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| The Association of Ringing Teachers | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Association of Ringing Teachers |
| Formation | 1970s |
| Type | Professional association |
| Purpose | Bell ringing instruction, ringing standards, teacher support |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Region served | England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland |
The Association of Ringing Teachers is a United Kingdom–based professional body for instructors and practitioners of change ringing, handbell ringing, campanology and associated practices. It supports ringers, teachers and training providers through qualifications, syllabuses and events that intersect with institutions such as Guild of Church Musicians, Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, Royal School of Church Music, Historic England and National Trust (United Kingdom). The association liaises with dioceses, cathedrals and parish churches including Canterbury Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, York Minster, St Paul’s Cathedral and regional bell restoration projects like Whitechapel Bell Foundry, John Taylor & Co, Gillett & Johnston.
The association emerged amid postwar revival movements linked to organizations such as Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, Campanology Societies, British Campanological Society and regional guilds like the York Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers, Society of Royal Cumberland Youths and Ancient Society of College Youths. Early collaboration involved figures associated with Sir David Willcocks, Dom Gregory Murray, Kenneth Leighton, Felix Mendelssohn (whose choral traditions intersected with cathedral rings) and civic restorations in cities such as Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds. The association’s formation paralleled heritage campaigns by Victorian Society (United Kingdom), conservation work by Churches Conservation Trust and ringing projects at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Durham University and Trinity College, Cambridge.
Governance is modeled on professional bodies similar to Royal College of Organists, Institute of Directors (United Kingdom), Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and diocesan structures found in Church of England cathedrals such as Lincoln Cathedral and Exeter Cathedral. The association maintains committees for training, examinations and welfare comparable to those of Teachers’ Standards bodies and works with trusts like Heritage Lottery Fund and funding partners such as Arts Council England and National Churches Trust. It engages with legal frameworks involving Charities Commission registration patterns, governance codes endorsed by Institute for Voluntary Action Research and safeguarding policies used by Church of England.
Membership pathways reflect similar schemes used by Royal Society of Musicians, Guild of Organists and county guilds including Sussex County Association of Change Ringers and Surrey Association of Bellringers. Candidates include volunteer ringers from parish groups such as St Martin-in-the-Fields and students at institutions like Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music and universities with ringing societies such as University of Edinburgh and University of Glasgow. Qualifications align with continuing professional development models used by Institute of Civil Engineers and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, and members often hold parallel credentials from bodies like Association of Church Archivists and Record Managers and Historic Churches Trusts.
Programs draw on instructional methods similar to those of Royal Society for the Protection of Birds training volunteers, National Trust (United Kingdom) guided learning, and music education approaches from Royal Schools of Music. Courses cover practical ringing at towers such as St Mary Redcliffe, method tutoring used at Cambridge University Guild of Change Ringers, and teaching modules comparable to Prince’s Trust volunteer training. Partnerships include collaborations with cathedral education departments at Salisbury Cathedral, Chichester Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral and outreach projects with schools linked to Department for Education (United Kingdom) initiatives.
Assessment frameworks mirror standards used by City and Guilds of London Institute, Association of Accounting Technicians, BTEC and accreditation models endorsed by Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (United Kingdom). Examinations test ringing proficiency across methods practiced in towers like Great St Mary’s, Cambridge, Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, Hereford Cathedral and employ external examiners drawn from well-known ringing families associated with Society of Royal Cumberland Youths, Ancient Society of College Youths and county associations such as Lincolnshire Association of Change Ringers.
The association organises workshops, strikes nights and residential courses that dovetail with events hosted by Bellringers’ Festivals, Ringing World anniversaries, and competitions allied to All England Youth and Young Ringers Competitions and regional ringing meets in Norwich, Bristol, Cardiff and Belfast. It participates in heritage open days coordinated with National Trust (United Kingdom), Historic England listings, and civic commemorations like Remembrance Sunday services held at sites including Tower of London and Houses of Parliament.
Publications include teaching syllabuses, method compendia, handbooks and guidance similar in role to materials from Ringing World, Campanologist journals, Royal School of Church Music publications and local guild newsletters such as those from York Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers and Guildford Diocesan Guild of Ringers. Resources extend to digital libraries, training DVDs and online modules comparable to offerings by BBC Radio, British Library sound collections and university archives at Bodleian Libraries. The association also advises on conservation issues alongside agencies like Historic England, National Churches Trust and manufacturers such as John Taylor & Co and Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
Category:Bell ringing