At St. Joseph’s, we are a school of love and hope. We believe that a Catholic education develops the full potential of all young people, leading to their life-long activities being guided by the Spirit and presence of Christ, in the service of God and of others.
It is a unique journey through education as it puts all learning and teaching in a Catholic moral context ultimately both challenging and supporting young people to develop in mind, body and spirit. The role of a Catholic school is to help everyone in the school community to discover the true value and dignity of each and every human being.
The school focuses on the education of the whole child. It is centred on Gospel values and reflecting on the teaching of the Catholic Church. Hence, the formation of each person is regarded as being as important as the information which is transmitted through the teaching offered.
Parents are the first educators of their child in faith and a strong home-school link is fundamental in supporting the school in its mission . Together, we provide support for the faith community, helping to form a Christian conscience, and in addressing the increasingly secular influences of popular culture.
Catholic Social Teaching
Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is founded in Scripture and includes statements and letters written by Church leaders. It offers wisdom and insights on living the Gospel in today’s world. Jesus tells us to love God and to love our neighbours, especially our sisters and brothers living in poverty. We use Catholic Social Teaching principles to guide all our work.
We reference CST in all that we do – in Celebration of the Word, all curriculum lessons and in all activities that we take part in during our times in and out of school.
Opportunities outside school
Pupils from Y5 and Y6 have the opportunity to spend 3 days in the Youth Ministry Retreat each year. They spend time alongside pupils from other schools to develop and understand their faith and importance, while recognising how they can support the faith journey of others.
Alongside this, Y6 children take part in a Faith day, led by the YMT, alongside hundreds of other pupils in the Diocese. Our choir take part in many parish events, including ‘The Big Sing’ with choirs from other schools, while 2 of our pupils formed part of the BCCET choir singing at the Headteacher Mass in November. Each class has the opportunity to lead a whole school liturgy or Mass, at least once a year, while also taking roles in the many collective worship events through the Liturgical year.
Learning Environment
Each class has a focal point that reflects the liturgical season. A working wall also echoes the current season and Come and See topic. The children plan and lead class ‘Celebration of the Word’ every week and have their own class prayer book. Our RE Ambassadors recently worked with the RE lead to look at the school environment and how it support pupils’ spiritual mission and understanding. This resulted in planned changes to the environment, including prayer areas, and the purchase of new resources. A prayer intentions postbox was set up for pupils to place their own intentions that are shared each Monday.
Engagement with parents
Parents are actively encouraged to attend all meetings as part of the First Holy Communion programme, and are also invited to attend a special Faith in Action ‘Celebration of the Word’, where they can celebrate the journey of their children. Parents are invited to year group Liturgies or Masses during the year, whilst all whole school Masses in Church are very well attended. The parish Wednesday Mass is attended by a different class every week.
Information about Advent and Lent, including calendars of worship, are shared with all parents. Advent and Lenten bags, which include resources to inform parents, are shared with each family. Reception parents receive a ‘prayer set’ in the first week of their child entering our school. The parish bulletin is electronically shared with parents on a weekly basis.
