting controlled schools in their provision of excellence in education aimed at enabling children and young people to fulfil their potential. 

Education in Northern Ireland is facing unprecedented challenges that impact upon every aspect of educational provision and so the partnership-working, articulated through the TRC-CSSC MoU, represents an essential means of ensuring that the interests of controlled schools, their staff and children are consistently and effectively championed and supported. 

The Memorandum is a living document that will be kept under regular review.  This will ensure that it is always fit for purpose and consistently addresses the circumstances faced by controlled schools in meeting their statutory requirement to provide for the spiritual, moral, cultural, intellectual and physical development of the community in a way that is equitable, fair and focussed on excellence.

 

26 June 2018