First steps

The first thing to do when wanting to connect with and build relationships with your local schools is to find out how many there are, where they are and any other information that you can about them.

You may want to discover what size they are and whether they have any church connection.

Schools to learn about:

• Nursery schools
• Primary/national schools
• Post primary/national schools
• Special schools

You may also want to find out which members of your congregation have connections not only to those local schools, but to others also.

Do you have members who are:

• Teachers
• Classroom assistants
• Pupils, especially those at key stages at school
• Others involved, e.g. secretarial roles, cleaners, governors, volunteers
• Visitors, e.g. those who take assemblies and lessons, inspections, etc.?

Spend some time talking to those who are involved in schools to find out what it is like to work and learn in those environments; talk to local principals; check out the schools’ websites. Ask for ideas of what you can specifically pray for, both for the people involved as individuals and for the school as a whole. Find out how many classes there are and how many children and young people attend.

Once you have made yourself familiar with all the schools in your area and also all the people in your congregation who are involved in these or other schools, you have the opportunity to move on to further involvement.