A consultation with Leeds Trinity University staff and students has led to the UK’s first Catholic mission strategy being produced.

This has been welcomed by staff, students and governors at Leeds Trinity, which is one of four Catholic universities in England. 

Consultation and open psychologically safe listening revealed that some staff and students did not fully understand the Catholic nature of the university and how it can be expressed in a competitive higher education marketplace. 

The inspiring story of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion and CES, who opened the university in 1966 to widen access to education and skills for marginalised groups in society, was the catalyst for a renewed understanding of why the Catholic mission of the university can and should continue to be articulated. 

The story of The Most Venerable Elizabeth Prout also inspired the Leeds Trinity community to see themselves in the story of the foundress of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion order — and as part of the continuation of her mission to provide education for all.

Dr Ann Marie Mealey (pictured), the university’s Director of Catholic Mission, said: “The founding vision of transformation of lives through education informed by faith still resonates on campus today, including with non-Catholics. We always need to find new ways of aligning our Catholic mission with sector demands because Catholic education has always made a significant contribution to ‘teaching from the margins of society’ with faith and love. And this is still credible in today’s world.

“I am so proud of the Leeds Trinity staff and student community. They found our foundational story and raison d’être so inspiring once it was explained to everyone that each and every person is a part of a mission to offer education as hope for a better future for everyone. Our motto of education for hope is used positively by many staff and students and is a sign of renewed engagement with who we always were since 1966.”

The university reaffirmed its mission inspired by the guidance of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion as follows:

• learn respect for self and others

• learn the meaning of an inclusive community which celebrates difference and acknowledges mutual interdependence

• develop a love of learning and appreciation of their talents

• read the signs of the times and respond to the crying needs of the world today

• share their gifts and resources in a spirit of compassion for the building of a more just world

The strategy includes an emphasis on providing skills outside of the classroom to students in ethical leadership programmes and workshops, inspired by the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. It also capitalises on the global network of Catholic higher education, of which England’s four Catholic universities are a part.

The strategic pillars of the new strategy align with Leeds Trinity’s strategic plan and demonstrate how each and every person is invited to develop their full potential. This is achieved through sustainable education; ethically informed student experience; support for Catholic multi-academy trusts; research and knowledge exchange; as well as in international and national collaborations with sister Catholic schools, colleges and universities that make up the Catholic family of education providers.

Leeds Trinity’s recent Catholic mission work has branched out into areas including Beyond The Dark Clouds, a free online lecture series and internationally-known podcast on Catholic approaches to topical issues; an annual conference on Catholic education; designing an ethical leadership programme in association with CAFOD; and hosting a mosaic of Biblical scenes by an award-winning artist at the university’s chapel.

Part of the mosaic depicted Alan Kurdi, the two-year-old boy washed up on a beach in Turkey while crossing the Mediterranean from Syria. Dr Mealey said that non-Catholic staff and students visiting the exhibition were impressed to hear of the Bishops’ approach to migration, as articulated in Love The Stranger.     

She said: “Some staff and students said they didn’t know that the Bishops engaged with the ethical challenges of our times. But being guided to learn more about the intellectual side of the Church helped those who are not Catholic to come forward and speak about our university’s Catholicism in a positive light and to understand more fully that the social teachings of the Church invite everyone to consider what is deeply human about education and human living.

“I’m so grateful to everyone for their contributions and engagement in this process and hope that our work inspires other universities to design their own strategies for hope.”

Find out more about Leeds Trinity University’s Catholic mission

Many of the 2,169 Catholic schools, colleges and academies in England and Wales employ chaplains to address the social, emotional and spiritual needs of students and staff.

However, a lack of career progression and limited pay can result in low numbers of applicants for school chaplaincy vacancies, with chaplains stretched between multiple sites, and who then move on to jobs with better prospects.

Tom Baptist is Director of Chaplaincy at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi-Academy Trust. In collaboration with the Diocese of Nottingham Education Service, he has highlighted and addressed this issue by establishing a career pathway from apprentice level up to a regional chaplaincy director.

Within this innovative structure a lay chaplain support staff post has been created to avoid teaching assistants taking on pastoral duties beyond their role.

This new post provides formal recognition for their work, an improved salary, and potential career progression into school chaplaincy.

The school chaplains are supported by the education structure in Nottingham Diocese, with all 84 of its state-funded Catholic schools within three multi-academy trusts (MATs).

Consistent pay and conditions are ensured by the diocesan Human Resources Director who oversees all three MATs.

Further detail is available within the presentation downloadable below, which has been kindly provided by Tom. 

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:14-15

Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.

Proverbs 4:13

The political community has a duty to honour the family, to assist it, and to ensure especially: … the freedom to profess one’s faith, to hand it on, and raise one’s children in it, with the necessary means and institutions…

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2211

Background

As a religious community we value our partnership with successive governments in England and Wales in the provision of Catholic education. Its fruit is the more than 2,100 nurseries, schools, special schools, independent schools, colleges, and universities which make the Catholic Church the second-largest provider of education in the country, and with the biggest network of academies.

Catholic schools exist to support parents as the primary educators of their children and welcome anyone who seeks a Catholic education for their child. Rapidly expanded in the 19^th century to meet the needs of the growing urban population, today Catholic schools make up 9% of the state-funded sector and are considerably more ethnically diverse than the national average. They take in more pupils from the poorest households and outperform state schools by up to seven percentage points at GCSE English, Mathematics and Religious Education.

The Catholic community provides a significant financial contribution to the government in rent-free provision of land and buildings for schools, and by contributing to capital costs saves taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds.

This 177 years of partnership with the State has resulted in a legal foundation which protects the core principles of Catholic education. Amongst these are the ability to give priority in admissions to Catholic children; the right of bishops to appoint a majority of school governors; the right to reserve senior leadership posts for Catholics; and the legal right to teach, inspect and set the curriculum for Religious Education in Catholic schools.

Catholic education is popular with parents and successful in preparing pupils for life in modern Britain. However, there are campaigns to get rid of schools with a religious character, and to change the curriculum so that our schools would no longer be Catholic.

Action

The sector is successful because of the hundreds of thousands of teachers, leaders, parents and volunteers but it still requires a Government to safeguard a Catholic approach:

• The Government should support Catholic schools through policy and legislation which protects the legal foundations of this historic sector.

• The Government should work closely with the Catholic sector to use best practice and ensure that the existing Catholic approach to governance, admissions, inspections, and the curriculum continues to flourish.

• Whilst acknowledging the essential work of educational practitioners, the Government should recognise that parents are the first and primary educators of their children and ensure that this right permeates through all education policy.

What are your candidate’s views?

You may want to consider these questions when speaking to candidates seeking election.

• Do they support the creation of new Catholic schools, including new Catholic Special Schools, through the removal of the cap on faith-based admissions?

• Will they protect current admissions arrangements in Catholic schools?

• Do they recognise the importance of Catholic leaders, teachers and governors in maintaining the Catholic school ethos?

• What support will they give to raising the importance of Religious Education?

• How will they safeguard parents’ rights as the primary educators including their right to withdraw their child from Relationships and Sex education and Religious Education?

Resources

Christ at the Centre – Why the Church Provides Catholic Schools

Catholic Education in England and Wales

Catholic Schools: Partners in Formation – Celebrating 175 Years of the Catholic Education Service

The Code of Canon Law: Catholic Education

“Catholic parents also have the duty and right of choosing those means and institutions through which they can provide more suitably for the Catholic education of their children, according to local circumstances.”

^{Code of Canon Law 1983, canon 793 §1}

For further information on the election, please visit the Bishops' Conference website.

Catholic schools can now benefit from the latest application technology when attracting new staff, boosting their application rates without forgoing any of the data required as best practice.

The Catholic Education Service (CES) has worked hand-in-hand with Eteach, a leading provider of EdTech software and services, to deliver a new best-practice online application form for Catholic schools that is fully optimised for mobile.

Traditionally, Catholic schools have relied on downloadable forms, coupled with additional documents that must be uploaded separately. Recognising the need for a more efficient solution, Eteach embarked on a mission to simplify and enhance the application experience for both candidates and recruitment teams, while still meeting the unique data capture requirements of Catholic schools. The form has been developed in close collaboration with the CES and marks a significant advancement in streamlining the recruitment process for Catholic institutions.

“The CES has worked with Eteach to ensure that its application forms are suitable for use in Catholic schools,” said Paul Barber, Director of the CES. “We are also delighted that Churchmarketplace has included Eteach in its procurement framework for Catholic schools, to help support teacher and support staff recruitment.”

The partnership recently announced the launch of their groundbreaking new online application form as part of a host of new features Eteach is offering, tailored specifically for Catholic schools.

“We are delighted to introduce the latest product upgrade to our award-winning Applicant Tracking System (ATS) - our CES-approved online application form, specifically designed to meet the unique needs of Catholic schools,” said Paul Howells, Founder and CEO of Eteach.

“The whole initiative ensures a seamless journey for candidates, ultimately fostering a faster, more efficient application process. It’s clear that by using technology effectively, schools will lessen the impact of staff shortages and reduce costs.This is the culmination of many hours of work by the CES and Eteach, defining requirements and developing the system to make school recruitment more efficient, whilst keeping quality and safety at the top of their priorities.”

Key features of the new online application form include:

- Mobile optimisation, catering to the 70% of job seekers who apply via mobile devices.
- Customised fields to capture essential information specific to Catholic school roles, such as religious denomination and qualifications.
- Integration of required supporting documents within the form, eliminating the need for separate uploads.
- Built-in Equal Opportunities Monitoring form to uphold fairness and transparency in recruitment practices.
- Fully translated into Welsh to accommodate schools in Welsh-speaking communities.

Additional features within the Eteach product set are designed to improve the SEO performance of Catholic schools, enhance the candidate journey for applicants looking for roles in any faith-based school and to build a talent pool for Catholic educators UK wide.

Moreover, Eteach has joined forces with Churchmarketplace, a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting products and services for Catholic institutions. As an official supplier of recruitment software, Eteach will offer the CES-approved online application form as part of their comprehensive annual licence package, available at exclusive rates for Catholic schools, colleges, and trusts.

“We are delighted to be working with Eteach to drive up applications for vacancies in our Catholic schools for teaching and support staff posts nationwide.” Said Jenny Booth, Director of Churchmarketplace.

Over 400 current Eteach partners are benefiting from the new online application form already. For the wider Catholic education community, the form will be accessible as part of an Eteach annual licence.

To learn more about Eteach's advertising and recruitment software for Catholic education, visit Eteach or Churchmarketplace.

The Right Reverend Marcus Stock, Bishop of Leeds and Chairman of the Catholic Education Service (CES), has welcomed the decision by the Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, to lift the cap on new free schools in England.

The decision paves the way for Catholic free schools to open, having previously been excluded under the 50 percent cap or ‘rule’ which would have forced schools to turn away some Catholic pupils.

Bishop Stock said:“These proposals are welcome. Dioceses are well placed to respond to differing local educational demands around the country, including the provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Parents can welcome this also.

“Catholic education not only provides a high performing school sector and promotes the formation of children in values and virtues; it is more ethnically diverse than other schools, educates more pupils from the most deprived backgrounds, and builds social cohesion within our communities.”

The Department for Education also has plans to enable new faith-based academies for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The Catholic Church has a long history of SEND provision, and at present there are seven non-maintained Catholic SEND schools, three other independent Catholic SEND schools, and 16 other Catholic independent schools which are approved for SEND provision.

Find out about the work of St Rose’s, a SEND all-through school in Stroud, Clifton Diocese, and St Vincent’s, a school for visually impaired children in the Archdiocese of Liverpool.

Consultation

The decision is subject to a seven-week public consultation that closes on 20 June – take part in the consultation here.

The CES welcomes the very thorough and research-grounded subject report on Religious Education (RE) that Ofsted has published today (17 April).

The report includes a clear articulation of what good quality RE looks like in schools without a religious character but also offers some significant criticisms of RE and its teaching.

Catholic school RE results at GCSE are up to seven percentage points above the national average, with around a quarter of all those nationally taking RE GCSE being pupils in Catholic education.

By law, Catholic schools in England teach a Catholic RE curriculum which is inspected independently of Ofsted. A new Religious Education Directory and model curriculum were published last year.

Philip Robinson, Catholic Schools Inspectorate Chief Inspector, said: “We welcome this report – and the recent return of bursaries for RE teacher training. While the report does not speak to RE specifically in Catholic schools it is heartening that many of the criticisms of the quality of RE taught elsewhere are not typically true of Catholic education.

“We anticipate this progress will continue as schools implement the new Religious Education Directory and model curriculum.”

Read the report

My name is Alex Hill (pictured, left), and I am the Lay Chaplain at Holy Family Catholic School in Keighley. I am 25 years young and have a passion for guiding and supporting our students on their spiritual journeys.

I became a Chaplain in a school because I have a passion for supporting and guiding young people through their spiritual and emotional journeys. My desire to provide a safe and nurturing space for students, where they can explore their beliefs, seek guidance, and find comfort during difficult times, motivated me to take on this role. I see it as an opportunity to make a positive impact on students' lives and help them navigate the complexities of adolescence with compassion and understanding all the while helping them journey to a closer relationship with Christ and the Father.

I received similar support myself from a Chaplain when I was younger and was inspired to pay it forward and provide students with the same compassionate guidance and understanding that helped me during my formative years.

My time spent in retreat centres across the country not only deepened my personal connection with Christ but also ignited a desire to share this transformative experience with others. Inspired by the profound sense of peace and spiritual growth I found in these retreats, I am dedicated to creating similar opportunities for students to encounter Christ and explore their faith in meaningful and profound ways.

I received two years of professional training at Maryvale University in Birmingham in youth ministry and school chaplaincy, where I was equipped with the necessary tools and experience. Drawing from my own experiences and the expertise gained through my training, I’m committed to providing compassionate support and guidance to students as they navigate their own spiritual paths.

As a Chaplain in a school, I recognise the need to modernise our approach to chaplaincy while still honouring and celebrating the rich traditions of the Catholic Church. Understanding that young people are drawn to authenticity, passion, and personal testimony, I strive to create a dynamic and engaging environment where these values are embraced. I encourage innovative approaches to faith formation and spiritual growth while ensuring that the timeless traditions and beliefs of the Catholic Church are respected and upheld. My goal is to foster a balanced and inclusive spiritual community where students can explore and deepen their faith with reverence and authenticity.

Chaplaincy in schools faces challenges due to the allure of modern life and the absence of a strong connection with Christ through regular mass attendance at home. There is a pressing need for chaplaincy to inspire a renewed passion for the Mass and foster a continued relationship with Christ beyond the school grounds. As a chaplain, I aim to bridge this gap by creating opportunities for students to experience the richness and relevance of the Mass in their daily lives. Through engaging liturgies, meaningful reflections, and intentional discipleship, I seek to cultivate a deeper understanding of the Eucharist and its significance in nurturing a personal relationship with Christ. My goal is to empower students to carry the spirit of the Mass with them beyond the school walls, fostering a lifelong journey of faith and spiritual growth.

To find out more about becoming a school chaplain, please contact your diocese. 

Mission Together, the children’s branch of Missio, the Pope’s charity for overseas mission, is helping children to join with their global sisters and brothers to celebrate World Children’s Day in their school or parish.

The Catholic Church’s first World Children’s Day will take place on 25-26 May 2024. Pope Francis announced the inauguration of this special day on 8 December 2023 at the end of the Angelus.

The concept came from a nine-year-old boy, Alessandro, who, just a few months earlier had written to Pope Francis with an idea to bring children together from different countries for a special event. Alessandro’s hope was that the children could get to know one another, play and pray together, and become friends.

Alessandro’s idea leans into the practice of accompaniment, which Pope Francis says is at the centre of being a missionary disciple. For the Holy Father, accompaniment means encountering others and listening to them so that we can form connections, build relationships, and reflect the love of Jesus to them.

World Children’s Day invites children from around the globe, including those from areas of conflict and children of different faiths, to join together as sisters and brothers. Although the event focus will take place in Rome,

Pope Francis calls on Catholics around the globe to celebrate this special event in their own Diocese too.

Cardinal Mendonça, World Children’s Day Director, said: "World Children’s Day is an occasion to put children, who are the present and the future of humanity, back at the centre of the world's attention.

"It offers children the possibility to become protagonists through moments of prayer, friendship, and formation."

As Catholic schools in England and Wales are significantly more ethnically diverse than the state school averages within England and in Wales, World Children’s Day provides a great opportunity to celebrate the many cultures within Catholic school communities and remind pupils, parents, and staff that we all belong to God’s global family.

To help schools celebrate World Children’s Day, Mission Together has produced several free resources. These include an introductory assembly, Celebration of the Word, Activities, Celebrating our Cultures ideas sheet, Virtual map Explorer Worksheets, and more.

All Mission Together resources aim to help children recognise themselves as members of God’s global family, working in solidarity for the benefit of all, with a special concern for those living in poverty. Supporting Mission Together through prayers and donations helps to provide feeding programmes, residential care, and educational, pastoral, and spiritual support to some of the world’s poorest children.

Download the free World Children Day resources  

If you are interested in becoming a Mission Together volunteer, please contact Claire at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.