Ethos and Mission

As a Catholic school, everything we do is founded on our mission ‘To Know, Love and Serve God.’ Our aim is to educate the whole person with Jesus Christ as our model, and this shapes the warmth and diversity of our school community.

We welcome students and staff from a wide range of backgrounds, faiths and starting points, and we support each of them to become the best version of themselves. We are all "one in Christ", and our pastoral care is rooted in the Gospel values of compassion, integrity, courage, justice and forgiveness.

Our community of faith, learning and service lies at the heart of school life. We want our students to grow in their understanding of the world, to find meaning and purpose in their studies, and to understand their responsibility to those around them.

We put Christ at the heart of all that we do, from the curriculum to the religious life of the school, and we give every member of our community the opportunity to grow on their journey of faith. We encourage everyone to "live life to the full" and to walk together with Christ.

Above all, our aim is to "help all students to become saints" (Pope Benedict XVI).

Collective Worship 

Collective worship gives every member of our community the chance to bear witness to their faith and to bring Christ into their daily lives, following the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church.

• Thursday lunchtime: Our Religious Life Representatives help lead Mass in the school Chapel, celebrated by Fr. Fabias. All pupils and staff are welcome.
• Friday morning: Form groups take turns, on a rota, to celebrate their own Form Mass.
• Friday lunchtime: Fr. Fabias leads us in popular devotions, depending on the time of the liturgical year: the Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration or the Stations of the Cross.
• Reconciliation: The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated during Advent and Lent, and is available at any other time of year on request from Fr. Fabias.

We also gather to mark important milestones in our pupils' journey. At the start of each academic year, parents are invited to a special Welcome Mass for our new Year 7 pupils. In the Summer term, staff, pupils and parents come together to say goodbye to our Year 11 pupils, to celebrate all they have achieved and to remind them that the light of Our Lady's will be with them always.

Our Religious Life Representatives play a vital role in planning and leading collective worship, and many are trained as Altar Servers and Readers.

Catholic Life of our School

We want everyone at Our Lady's to witness the teachings of Jesus in practice. The Gospel values of compassion, justice, service and reconciliation can be seen in every aspect of school life, in our parish and in our wider community.

Putting faith into action is central to who we are, and we serve others through a range of charitable work:

• We give generously to St Clare's Parish Food Bank each half term.
• During Advent, we prepare hampers for members of our community who need them most.
• During Lent, we collect for St Joseph's Penny and raise funds for CAFOD, supporting people both locally and globally.

Every day begins with a prayer in form time, following the liturgical calendar. Weekly assemblies are led by both staff and pupils, and form time activities help pupils to explore spiritual, moral, social and cultural ideas.