The Catholic Life of a School is about an educational endeavour centred on the person of Christ. The school’s Catholic identity and ethos should be explicit to the whole community and beyond.
The Catholic school is a community of faith, and religious education is where that faith seeks understanding, where pupils learn to love God with all their minds, where they learn to ‘know their creed so well that they can give an account of it’. In an atmosphere of faith, religious education is the engine room of the missionary dynamic of the Catholic school as a whole.
Just as Our Lord Jesus Christ is at the heart of all our prayer and liturgy, so too He is at the centre of every Catholic school. His Gospel is the reference point for its ethos and values; He offers the definitive example of the educator. Joining Christ in praise of the Eternal Father and united by the Holy Spirit in making intercession for the world through prayer and liturgy lies at the heart of the daily life of the school. The quality of the prayer and liturgy in school not only gives honour to God but forms the spiritual and ethical life of pupils and staff alike.
The Holy Father has decided that 2025 will be a year of Jubilee, something which happens every 25 years. The theme is "Pilgrims of Hope". Pope Francis has invited Catholics to renew our hope and discover a vision that can "restore access to the fruits of the earth to everyone". We are also invited to rediscover a spirituality of God's creation in which we understand ourselves as "pilgrims on the earth" rather than masters of the world.
A poster featuring the official prayer of His Holiness Pope Francis for the Holy Year can be downloaded here, and can be found in other languages on the website of the Jubilee. The Jubilee is an experience of faith and a profound encounter with the Lord.
Key dates:
Friday 24 January 2025, Jubilee Launch Day for Schools
June 2025, Jubilee Pledge Day: Schools are invited to reflect on their mission and commit to stand in solidarity with the poorest communities, sharing hope and challenging injustice by pledging to take concrete actions to make their community, country and world a better place. In this Diocese, this will be at the Good Shepherd Celebration on Wednesday 25 June.
Friday 21 November 2025, Jubilee Finale: Celebrating the end of the Jubilee Year and looking ahead with hope.
Relationships and Sex Education is part of the mission of our Catholic schools to educate the whole person. It should be carried out as part of a holistic education which seeks to form, as well as inform, young people in preparation for adult life. Catholic schools must base their policies on the model CES policy and follow the guidance issued by them.
Primary schools in the diocese are to use Ten:Ten "Life to the Full" resources and secondary schools are also expected to use Ten:Ten "Life to the Full" but may, in discussion with the Secondary RE Adviser, agree the use of supplementary resources which are appropriate for use in Catholic schools. "Life to the Full Plus" is an excellent resource for Primary PSHE. Click here to access Ten:Ten resources.
For reference, click here to access the DfE guidance.
Rainbows is a programme that fosters emotional healing among children, young people and adults who are grieving a death, or any other significant loss in their lives. Our diocesan Rainbows Directors offer training to enable schools to establish peer support groups and deliver planned programmes. Rainbows offers three age appropriate programmes: Sunbeams for nursery and reception aged pupils, Rainbows for primary pupils and Spectrum for secondary school students. Peer support groups allow participants to share their feelings in a secure environment supported by known, trained, caring and compassionate adults.
