Press Release-  Friday 7^th November 2014

The Catholic Education Service (CES) has welcomed the Government’s proposals for a new academically rigorous Religious Education GCSE and Religious Education A Level. The proposals, which are out for public consultation, put forward a more academically rigorous GCSE which includes the teaching of two religions. The widely welcomed A Level reforms propose increased religious content to ensure the right breadth and depth of study to support students progressing to higher education.

The Most Reverend Malcolm McMahon OP KC*HS, Archbishop of Liverpool, and Chairman of CES said: “Theologically rigorous RE is a core part of Catholic education. These reforms to GCSE RE and A Level RE provide us with an opportunity to ensure that Religious Education at GCSE and A Level in Catholic schools is academically and theologically rigorous in accordance with Canon Law.

“Catholic schools account for 25% of the entries at RE GCSE and 20% of the entries at RE A Level. As the single largest provider of entries to both RE GCSE and RE A Level, we have worked in partnership with the Government to ensure that these proposals are fit for purpose in Catholic schools.  We welcome the assurances from the Secretary of State that these proposals do not undermine the autonomy of the Catholic Bishops to determine and inspect religious education in Catholic schools.

“All Catholic schools are required by Church teachings to raise pupils’ awareness of the faith and traditions of other religious communities in order to understand and respect them. These new proposals will facilitate Catholic schools in this duty.”

RE must make up at least 10% of curriculum time in a Catholic school and is inspected separately under long-standing arrangements currently set out in the 2005 Education Act.

Notes to editors

The Catholic Education Service (CES) is an agency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

Catholic schools represent 10% of state maintained schools and currently make up 25% of all entries to GCSE RE and 20% of all entries to RE A Level. (Source: Department for Education ‘KS4 qualification and subject data’ KS5 qualification and subject data http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download_data.html )

Church teaching on the requirement for all Catholic schools to teach interreligious-dialogue can be found in the following Vatican and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales documents:

• Congregation for Catholic Education (for Institutes of Study), Educating to Intercultural Dialogue in Catholic Schools Living in Harmony for a Civilization of Love, Vatican City (2013)
• The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Meeting God in Friend and Stranger, CTS, London (2010)
• The Department of Catholic Education and Formation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Religious Education Curriculum Directory (RECD), 2012,

The Religious Education Curriculum Directory states the aims of Religious Education (p6):

1. To present engagingly a comprehensive content which is the basis of knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith;
2. To enable pupils continually to deepen their religious and theological understanding and be able to communicate this effectively;
3. To present an authentic vision of the Church’s moral and social teaching so that pupils can make a critique of the underlying trends in contemporary culture and society;
4. To raise pupils’ awareness of the faith and traditions of other religious communities in order to respect and understand them;
5. To develop the critical faculties of pupils so that they can relate their Catholic faith to daily life;
6. To stimulate pupils’ imagination and provoke a desire for personal meaning as revealed in the truth of the Catholic faith;
7. To enable pupils to relate the knowledge gained through Religious Education to their understanding of other subjects in the curriculum;
8. To bring clarity to the relationship between faith and life, and between faith and culture.

The outcome of excellent Religious Education is religiously literate and engaged young people who have the knowledge, understanding and skills – appropriate to their age and capacity – to reflect spiritually, and think ethically and theologically, and who are aware of the demands of religious commitment in everyday life.

5 November 2014
Press Release - For immediate release

The Church of England Education Division and Catholic Education Service have called for action on Religious Studies GCSE

The Church of England's Education Division and the Catholic Education Service (representing over 6,000 schools and 1.7 million pupils) have welcomed the Prime Minister's commitment to launch a new set of criteria for Religious Studies qualifications at GCSE and A-Level without delay.

The two religious bodies have worked closely with Department for Education officials to draft the new criteria, which ensures that Religious Studies offers pupils breadth, rigour and a rich understanding of systems of thought held by three quarters of the world's population.

The Church of England's Chief Education Officer, Rev'd Nigel Genders, said: "Looking at the world today, it is hard to overstate the importance of equipping the young people of this country with a challenging and rigorous education which includes religious literacy. This new set of criteria will provide qualifications which do exactly that, and I hope the government will act to launch them publically as soon as possible."

Archbishop Malcolm McMahon, Chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference Department of Education and Formation, said: "In Catholic schools, Religious Education forms the core of the curriculum which is why we have worked closely with the Department for Education in developing a rigorous set of criteria. We are therefore excited about the opportunities that these will give our schools in delivering an academic study of religious education which conforms with the Bishops' requirements, and look forward to the imminent launch of the consultation."

Press Release - May 2014

A group of pupils from Saint Paul's Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently took part in a Big Car Wash where they washed cars in order to raise money for Henshaws Society for Blind People.

The Year 10 pupils wanted to support a local charity and chose Henshaws because of their work with the blind and the visually impaired in the local community.

The aims of Henshaws are to improve the eye health of people living in the UK and eliminate avoidable sight loss. They also deliver excellent support to people with sight loss and enhance the inclusion, participation and independence of the blind.

The fund raising was led by Year 10 pupil, Niamh McLoughlin, who had a great desire to help the visually impaired and demonstrated exceptional leadership skills in her organisation of the week-long event.

"Niamh wanted to offer her support to Henshaws whose vision is to enable people with sight loss and people with other disabilities to build the skills and independence they need, to achieve the future they want," explained Ms Claire Bowman of Saint Paul's.

"She was inspired by the charity and wanted to help those with sight loss to achieve their full potential in life, enabling them to live independent and fulfilling lives."

Mrs Fiona Minshall, Head Teacher at Saint Paul's, said:

"We are all very proud of Niamh and the initiative she has shown in raising the profile of Henshaws Society for the Blind and the commitment of her time and energy. Fundraising by students is a regular activity at Saint Paul's, it involves fun activities that help others and build group cooperation. We encourage fund raising activities which deepen students' understanding and enhance their potential to become well-informed active citizens."

Press Release- May 2014 

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, the lead school in the Catholic Schools Partnership (CSP) Teaching School Alliance, has been selected by the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) to become a national teaching school – an important role in raising standards.

Teaching Schools and Teaching School Alliances will take a leading role in recruiting and training new entrants to the profession, identifying leadership potential and providing support for other schools.

Introduced in 2011, teaching schools are all rated as "outstanding" and mark a shift towards school-centred training. They work with partner schools in an alliance, including at least one university, to ensure high quality school-led initial teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers at all stages of their career.

They raise standards through school-to-school support, engage in research and development, and ensure that the most talented school leaders are spotted and supported to become successful head teachers.

Mary McAndrew head teacher of St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School and National Leader of Education said:

"The CSP Teaching Schools Alliance is a group of schools in Bradford and Keighley who are committed to raising standards within Bradford and beyond by offering our pupils learning opportunities of the highest possible quality, enhanced by our distinctive Catholic ethos."

"Combining the wealth of expertise from our Alliance Members, including primary and secondary schools, sixth form colleges, the Diocese of Leeds and Leeds Trinity University, we are able to offer professional development opportunities in a wide range of fields and bespoke school to school support, which will ensure that the CSP is at the forefront of improving outcomes for children."

"The greatest benefit of being part of the CSP alliance is that it is owned by all our schools, all working together ensuring that a distinctive Catholic element is woven throughout all our work.  Our firm belief and guiding principle is: 'Not my school but our schools'."

Press Release- April 2014 

It's not every day you get to perform with a music legend, but that's exactly what happened for the pupils from Saint Paul's Catholic High School in Wythenshawe when they were invited to sing with pop icon Gary Barlow on his recent tour.

The school choir delighted a capacity audience with their vocal talents when they were selected to sing with Gary at the sell out concert at Manchester Phones4U Arena.

Under the musical direction of Gary Barlow and Saint Paul's Music teacher, Mr Daniel Hodsdon, the choir performed "Sing" the Official Diamond Jubilee song co-written by Gary Barlow and renowned musical theatre composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber. The song was originally performed by artists across The Commonwealth to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
The Choir had been busy in rehearsal for their big moment on the stage and they were rewarded with the incredible opportunity to sing alongside Gary Barlow and received a fabulous standing ovation after their performance. They certainly made Wythenshawe proud and gave the audience a night to remember!

One pupil said: "I can't put into words how amazing it was, it was one of best experiences I've ever been involved in. Singing in front of an arena full of people with Gary Barlow was mind blowing!"

Daniel Hodsdon explained: "We aim to provide a varied musical education at Saint Paul's, introducing children to the joy of music and the value in performing with others. To be given the opportunity of a lifetime to perform with Gary Barlow was fantastic. I felt so proud when the choir's performance concluded with thunderous applause echoing throughout the arena."

"To Sing 'Sing" alongside Gary Barlow was an incredible triumph for our school choir," said Mrs Fiona Minshall, Head Teacher at Saint Paul's. "It was an amazing opportunity to showcase their remarkable talent and energy."

For Further information please contact: 

Jane McAuliffe-Hall: 0161 499 0000 / Ця електронна адреса захищена від спам-ботів. Вам необхідно увімкнути JavaScript, щоб побачити її.

Press Release- 25th April 2014

On Wednesday 2nd April Thornton College School for Girls hosted an inset training event for staff from all members of the Milton Keynes Liaison Group of Catholic Primary Schools.  

There were over one hundred attendees including Head Teachers, Religious Education coordinators and staff from six schools in the Milton Keynes area of the diocese including: St Bernadette's, St Thomas Aquinas, St Mary Magdalene's, St. Monica's and Bishop Parker.  The theme of the afternoon was 'Pass It On,' and the focus was on how to make bible stories relevant to everyday life.  

The event began with afternoon tea, a chance to catch up with old colleagues as well as making new acquaintances.  The group then went to the chapel where they had a prayerful reflection by Sister Mary James, the School Chaplain at Thornton, on the theme 'We are God's Instruments.'

This was followed by an inset training session by Matthew van Duyvenbode from the Bible Company and this time the theme was 'Pass It On'.  His talk was thought provoking and provided a great deal of insight which can now be used to make bible stories relevant to children in our RE lessons.  

Mrs Rose Darwin, Assistant Head and Junior School RE Coordinator at Thornton College said; 

"We were delighted to welcome staff from the schools in the Milton Keynes area of the diocese to Thornton College.  Colleagues were able to share ideas for assemblies and lessons and everyone commented on how helpful the afternoon has been."

For further information please contact: Kirsty Hassan 01280 812 610

Champion Irish dancing sisters Niamh and Roisin Redmond are looking forward to the challenge of their young lives when they take part in the Irish World Dancing Championships at the Hilton Metropole in London this weekend.

The Davyhulme duo who both attend St. Antony's Catholic College in Urmston will be among 3,000 competitors at the global event which starts on April 13th.

Both girls started dancing when they were just four years old and have won a host of regional and national awards.  Niamh has previously qualified as North-West irish dancing champion while Roisin has been runner up.  The world championships however, is Irish Dancing's blue ribbon event.  

Niamh, 15, said, "My aim is to get a recall for the final set dance and hopefully make it into the top twenty," while Roisin, 12, added, "If I could get into the top fifty I'd be pleased."

Both girls want to become Irish dancing teachers and work in the growing number of touring worldwide productions pioneered by the legendary Michael Flatley.

Mum Bev, who works at St. Antony's, said: "This is Irish Dancing's showcase and anyone who is anyone will be there, including Michael Flatley, who will officially open the event."

Bev added, "The girls have never competed against each other because they are in different age groups but have always been very supportive of each other, and for us its a family affair.  All six of us will be going down to London and looking forward to a great few days."

The girls, who both train at the Morgan School of Irish Dancing in Manchester, complete up to five training sessions per week.  With all that training in technique and endurance under their belts, the girls are confident but not complacent ahead of the event.  

Niamh said, "We have trained and trained and have the necessarry technique and stamina, but it's all about getting it right on the day."

St. Antony's Catholic College Headteacher fiona Wright has said: "The girls have performed at a number of school events and always mesmerise the audience with their flawless routines.  Everyone in the school community will be cheering them on."

Press Release - April 2014

This week the SSAT announced that The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School (CVMS) in London's Holland Park has been awarded with two SSAT Educational Outcomes Awards. The prestigious school is one of the highest achieving state comprehensives in the country and this latest recognition proves the school's success and commitment to improving student results at every level.

In 1914 the school opened its doors as a national memorial to Cardinal Vaughan who was appointed as the third Archbishop of Westminster by Pope Leo XIII in 1892.  Since then, CVMS has continued to grow from strength to strength with its Catholic ethos and sound Catholic teaching preparing its pupils to meet their responsibilities as Catholics in society.

The school was identified for the SSAT awards by the significant added-value its teaching offers to pupils' education.  In-depth analysis of official Department for Education data was conducted on all state-funded schools in England, with CVMS scoring in the top 20% of national schools for progress made by pupils between their key stage 2 results at primary school and their performance at GCSE.  Headmaster, Mr P Stubbings, said:

"I'm delighted: coming top of national tables is always nice, but what is so pleasing about this particular award is that it recognises the hard work of the teaching staff to make sure that our pupils make the best of themselves, whatever their starting point.  We never rest on our laurels, but are always seeking to improve- and that goes for the pupils, too."   

The school has been invited to receive their award at a regional celebration ceremony hosted by SSAT at The St Marylebone CE school in London on 6th May.

The Chief Executive of SSAT, Sue Williamson, said:

"The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial RC School should be congratulated for their exceptional achievement.  They have proved themselves to be leading the field in improving GCSE outcomes for their students.  There is so much good practice that this school could share, and I hope many schools will join us at the celebration ceremony for the chance to network and share strategies with award-winning schools."

"These results are testament to the commitment and hard work of the students, teachers and leadership team at the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial RC School, and show what can be achieved when skilled teachers have high expectations and ambition for every young person.  I am proud that this school is a member of the SSAT network."

March 2014- Press Release

Staff and pupils from St. Paul's Catholic High School in Wythenshawe took part in the first DASH (Diocesan Association of Secondary Headteachers) and Mini DASH meeting to be held at St. Paul's.

17 Headteachers and 80 pupils from the Diocese of Shrewsbury secondary schools attended the event.  This was the largest gathering of pupils since Mini DASH first started.

The event is organised by the Diocese of Shrewsbury with the aim of getting together pupils from a number of schools to share ideas and work on ideas for future collaboration.

Visiting headteachers and pupils were welcomed by the school's prefects and then the day started with breakfast.  Following this, the pupils completed some ice breaker activities enabling the pupils from the different schools to get to know one another.  

Pupils then looked at the words of Pope Francis and Bishop Mark Davies on the meaning of Lent and its great importance to Christians leading up to Holy Week and Easter.  

Each group was given a Station of the Cross to focus on and was asked to select some contemporary pictures that reflected the suffering of people in the modern world.  A prayer was then written by each group that related each station to the problems of today.

The Headteachers then joined the pupils who led all present in a very thoughtful and moving reflection.  The Headteachers were delighted to see the amazing collaborative work that had been carried out by pupils in such a short time.  Other staff present thought that a very meaningful and prayerful atmosphere had been created and it was apleasure to be a part of it.  

Mrs Lisa Baille, Assistant Headteacher and Head of RE at Saint Paul's, explained: "The pupils shared and discussed a wide variety of ideas and suggestions and were encouraged to take the ideas back to their own schools, passing them on and developing them.  All involved thoroughly enjoyed the day which culminated with all the pupils being presented with goodie bags containing items such as a prayer book and prayer card of St. Paul.  Many new friendships were made with pupils promising to remain in touch with each other."

"I was very proud of our pupils who were excellent ambassadors for the school and several people commented that the pupils who represented Saint Paul's were outstanding representatives and a credit to us," added Mrs Baillie.  

"It's important to meet as a Diocese, because, whilst all the people who met together are very different, we all have one thing in common: our faith.  The mini DASH is also a good chance to build up leadership skills, as the pupils in Mini DASH helped to plan the event," said MRS Fiona Minshall, Head Teacher at Saint Paul's.

"It was an excellent opportunity for the pupils to mix with pupils from different schools to get together and share their thoughts."