One of the first Initial Teacher Education (ITE) schemes specifically aimed at teaching in Catholic schools is set to launch in September. 

Learn Locally is for trainee teachers who want to learn to teach in Catholic schools in the Greater Manchester area. 

It will be delivered by Liverpool Hope University and Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust (CAT), as part of the Formatio partnership of dioceses, Catholic multi-academy trusts and the four Catholic universities in England.

Alongside the delivery of the accredited curriculum required by Ofsted and the Department for Education, enhancements to the curriculum are being developed that will add a Catholic element and the distinctive ethos of the CAT.

Emmaus will recruit trainees with the potential to be strong, high quality Catholic teachers and future leaders for the CAT family. Staff have been identified and trained to become mentors and curriculum tutors for the new trainees, with continuing professional development provided by Liverpool Hope University.    

Professor Cate Carroll-Meehan, Executive Dean of Liverpool Hope University’s Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, said: “We are delighted to partner with Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust to launch the Learn Locally programme. This innovative initiative aligns with the University’s strong commitment to working in partnership with schools and dioceses to design, deliver and quality assure training which produces passionate and talented teachers.

“We have a long history in teacher education in the North West and look forward to working with Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust to develop the next generation of outstanding Catholic teachers in the region.”

Daniel Copley, Chief Executive Officer of Emmaus CAT, said: “Working together with Liverpool Hope, Emmaus CAT recognises that the ITE partnership can create strong foundations for the future Emmaus workforce. 

"It forms part of the strategic development plans of Emmaus to ensure it attracts, retains and supports the flourishing of the best Catholic teachers and leaders for the Emmaus CAT and the wider Diocese of Salford.”

Similar teacher training schemes have also been set up with the Catholic universities by the Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust and Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, within the Formatio regional hub structure.

The Formatio partnership supports the CES and diocesan schools commissions to work with the four Catholic universities and Catholic multi-academy trusts in implementing strategies for school leadership and governance, as commissioned by the Bishops in 2017.

To find out more about establishing a similar ITE scheme contactThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Sue Cronin, Director of Quality and Accreditation at Liverpool Hope University, atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Train to be a teacher with Learn Locally

Thousands of Catholic school staff have completed CES-led National Professional Qualifications (NPQ) training recently rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. 

Based on an inspection taking place during May, 2024, the report states ‘participants benefit greatly from the exceptional training’ which is delivered by ‘highly skilled and expert trainers, facilitators and coaches.’

The CES and Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership (CEFEL) were named by the Department for Education as lead providers of a revised suite of NPQs. Curriculum design was shaped around leadership development to fit the needs of Catholic and Church of England school contexts. 

So far 40% of the approximately 7,000 attendees have been from Catholic schools, equating to around 2,800 staff members being trained in high quality leadership. 

The report states: “School leaders overwhelmingly state that participants apply their knowledge with conviction and confidence as a result of the training they have received during their NPQ programme. This, in turn, consistently benefits their school communities.”

The CES has developed the curriculum design around the NPQs, providing a vision-driven additionality option unique to the CEFEL/CES offer.  The Catholic NPQ+ offers three modules, Form, Nourish and Sustain, based on formation, the Catholic character of a school and sustaining leadership roles in Catholic education.

Catherine Bryan, Assistant Director of the CES, said: “We’re delighted with this ‘outstanding’ rating from Ofsted, which demonstrates the excellent joint working with colleagues across the Catholic sector and with the Church of England. 

“The Formatio partnership continues to assist the dioceses with strategies for school leadership development, and we hope many more staff will continue to be supported to attend this training.”

NPQs are provided by 28 delivery partners across the country including teaching school hubs and multi-academy trusts. There is also the opportunity for dioceses to act as delivery partners for the additional support, either individually or as part of the four Formatio regional hubs.  

The Formatio partnership of dioceses, Catholic multi-academy trusts (CMATs) and the four Catholic universities in England supports the CES and diocesan schools commissions in implementing strategies for school leadership and governance, as commissioned by the Bishops in 2017. 

Find out more about the NPQs

Four Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Catholic multi-academy trusts (CMATs) in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle recently shared their thoughts on how their schools had academised.

The 12 July panel discussion was part of a conference for school leaders organised by the diocese’s Department for Education, and the third immersion day for the Catholic Academy Trust Training Collaborative (CATtColl).

CATtColl is the national network of CMATs, and the largest network of academies in the country. It delivers continuing professional development in collaboration with the four Catholic universities on behalf of the Formatio partnership of dioceses, CMATs and universities.

The following is a summary of some key points of the discussion:

Common ownership and co-creation by school staff is essential in developing a new curriculum, along with enabling schools to adapt them to meet their local context.  

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for all school staff has proved an effective way for CMATs to communicate directly with employees at all levels. Posting information on school computer screensavers is also a useful communications channel.

A way of explaining academisation is a shift from school services provided by a non-Catholic body [a local authority], to a Catholic body [a CMAT].

CMAT ‘schemes of delegation’ have proved helpful for governors, to understand their different responsibilities within a multi-academy trust system.

Staff members of CMATs can also attend the governing body meetings of every school within the CMAT, albeit a big undertaking. This has enabled strong lines of communication.    

Trust boards had found that being provided with detailed statistical information on all schools within CMATs was unnecessary for a single meeting – instead a detailed focus on particular schools was proving more useful. 

In some CMATs the development of Key Performance Indicators is also being explored to assist trust boards with their strategic remit, while others prefer clarity around expectation and quality statements to ensure progress is secure. 

Some small schools may not be financially viable, but it is important to retain Catholic education in these communities. 

None of the CMATs operated General Annual Grant (GAG) pooling. 

An equitable model can help small schools develop a budget, supported by schools across the CMAT.

A strong focus on children at the Early Years Foundation Stage was seen as essential in reducing attainment gaps that significantly widen in later years.  

Find out more about Formatio

MyNewTerm is the applicant tracking system of choice for thousands of schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs) across England, including many hundreds of Catholic schools since MyNewTerm began collaborating with the CES.

Working extensively with the unique requirements of Catholic schools and MATs, MyNewTerm has streamlined the recruitment process for both candidates and employers to ensure compliance with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) and ensure that the application forms, in particular, are appropriate for use in Catholic schools and MATs and approved by the CES.

Change within school recruitment is needed more than ever today; the labour market continues to remain challenging, with recruitment processes for many Catholic schools still time-consuming, costly and labour-intensive, and the concern of losing the best candidates also often looms.

MyNewTerm’s Catholic partner MATs and schools have already innovated with speed and ease to improve their education provision, by attracting the best candidates and deploying a fully digitalised process; all offered by the MyNewTerm platform.

Founded by a former teacher, MyNewTerm is the leading applicant tracking system for schools and MATs and provides employers with some of the following benefits:

• Improved efficiency
• Ensured compliance with KCSiE
• CES-approved application forms
• Fully digital application process for candidates
• Integration with the DfE Teaching Vacancies Service

Joe Richardson is Strategic Executive Leader at St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust, which is made up of 17 schools within the Diocese of Northampton and has partnered with MyNewTerm for several years. He said: “MyNewTerm has sensitively and thoughtfully adapted the platform to reflect the distinct needs of Catholic schools, ensuring that specific needs are met in full. They constantly update the platform to reflect KCSiE and, for that reason alone, I cannot imagine being without it!”

Wayne Cartmel, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at MyNewTerm, said: “We are proud to have worked collaboratively with the CES to deliver on the specific requirements for Catholic schools to provide the benefit of being able to fully digitise the recruitment process. Removing barriers for prospective candidates is essential in a challenging recruitment market and we are pleased to be able to provide an online application process for all Catholic schools to benefit.”

Paul Barber, Director of the CES, said: “The CES has been pleased to work with MyNewTerm to ensure that its application forms are suitable for use in Catholic schools. It is important that the CES provides support to enable Catholic schools to attract the best candidates for roles in their schools.”

To learn more about the applicant tracking system of choice for the education sector and the bespoke online application process developed for Catholic Schools, get in touch here with the MyNewTerm team today.

This September a new generation of Catholic teachers will be trained through three groundbreaking new schemes across the country.

Led by the Formatio partnership of dioceses, Catholic multi-academy trusts (CMATs) and the four Catholic universities in England, 80 trainees start soon in what will be the first Initial Teacher Training (ITT) scheme specifically geared towards teaching in Catholic schools. 

The Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust (DOWAT) identified pupils from the trust’s secondary schools interested in teaching, and gave them weekly lesson support experience. Working with St Mary’s University, DOWAT is delivering the CMAT ITT Direct programme for Formatio’s South East Regional Hub, with trainees to be based within the trust’s schools. 

The trainees, many of whom are former Catholic school pupils, will additionally be shown how to participate in activities like collective worship and chaplaincy, as prospective teachers in Catholic education.  

Pat Murden, Chief Executive Officer of DOWAT and a founder member of the Catholic Academy Trust Training Collaborative (CATtColl), said: “This came out of the Department for Education’s market review of ITTs, which represented an opportunity to think differently and act at scale. We’re developing a career path that starts at ITT and goes on to early career teacher, to master teacher, middle leader then senior leader.

“Our aim is to address teacher shortages, especially in Religious Education, to develop workforces reflecting the communities our schools serve, and provide a model that any other Catholic MAT can copy.”

Similar ITT schemes have also been set up with the Catholic universities by Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust, in the Diocese of Salford, and Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, within the Formatio regional hub structure.

The Formatio partnership supports the Catholic Education Service and diocesan schools commissions working with the four Catholic universities and CMATs in implementing strategies for school leadership and governance, as commissioned by the Bishops in 2017. 

CATtColl is the national network of Catholic multi-academy trusts (CMATs), representing 44 CMAT CEOs from all English dioceses, more than 600 schools, 250,000 students, 20,000 staff, and is the largest network of academies in the country. It delivers continuing professional development in collaboration with the four Catholic universities on behalf of Formatio.

Find out more about Formatio

Friday 24 January will be the launch day for schools to mark the year of Jubilee in 2025, the Catholic Education Service Chairman has said. 

The Rt. Rev. Marcus Stock, Bishop of Leeds and CES Chairman, has written to diocesan schools commissions informing them of the date Catholic schools and colleges can come together and celebrate the launch of the Jubilee next year. 

There will be an opportunity to make a Jubilee Pledge, for the common good, to advance justice and harmony, and an invitation for schools and colleges to refresh and renew their mission statements.

In his letter Bishop Marcus writes: “The theme of Jubilee 2025 is Hope, the hope that comes from knowing we are loved by God, the hope we can bring to those in most need, and the hope we can bring to our common home, the earth. 

“There will be opportunities for the whole school community to experience the joy of sharing their faith in prayer and worship, and take action together as pilgrims of hope “in service to God’s kingdom of love, justice and peace.”

He also refers in the letter to a forthcoming framework for schools to celebrate the Jubilee year alongside any related diocesan plans. 

The framework is being produced by the CES, CAFOD, and Caritas Social Action Network with support from Cymfed, and will enable the Catholic education sector to mark together the Holy Year as a significant and memorable moment in the lives of children and young people. 

Read Jubilee Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope – a letter from the CES Chairman, the Rt. Rev. Marcus Stock

More than 150 students and teachers of Catholic schools from across the country gathered to hear how Catholic Social Teaching has been put into practice in education. 

The 2 July event took place at the Church of the Holy Apostles Parish Hall, Pimlico, and also saw the launch of a community organising handbook, published by charity Citizens UK and featuring the schools’ work. 

Welcoming speeches were made by the His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster; Raymond Friel, Chief Executive of Caritas Social Action Network; and Anita Motha, Chief Executive of Catholic youth charity Million Minutes.

Students at Cardinal Newman Catholic School, Hove, in the Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, explained how they successfully campaigned against a Coptic Christian pupil being deported to South Sudan. After their efforts appeared in a local newspaper and television news bulletins, lawyers offered support and the Home Office reversed its decision. 

The students also secured a pilot project of school-based mental health counselling for Year 9s across Brighton and Hove, after approaching the local council. 

Gráinne Byrd, Director of Faith and Ethos at Cardinal Newman, said: “A recurring motif in Cardinal Newman Catholic School’s involvement with Citizens UK is the repeated call to be ‘light in the darkness’. Working together collaboratively, we have challenged decision makers to be that light.” 

St Thomas More Catholic High School students, in North Shields, Hexham and Newcastle Diocese, discovered that Arriva buses, unlike other bus companies in areas nearby, were charging them adult fares.    

They participated in transport consultations, also persuading the then-Mayor of the North of Tyne Combined Authority to support the campaign. They dressed in their parents’ work clothes, sang songs and marched peacefully, meeting with Arriva, and ultimately a £1 fare was announced for all under-22s in the region. 

Wimbledon College, in the Archdiocese of Southwark, identified mental health as an important issue that emerged during Merton Citizens assembly meetings with schools and churches. They organised a mental health summit with local decision-makers, eventually securing more NHS youth mental health funding in their area, trained mental health ambassadors, and ‘be well hubs’ across south London. 

St Bonaventure’s Catholic Secondary School, Forest Gate, in the Diocese of Brentwood, had long been served by inadequately-timed and overcrowded bus services. A group of Year 8 students hosted a meeting for bus companies and Transport for London (TfL) representatives, and timetables were swiftly improved.  

After some of their peers had been fined, students also raised the issue of training for drivers and a bus company regarding regulations around travel with lost or damaged travel cards, with positive results.   

At St Antony’s Catholic Primary School, also in Forest Gate and the Diocese of Brentwood, pupils decided to campaign on the issue of low pay. They wrote a song, and performed it in front of management from London City Airport, a major employer in the area, persuading them to become an accredited Living Wage employer.The school was then able to successfully influence other big local employers to do likewise, such as Tate and Lyle Sugars, Newham Council, and ExCeL London. 

St Clare’s Catholic Primary School, Handsworth, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, worked together with across the city to develop a five-step plan to help tackle discrimination and appreciate each other’s differences. They are now working on a video to share their work with others and to support Year 6 and Year 7 transition. 

Cardinal Nichols said: “This work, from my point of view, really does have to spring from our faith.

"Human dignity does not depend on any human authority, it is innate, it comes first because each person is made in the image and likeness of God.”

Download Called To Action: Catholic Social Teaching and Community Organising in Schools and Colleges

The Formatio partnership supports dioceses, Catholic universities, Catholic Multi Academy Trusts (CMATs) and the CES in implementing strategies for Catholic school leadership and governance, as commissioned by the Bishops in 2017.  

Its strategic priorities are teacher recruitment, particularly in Religious Education, as well as developing Catholic leadership and the training of multi-academy trust (MAT) staff. Formatio is made up of four regional hubs comprising the dioceses, CMATs and the four Catholic universities.

Mike Shorten (pictured) is Chief Executive Officer of Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, which oversees 35 schools in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. He is a founding member of Formatio, joining as a trustee when it was first established.

At the time he was headteacher of Carmel College, in Darlington, where in 1999 he set up the Carmel Teacher Training Partnership (CTTP), an Initial Teacher Training provider which has worked with Leeds Trinity and St Mary’s universities for PGCE provision.

‘Growing our own’

He said: “We felt we couldn't keep on complaining about how there weren't enough teachers unless we did something about it, we needed to grow our own.”

Keeping in touch with sixth form students through their degree is important, Mike said, as well as giving them jobs and internships in between university semesters.

“So rather than stacking shelves at Tesco's they could be coming in and working with Key Stage 3 children and getting a real taste of it, but this needs to be funded,” he said.

“The RE teachers of the next five years are currently in Catholic schools, everyone knows they're not coming from anywhere else, so they're a captive audience.

“As a sector we should be systematically promoting the role of being an RE teacher in the subject, and thinking about what that looks like with careers programs for 13- and 14-year-olds, A level and GCSE RE students.

“We also need to make it more appealing for them to think of teaching as a career either immediately after a degree or maybe later in life as a career changer. There's got to be a different view of teaching always being for people as a vocation for life, in the current climate it's very unusual for people to have a single career throughout their life.”

Developing new leadership

Through Formatio Mike also set up the National Catholic Leadership Programme. This initiative, for the formation and recruitment of headteachers, was piloted by the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle and has since been rolled out to others.

Bishop Hogarth offers staff development opportunities to move around within its network of schools, for instance by offering secondments to senior leaders for a month, term or year, and with in-house leadership training that includes Catholic Social Teaching, ethics and character development.

Mike explained how one of the benefits of being in a trust was the support of new headteachers. New headteachers are supported through the Ofsted process by experienced staff, in person while the inspection team is at the school — reducing the barriers to leadership and encouraging deputies to become headteachers.

Non-Catholic CMAT staff in senior non-reserved posts such as in HR, IT or finance, are also trained in running a large organisation from a Catholic perspective.

Opportunities for students and staff

The CMAT system offers opportunities beyond what can be provided by a standalone school buying in local authority support, Mike said. He gave the example of Bishop Hogarth schools’ debating societies, where students don’t just compete with their classmates, but against other schools across the CMAT.

“There's nothing better than developing that strength of character, that confidence and resilience to be able to argue your point with somebody, it can be life-changing.

“And we can do that with sport, music, and for pupil premium children, opportunities they wouldn't have had otherwise.”

Similarly, he is also passionate about the continuity of curriculum possible in a CMAT system. He said different primary schools teaching languages like French, Spanish or German would ultimately feed into a secondary where pupils then start from scratch with a new curriculum.

“You start with four-year-olds and teach the same language curriculum right through to age 11, they join secondary school and it just carries on.

“Having continuity of curriculum, for geography, history, for science and maths, where it flows through, that’s just common sense, with potentially stunning outcomes.”

A bright future

It’s not just through Formatio that Mike has made connections with Catholic universities, but also around the world.

Ten undergraduates from a Catholic university in Australia have recently been teaching in Bishop Hogarth schools as part of a work placement scheme.

He said: “In future some of them can say ‘you know what, we want to come back and teach in your schools’, all of them are Catholic, and suddenly we've got a new pipeline. Some of them want to be RE teachers , therefore coming through and feeding into our system.”

Ultimately, with nearly half of Catholic schools now academies, Mike sees the CMAT system as a permanent fixture in the education sector, and one having a future bright with potential.

“There are exciting times to come, I am confident it will protect Catholic education, where will it lead us? That depends on if we are brave enough to take the chances when the opportunities arise.”

Find out more about Formatio

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