Teacher Recruitment Intensifies in Britain

LONDON, JULY 7, 2002 (Zenit.org).- The Church in England and Wales is stepping up efforts to recruit more Catholic teachers for its schools.

"To be blunt, if we do not have sufficient Catholic teachers and Catholics suitable to fill the key posts of head teacher and head of RE [religious education], there will be very difficult times ahead and the very ethos of some of our schools could be brought into question," said Oona Stannard, the director of Catholic Education Service.

CES' key tasks include the recruitment and retention of Catholic teachers. For this reason it has launched its first wide-ranging questionnaire, aimed at providing detailed information about teachers working in the Catholic setting.

"The survey has been launched in close collaboration with Diocesan Schools' Commissioners and RE advisers to ensure that it captures the data and opinions that will be of most use to them in diocesan work and for future planning nationally," Stannard said in a statement.

"I think that Catholic teachers and leaders working beyond the Catholic sector simply do not appreciate how much we need them back in Catholic schools and what a welcome they would get," she added.

The questionnaire can be found at www.catholiceducation.org.uk/questionnaire/.

The questionnaire will be available until the end of July.