Catholic schools across the country are working with Metro Mayors, regional government and local authorities on social justice issues like child poverty and youth mental health.
This is due to Catholic Social Teaching, which is based on the encyclicals of current and former Popes, and principles such as solidarity and subsidiarity, to provide a framework for contemporary practical application.
A £1 bus fare cap for under-21s – campaigned for by St Thomas More Catholic Sixth Form students – was extended in November by the new Mayor of the North East, Kim McGuiness (pictured, centre, with St Thomas More representatives), potentially until 2028, as part of a package of measures she launched to tackle child poverty.
Students from the sixth form, which is in North Shields, Hexham and Newcastle Diocese, had previously persuaded a former North of Tyne Mayor to introduce the fare cap in 2023.
At Runnymede St Edward’s Catholic Primary School, in Liverpool Archdiocese, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram saw how artificial intelligence (AI) has used data to identify gaps in pupils’ learning and tailor support accordingly.
In October the Mayor announced a pilot of the AI service for all schools in the region, delivered by education technology company CENTURY, during an event at Runnymede St Edward’s, with pupils interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
In Bristol, St Bede’s Catholic College headteacher, Robert King, worked with Mayor Dan Norris and the West of England Combined Authority to introduce a new bus service. This was to partly replace one cut by operator First Bus, a decision which had been negatively affecting students and local residents.
School-based mental health counselling for all Year 9s was launched in October by Brighton and Hove Council, a city-wide pilot initiative introduced after successful representations from Cardinal Newman Catholic School.
The Arundel and Brighton Diocese-based secondary had previously worked with local NHS services for nearly a decade to help support students experiencing mental health issues.
Find out more about Catholic Social Teaching in schools