Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The final week of the Church’s liturgical year begins with the Solemnity of Christ the King (this year – Sunday 24 November), which we now celebrate annually as World Youth Sunday. On the following Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent, its new liturgical year begins and the readings from the Holy Scriptures at Mass gradually build a sense of joyful hope and expectation which reaches its peak with the celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  

A week later, on 1 January, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary the Holy Mother of God, and the calendar year of the world is renewed. The liturgies of Advent, Christmas and the Mass on New Year’s Day are suffused with hope and joy. Hope and joy are among the baptismal gifts given to every Christian person and are the birthright especially of children and young people as they start out on their journey of life.

The theme given by the Holy Father Pope Francis for upcoming Jubilee Year 2025 is ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ and so this Advent our Catholic schools and educational establishments will be inviting children and young people to deepen their relationship with God, and to prepare to celebrate with hope and joy the birth of His Son in flesh and His promise to be with us through His Holy Spirit until the end of time.

An essential principle of Catholic education is the primacy of parents as the first teachers of their children. It recognises that, “Families are the first place where the values of love and fraternity, togetherness and sharing, concern and care for others are lived out and handed on” (Pope Francis – Fratelli Tutti, §114). The Catholic education provided by the Church’s schools, colleges and universities can only build upon that faith which is lived within the family and the home; but they are also communities of Christian hope and learning where that faith can grow in our children and young people and help them flourish.

Ahead of the coming holiday period, therefore, I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to school leaders, teachers, learning assistants, chaplains and all those employed in our diocesan schools, colleges and universities, for their dedicated work within the Catholic education sector.

In a similar way, I would like to express my thanks to the governors and trust boards of all our Catholic educational institutions, who give so generously of their time and expertise to volunteer in ensuring the highest standards of education are maintained.

I pray that the Lord will bless you, your families and loved ones through these hopeful days of Advent and Christmas, and may He keep you safe throughout the Jubilee Year of 2025.

With the assurance of my prayers for you all, I remain,

Your servant in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rt Rev Marcus Stock
Chair of the Catholic Education Service
Bishop of Leeds

Professor Jackie Dunne (pictured) is Vice-Chancellor of Birmingham Newman University, one of four Catholic universities in England. 

She started her academic career lecturing in Spanish at Coventry University, and her next move was to the University of Leicester where she later became Director of Lifelong Learning. At the University of Wolverhampton she was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor, before taking over as Vice-Chancellor at what was then Newman University, in 2020. Jackie is a Professor in Lifelong Learning and Skills.

“The thread that's run through my career in all of the roles I've had has been around widening participation and lifelong learning,” Professor Dunne said. “I've always been working to try and open up universities to non-traditional students in one way or another.”

Birmingham Newman is ranked first in England for social inclusion by the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024, has climbed the highest number of places of any institution in both the Times Good University Guide 2025 and the Guardian University Guide 2025, and has topped recent National Student Satisfaction surveys.  

Proud of the diversity of its student body, the University has a very high proportion of students with a disability, mature students, carers, those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and students who are the first in their family to go university. Nearly half of the students are from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background.

Heritage of service

What is now Birmingham Newman was established in 1968 by the CES and the Archdiocese of Birmingham as a teacher training college, to provide teachers for Catholic schools in the West Midlands. It was named after Saint John Henry Newman, who had founded the Birmingham Oratory. Since then the curriculum has significantly grown and in 2013 the college was granted university status. 

Further expansion a decade later saw the opening of a School of Nursing and Allied Health, offering nursing, physiotherapy, paramedic science and a range of other healthcare courses.

Professor Dunne said: “If you take our teacher education as the starting point, and the Catholic values that we are founded on it's not surprising when that leads to a focus and commitment on public service, the public sector, and the professions, and we've seen that focus on teaching expand out into health, policing and other curriculum areas.”

Sense of place

Nine in ten students at Birmingham Newman do not live on campus, commuting in from the city and beyond, very often living and working in the region. The Faculty of Education works with the Archdiocese of Birmingham Education Service, placing trainee teachers in local schools both Catholic and secular, with many staying on after being offered jobs.

Professor Dunne said: “Our recent name change from Newman University to Birmingham Newman University was very much about recognising the importance of the institution in this place. And place is really important for us — it's that civic role and that notion of the university as a force for good and public benefit.”

Being the smallest of five universities within Britain’s second biggest city comes with challenges in a competitive field, however, particularly during national upheaval such as the pandemic and fast-rising inflation, but Birmingham Newman is currently growing student numbers and raising its profile in the region and beyond.

The cost of living crisis has affected not only students but also staff, and Covid-era initiatives like a community pantry, subsidised meals and other support measures continue to be well used by employees and the student population.   

Going global 

Being part of a wider family is also an important aspect for Catholic education. Birmingham Newman supports the English and Welsh Catholic sector including as a higher education provider through the Formatio partnership of dioceses, Catholic multi-academy trusts and schools. In addition, Professor Dunne is Chair of the Cathedrals Group of 14 Church-founded universities. 

The University has partnerships worldwide, for instance in Wichita, Kansas, in the United States there is also a Newman University, with which Birmingham’s namesake has had a long-standing relationship for international exchanges. Similarly, the University participates in the government’s Turing Scheme for enabling study abroad.  

This academic year the University will begin to recruit undergraduate and postgraduate candidates from overseas, and offer its highly regarded student experience to a wider audience.

Professor Dunne said: “It's quite an exciting time for the University, and that is about growing our reach and providing a university opportunity for more people. We're fortunate here in that we're in a growth trajectory, we're managing to buck some trends and are in a good position.”

Growth and development 

Birmingham Newman is embarking on an estates redevelopment programme to modernise parts of the campus. This involves the demolition of Edgbaston Halls, which was one of the original 1960s accommodation blocks, landscaping works for a new outdoor area, and a pedestrianised boulevard at the front to replace an existing car park. 

Amid the success story of Birmingham Newman, and its continued growth and investment, what remains at the core of the university is its founding nature as a Catholic institution, with the Archbishop of Birmingham as a member of its governing council, carrying Catholic higher education into the future.  

Professor Dunne said: “Our foundations have influenced our values. Nowadays they articulate themselves firstly through opportunity. We see our mission very much about providing a higher education opportunity to all those who can benefit and have the talent to benefit; it's not about what they did before or didn't have the opportunity to do.

“The second part is inclusivity, that's at the centre of what we do, the whole notion of social justice, the dignity of every individual, and we continually strive to create an environment that's welcoming and inclusive, where there's a place for everyone.

“Ultimately, we are ambitious for our students and want to make sure they are supported to reach their maximum potential, that they can achieve what they set out to — or what they thought they might not be able to do.”

Find out more about Birmingham Newman University