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CATHOLIC LIFE
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS INSPECTION | OCTOBER 2025
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Leaders and governors are committed to ensuring that Christ is at the centre of all aspects of school life.
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Pupils fully embrace the Catholic life of the school; they value greatly the opportunities they are given and can confidently discuss why serving others is of great importance.
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School leaders are determined to enable all pupils to live out the Church’s mission through close relationships with the parish community.
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There are many rich and varied opportunities for prayer and liturgy prayer across the the school.
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Pupils are enthusiastic and engaged in religious education lessons and can confidently discuss their learning.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Religious Education is in accordance with the beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church. The “Come and See” programme is used throughout the school. We believe that children learn most from example and therefore we strive to live out the Gospel values with Christian principles and ideals permeating the whole curriculum.
Children are encouraged to participate in the life of the Church and there are regular School Masses to celebrate important times in the year. Parents, friends, relations and parishioners are welcome to join us.
Class or school acts of collective worship are held every day. Pupils study other world faiths as part of the RE programme and visit places of worship to support their learning.
Parents have the right to withdraw their child from Religious Education lessons. However, by accepting a place at the school, parents understand the school’s Christian foundation and currently no children are withdrawn from lessons.
CATHOLIC LIFE AND MISSION
At St Catherine's School we know that Christ is at the centre of everything we do. We recognise that it is not simply enough to pray and to go to Mass each week; we must put our faith into action. Our Catholic faith influences our school life in we which we do our best to follow the Gospel values of love, justice, forgiveness and concern for others. The Catholic life of the school is an opportunity for children to develop an understanding of their faith and develop spiritually, morally, socially and culturally.
As a Catholic school, we aim to instil in the pupils a sense of community. We also encourage pupils to see themselves as part of the wider community of the parish, neighbourhood and the world at large. Our distinctive Catholic identity enables our children to become confident to articulate what their faith means to them and to respect those who are of different faith backgrounds. We believe that our work with home, parish and community are interlinked through an ongoing journey in learning and faith. We do this by involving them in parish activities, local initiatives and national/international causes. We value each individual in the school and remind pupils of the need to show respect for each person, their feelings, beliefs, talents, problems and belongings.
MISSION STATEMENT
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE AND SET THE WORLD ON FIRE
“You are the light of the world… let your light shine so others may see the good things you do and praise God.”
Matthew 5: 14-16
At St. Catherine’s, we shine bright by learning, loving, and caring in an environment where we feel safe, happy and confident. We believe everyone is special and made in God’s image. We help each other grow and share our gifts to make the world a better place.
We believe in:
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being kind, respectful, and fair to everyone (service)
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living like Jesus in and out of school (honesty)
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celebrating everyone’s achievements, big or small (inspire)
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nurturing our relationships with families, parish, and communities. (Nurturing)
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valuing our differences and learning from each other (Embracing)
We let our light shine brightly for all to see! Be who God wants us to be. Together, we can achieve and set the world on fire with kindness and faith.
OUR PARISH CHURCHES
HOLY NAME
Holy Name Jesmond,
7 North Jesmond Avenue,
Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 3JX
Parish priest: Father Michael Campion
0191 281 0940
Mass Times
Saturday 4.00pm
Sunday 10.00am
OUR PARISH CHURCHES
ST DOMINIC'S PRIORY
St Dominic’s Catholic Church,
New Bridge Street,
Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 2TE
Parish priests: Father Peter and Canon Simon
0191 232 5939
Mass times
Saturday 5.30pm
Sunday 10.00am and 7.00pm
MINI VINNIES
We are extremely proud to be part of the St. Vincent de Paul Society – Mini Vinnies. Our Mini Vinnies group has representatives from Year 3 to Year 6 who live out the mission of St Vincent by helping local charities and supporting people in our own school and parish community. We work closely with Blackfriar’s Community Centre supporting them at Christmas and at a variety of events throughout the school year. This is such a valuable experience for our children as they strive to make changes both locally and globally, and to develop the prayer life of our school.
What happens at a Mini Vinnies’ meeting?
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Our Mini Vinnies group meet once a week during break-time.
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Our ‘President’ leads the meeting and organises the group. Miss Cunningham and Miss. Cummings co-ordinates the group and gives help and practical advice. The President opens the meeting with a prayer.
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A short spiritual reading/reflection/piece of music/meditation follows. The Group members take turns to do this.
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Group members then talk about the Mini Vinnies’ activities they have done since the previous meeting.
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Any future plans are then discussed.
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The President concludes the meeting with a prayer.
FAITH IN ACTION
The Faith in Action Award encourages young people through recognising, rewarding and celebrating their active faith lived out through service and reflection. The Award helps them connect their life and faith in a tangible manner.
In journeying through the Award, young people should experience a deepening of their relationship with God and find themselves exploring that relationship. It is hoped that through their relationship and action, others will see God's love through them.
Children in Year 6 at St Catherine’s work towards the Pin Level. They keep a prayer journal which is evidence of all their outstanding work throughout the year, both at home and at school. The RE Governor, parish priest and Miss Hoey moderate these journals at the end of the year. Children in Year 6 work with members of our local community, visit our parish Church regularly, greet parishioners, serve tea and raise an incredible amount of money during Lent for our local charities in Newcastle. We are extremely proud of the outstanding work our children and families do.
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0191 232 6803
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Greystoke Gardens, Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE2 1PS
ROSARY CLUB
During the months of October and May, children from across the school gather on a Tuesday lunchtime for Rosary Club. This is an opportunity for the children to offer up their own prayers and personal intentions to God while praying the rosary. Prayers are led by the children and a member of staff is present to co-ordinate the club.
JUBILEE YEAR 2025: PILGRIMS OF HOPE
Pope Francis has announced that 2025 will be a year of Jubilee – an event that happens every 25 years. The theme for the upcoming Jubilee is “Pilgrims of Hope”. The 2025 Jubilee will begin on 31st December 2024 and will run until the Feast of the Epiphany in 2026.
More information is available on the Jubilee 2025 website: https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html
What is a Jubilee?
Taking place every 25 years, a Jubilee year is a tradition that is recognised and respected throughout the world as being a significant part of the history of our faith.
Excluding the Extraordinary Year of Mercy in 2016, the last Jubilee year took place in 2000, marking an historic moment as the Church entered into her third millennium. A Jubilee is a special year of grace, in which the Catholic Church offers the faithful the possibility of asking for a plenary indulgence – a remission of sins for themselves or deceased loved ones. The year begins with the well-known custom of the opening of the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica, following the other three papal basilicas in Rome. The Pope grants permission for Holy Doors to be situated throughout the world for Catholics everywhere to take part in this most special rite.
Jubilee Prayer
Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.
May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.
May the grace of the Jubilee
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever.
Amen
PRAYER
Prayer and worship are central to the daily life of St Catherine’s primary school. We aim to provide opportunities for children's spiritual growth and development through participation in a variety of forms of worship and through experiencing all forms of prayer: formal, informal, spontaneous, private, shared, petitionary and meditative.
As a school we gather weekly to celebrate the Word. They listen to the Scripture passage linked to the Gospel from the previous Sunday.
In our Key Stage assemblies, we gather weekly to listen and act upon a weekly statement to live by. They listen to the Scripture passage linked to the statement. Children then follow the statement to live by in school. Each week a different statement such as ‘I try to be just and fair’ is displayed in every classroom and around the school. Children are encouraged to think about the statement at the beginning of the school day, it is reinforced throughout the day and reflected upon before going home.
Children are actively involved in planning and leading worship, both in class groups and whole school settings. Shared acts of worship take place in an atmosphere of reflection and stillness, where we encourage each other to listen to God speaking to us and to respond.
Every child in school belongs to a house with an assigned saint. Our house saints are: St Cuthbert, St. Aidan St. Hilda and St. Bede. These northern saints guide and lead our children through their example.
Throughout the school, religious artefacts and displays help to educate us, focus our prayer and demonstrate our pride in our faith. Beginning with our entrance way, this continues through the corridors and flows into each classroom. Every classroom has its own displays and a prayer focus to aid with both academic and spiritual guidance.
SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION
Children have the opportunity to receive two sacraments during their time at St. Catherine’s Catholic Primary School: First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Jesus Christ, in His abundant love and mercy, established the Sacrament of Confession, so that we as sinners can obtain forgiveness for our sins and reconcile with God and the Church. The sacrament “washes us clean,” and renews us in Christ.
“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (John 20:21-23).
After a period of preparation, our Year 4 children receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Spring term.
The children learn the Act of Contrition:
O my God, because you are so good,
I am very sorry that I have sinned against you,
And by the help of your grace, I will try not to sin again.
Sacrament of the Eucharist
Through the sacrament of Eucharist we remember what Jesus did for us in his life, death and resurrection. We remember particularly the Last Supper, that final meal Jesus shared with his disciples. At that meal Jesus gave us the Eucharist so that we could remember him in a special way. When we receive Communion, we believe that we receive the person of Jesus into our very beings. We become one with him, and we become one with each other. As a community we become ‘the body of Christ’.
The Sacrament of the Eucharist is received by Year 4 children in May after having received the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The children will make the First Holy Communion at St Dominic's Priory.