Catholic LifeCatholic Social Teaching

1. Life and Dignity of the Human Person

All people are sacred, made in the image and likeness of God. People do not lose dignity because of disability, poverty, age, lack of success, or race. This emphasises people over things, being over having.

At Holy Family we work hard to ensure we implement inclusive teaching methods to accommodate different learning needs and use resources which celebrate diversity. Every student at Holy Family should feel valued and respected regardless of their abilities or background.

We are proud of our pastoral support at Holy Family. We focus on the holistic development of students entrusted into our care and provide assistance to those facing challenges.

We cultivate a school culture that champions appreciation and acceptance of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and races. Our large student body represents numerous cultures, and we actively celebrate this diversity. Through our assemblies, PSHCE, and Religious Education lessons, we instil values that underscore the sanctity of all human life. Throughout our curriculum, we engage in discussions and lessons that emphasise the intrinsic worth of every individual, promoting empathy and a deeper understanding of others.

We encourage staff to exemplify respect for human dignity through their interactions with students emphasising empathy, kindness, and fairness in all aspects of school life.

The intrinsic value of every individual as created in the image and likeness of God, is incorporated in our prayers and reflections nurturing a sense of reverence and appreciation for human life,

Our charity drives so far this academic year have included collecting hundreds of tins for our local SVP group to redistribute to families in our community, raising money for CAFOD’s harvest appeal, collecting toiletries for our Christmas Hamper appeal, having a bake sale to raise funds for the White Ribbon appeal and collecting money for Cafod’s Israeli-Palestinian Crisis Appeal.

2. Call to Family, Community, and Participation (the Common Good)

The human person is both sacred and social. We realise our dignity and rights in relationship with others, in community. “We are one body; when one suffers, we all suffer.” We are called to respect all of God’s gifts of creation, to be good stewards of the earth and each other.

Our House Leaders organise and encourage students to actively participate in community service projects, fostering a sense of responsibility towards others and emphasising the importance of giving back to the community. Projects so far include helping parishioners prepare the Church before an Advent service, organising a Christmas party at , a litter pick in the community and students reading to residents at a local care home for the elderly.

We heavily focus on the sanctity and dignity of the human in our work on relationships in RSE and RE. We mark Anti-Bullying Week each year with a series of assemblies and activities and our Positive Behaviour Policy reflects our strong belief that it is our duty to provide a distinctive and inclusive Catholic education that encompasses the principles of Catholic social teaching and fulfils St Oscar Romero’s words, “ Aspire not to have more but to be more.”

We have established peer support systems where older students guide and support younger ones, promoting a sense of belonging and fostering positive relationships within the school community.

We encourage  collaborative learning experiences that emphasise teamwork, cooperation, and mutual respect, reflecting the idea of working together for a common goal. Our Student Leadership Team is one example of this as are our school sports’ day  and our Big House Celebration Day both held in the summer term.

We encourage our staff and students to implement programmes focusing on environmental stewardship, such as recycling, community clean-ups, or educational campaigns on sustainability, emphasising the importance of caring for God's creation. Our House Leaders and the PLT created a video resource for a PSHCE lesson on Cop28 for  all students.

3. Rights and Responsibilities

People have a fundamental right to life, food, shelter, health care, education and employment. All people have a right to participate in decisions that affect their lives. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities to respect the rights of others in the wider society and to work for the common good.

Our charity work and service projects, led by our House team, encourage students to actively participate in community service projects, fostering a sense of responsibility towards others and emphasising the importance of giving back to the community.

We forge partnerships with local organisations and charities, inviting guest speakers or organising joint initiatives to address community needs and demonstrate solidarity with those in need. Charities we have worked with recently include: CAFOD, Haven House, Project Zero, The White Ribbon Campaign, MIND, Carefree Kids, MacMillan.

4. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

The moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation. We are called to look at public policy decisions in terms of how they affect the poor.

We have developed inclusive policies within the school to ensure that students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds have access to resources such as bursaries, academic support, or extracurricular activities without financial barriers.

Our curriculum across the subjects is infused with discussions, case studies, and lessons that highlight social justice issues, poverty, and the importance of advocating for the rights of the poor and vulnerable. 

Our Justice and Peace Group and our Young SVP Group organise events, guest speaker sessions, and workshops that raise awareness about poverty-related issues and encourage students to advocate for systemic change through letter-writing campaigns, petitions,andr engagement with policymakers.

Rather than organising our usual ‘Secret Santa’, our staff opted instead to commit to buying a gift intended for our most vulnerable students. 

5. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

People have a right to decent and productive work, fair wages, private property and economic initiative. The economy exists to serve people, not the other way around.

Teaching about the dignity of work and workers’ rights are incorporated across various subjects at all our key stages.

Discussions on ethical business practices are encouraged, emphasising the responsibility of businesses to ensure fair treatment and just compensation for their employees. Our Business, Economics, History, Politics and Sociology courses at KS5 look to instil a sense of social responsibility among future leaders. 

6. Solidarity

We are one human family. Our responsibilities to each other cross national, racial, economic and ideological differences. We are called to work globally for justice.

At Holy Family we are committed to engaging with our students in global social justice initiatives. We have recently raised money with our bucket collection following our Christmas Carol service  for CAFOD’s Israeli-Palestinian Crisis Appeal.

There are opportunities within our curriculum to explore diverse perspectives on global issues. Lessons in English, RE, Geography, History, Sociology, PSHCE promote empathy, understanding, and action for a more just and inclusive world.

7. Care for God’s Creation

The goods of the earth are gifts from God. We have a responsibility to care for these goods as stewards and trustees, not as mere consumers and users.

We have established an Eco Club whose recent projects have included promoting recycling in school, cleaning up our school grounds and creating sustainable gardens on both sites.

We are very proud that we were awarded the CAFOD Live Simply Award and the fact that it was our students who were the driving force behind change in sustainability and promotion of Laudato Sí values.

Our House Leaders and the PLT led the promotion of activities during COP 28 week by encouraging staff and students to employ energy-saving practices, waste reduction strategies and water conservation. 

Our  gardens are maintained by our prayer garden team to emphasise the importance and beauty of God’s creation. We encourage students to reflect on their relationship with nature by incorporating prayers and scripture readings that highlight our responsibility to care for the earth as stewards of God’s creation.