Catholic Life at St Clare's

Here at St Clare's, our faith permeates through everything that we do. We wish for all visitors to our school, pupils, families and others to 'have life and have it to the full'. (John 10:10).

Why does the Catholic Church provide schools? In his document, Christ at the Centre, Bishop Marcus writes that the Catholic Church provides schools to:

Assist in the Church's Mission of making Christ known to all people.
Assist parents, who are primary educators of their children, in the education and religious formation of their children.
Be at the service of the local Church - the diocese, the parish, and the Christian home.
Be 'a service to society'.

At St Clare's, this is what we strive to provide.

Our Mission

"I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." (John 10:10).

We aim to grow in knowledge and friendship with God.
We, the governors, the Headteacher, and the staff will uphold the Catholic Virtues of our school life.
We will feel compassion for others in difficulty.
We aim for a welcoming Christian atmosphere.
We live our lives according to Gospel values, following the example of the saints.
We will achieve the best we can, academically, spiritually, and in everything we do.
We will work in partnership with our families, our parish, other schools, and our diocese, to create a community of faith.
We welcome other faiths working in harmony with Catholic traditions.
We deliver a high standard of Religious Education which will be reflected in our teaching, prayer, and social action.
Prayer and Collective Worship will be at the heart of our school life, and we will enjoy regular visits from our parish priest, who guides our school community in our spiritual development.
We will care for our world and everything in it, celebrating the importance of our stewardship of the Earth.

In our latest RE Inspection (January 2017), inspectors commented that:

"The commitment to the children's well-being and to the faith life of the school is a priority."
"The 'family feel' and warmth of the school are appreciated by pupils, parents and staff. All members of the school community live out the school mission, 'I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.' The calm, harmonious community feel of St Clare's is a real strength. Parents, pupils, staff, and governors appreciate that St Clare's is a very special place to be."
"St Clare's is a school committed to its Catholic tradition and ethos. Its Catholic character is reflected in the environment, which is of a very high standard. Display is a particular strength of the school. It is of a high quality and reinforces the Catholic ethos and values extremely well."

For further details, please read the full report here.

How We Live Our Faith

Supporting Ukraine
School has raised money for people fleeing violence in Ukraine, as part of our Lenten giving, as well as in other one-off fundraising events. Our children came to school in blue and yellow as part of our 'Stand With Ukraine' day.

Lenten Giving
This Lent, our school councillors chose a list of charities which we would like to support. The school councillors then presented the whole school with three charities to choose from, with every child and adult in school having the opportunity to vote for their favourite charity after hearing what each one did in an assembly on Shrove Tuesday.

The school voted to split their fundraising between Catholic Care and DePaul International, a homeless charity helping displaced people in Ukraine.

We look forward to seeing how much we can raise for these worthy causes.

Commemorating Holy Week
We were delighted to celebrate a prayerful and reflective Holy Week Liturgy on Maundy Thursday. Children from Years 3, 4, and 5 led us through the events of Holy Week. Thank you to all the parents and families who came to support this moving event.

Mini-Vinnies Group
As part of our recent library refurbishments, our Mini-Vinnies donated our old stock of library books to local families. It was amazing to see so many people from our community take up the offer.

Good Shepherd Appeal
Three of our Year 6 children represented school when they went to Leeds Cathedral to present Bishop Marcus with a cheque for over £300, raised for the Good Shepherd Appeal which supports the work of Catholic Care. They really enjoyed meeting the Bishop and were amazing representatives for our school. Well done, Year 6!

Harvest Appeal
We held a Harvest Appeal to collect donations of foodstuffs for our local Food Bank. A huge thank you to our amazing families who were so generous with their donations.

We then held a Harvest Festival Mass at St Clare's Church to celebrate God's rich bounty.

Sacrament of First Holy Communion
In June, we were delighted to help prepare young people from St Clare's parish for their First Holy Communion. We wish them every blessing as they continue their journey in life as young Catholics.

Confirmation
We were delighted to support our Year 6 pupils in becoming confirmed as Catholics. We wish them every blessing for their future at secondary school.

Remembrance
We have a yearly Remembrance Liturgy to give thanks to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms that we enjoy today. Each class creates a Remembrance Wreath which they then present in front of our school altar.

Prayer
Prayer is a fundamental part of everyday life at St Clare's. Staff and children pray together regularly. Pupils increasingly prepare and lead acts of worship. High-quality Collective Worship is central to the life of this school and a key part of every school celebration. A prayer space has been dedicated in the school hall.

Other Faiths
Our latest Section 48 inspection report states that, "Provision for teaching other faiths is good. One day per term is dedicated to either Judaism, Islam, and one other world faith. Visits and visitors are planned. Provision is carefully considered to ensure that pupils learn at an appropriate level for their age."

We believe that teaching children about other faiths is fundamental to preparing them for life in modern Britain, helping them to become tolerant and well-rounded individuals who are respectful of the views of others.

Here are some images from our Judaism day.

Parish Information

Wednesday Word

Please see this link to read the Wednesday Word