On the 30th June, Andy and Sallie Ingram will be tutoring a M1 course (teaching bell handling) at Billingshurst, Sussex. The day course is the first component of the ART Training scheme where teachers are encouraged to put everything into practice by teaching someone to handle a bell and record their lesson plans in a teacher’s log book.
Billingshurst – St Mary the Virgin (8)
The course is suitable for experienced teachers who wish to extend their skills and new teachers who would like to start teaching, ideally with the support of a more experienced teacher in a mentor role, or within a group teaching situation.
By breaking down the physical action of bell handling into small steps, starting with the bell in the ‘down’ position, new ringers are able to develop each part of the action in isolation before joining these together once they become fluid. In this way, any handling issues can be quickly spotted and averted before they become habitual and lead to frustration later on due to poor bell control.
Spaces on the course can be requested through the online booking form here: The cost is £20 per person (payable to ART), plus any local contribution for refreshments which can be paid directly to the course organiser on the day.
Car parking is in nearby roads or pay-and-display car park in the Library car park behind Sainsburys Local in the High Street.
The ringing room is a light, airy and large with a large whiteboard and large blackboard. There is a nice peal of eight bells (tenor 14-2-18) and the front six can have their clappers tied. Access to the tower is via a nice long straight wooden staircase with closed treads and a good handrail. We will use the Church Room nearby for toilets. Tea/coffee etc will be provided. Please bring your own lunch.
Post Code for St Mary’s Church: RH14 9PY
The day course itself is only ‘day one’ of the training programme, but it includes a mixture of theory and practical exercises with some discussion on various learning styles, working with ringers of varying ability, giving relevant and timely feedback, helping ringers to set their own goals and enjoy learning to ring.
Following the course, delegates will be given access to SmART Ringer website where they can register their new ringers for the Learning the Ropes scheme, review the PowerPoints from the day, download resources for teaching bell handling and other useful documents on safeguarding, good practice, recruitment and retention.
Once a teacher feels they are confident putting everything into practice with teaching handling, they can invite an ART Assessor along to watch them teach, look through their completed log book and hopefully offer them accreditation with ART subject to a positive visit. Aside from member benefits, many teachers find the process of accreditation is very good for their overall confidence and a positive experience in terms of developing teaching skills.