We love and learn with Christ at the heart of all that we do.
Chaplaincy is a vital expression of our school mission, enabling children to take responsibility for shaping and promoting the Catholic Life and Mission of our community. Through prayer, worship, service and leadership, children respond to Christ’s call to “love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34), becoming active agents of faith, hope and compassion in the world around them.
Partnership with Our School Chaplain
We are fortunate to work closely with our school chaplain, Beth Richards, who joins us on a fortnightly basis. Beth makes a significant contribution to the spiritual life of the school through engaging, reflective retreats and prayer experiences that encourage children to deepen their relationship with God, grow in faith and spirituality, and develop their ability to discern how God is working in their lives.
Through her warm and approachable manner, Beth helps children to explore faith in meaningful and age-appropriate ways, creating opportunities for personal reflection, prayer and spiritual growth. She also works alongside staff and pupils to support and strengthen the Catholic Life and Mission of the school.
Chaplaincy Teams
During 2025-26, four chaplaincy teams were established, named after the four Gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Each team worked collaboratively with Beth Richards, taking ownership of a particular aspect of Catholic Life within the school.
One team focused on promoting Catholic Social Teaching, helping children to understand their responsibility to care for others and respond to issues of social justice through prayer, action and service. Another team explored ways of communicating God’s message to others, encouraging children to share their faith confidently and to recognise how they can be witnesses to the Gospel in their daily lives. A third team planned and prepared Celebrations of the Word for both whole-school and key stage gatherings. Through prayerful preparation, they helped create meaningful opportunities for collective worship and reflection. And a forth group focused on the school’s environment, ensuring that displays, prayer spaces and shared areas reflected and promoted our Catholic Life and Mission. They helped create welcoming, prayerful spaces that encouraged children and adults to encounter God throughout the school day.
Here’s a video of a piece of work the communications team created – We Need You
Through their involvement and roles, pupils developed confidence, leadership skills and a deeper understanding of their responsibility as active members of the Church community.
The chaplaincy team for 2026 – 2027 is being formed. We are welcoming new members to the team, which we are very excited about, and look forwards to sharing more information once the teams and their roles are established.
Classroom Responsibilities
In every classroom, children take responsibility for leading and supporting prayer. Prayer leaders play an important role in helping their classmates participate reverently in prayer and worship.
Children are also responsible for maintaining the class prayer table, ensuring that it remains a respectful and inviting focal point for prayer. They carefully adapt prayer tables to reflect the Church’s liturgical seasons and celebrations, selecting appropriate colours, symbols, scripture and artefacts. These prayer spaces provide opportunities throughout the day for children to pause, reflect and pray both individually and collectively.
School Leadership Roles
Year 4 Welcomers
Year 4 pupils serve as our Welcomers. Having often celebrated their First Holy Communion during the previous year, this role provides an opportunity for them to actively live out their faith through service.
Welcomers greet children and adults as they arrive for weekly Celebrations of the Word and for significant whole-school liturgical events. They help prepare the community for prayer by deciding how visitors and participants will be welcomed, sometimes offering holy water as a reminder of our baptismal calling.
Through their ministry, they encourage everyone to enter prayerful celebrations with reverence, creating opportunities for individuals to pause, reflect and prepare their hearts to encounter Jesus.
Year 5 Lectors
Year 5 pupils volunteer to become Lectors. They undertake the privileged role of proclaiming the Word of God during Celebrations of the Word and other liturgical occasions.
Lectors prepare carefully for their readings, striving to read clearly, confidently and prayerfully. Through their proclamation of scripture, they help the school community to engage with God’s Word and reflect upon its meaning for daily life.
Year 6 Worship Environment Team
Year 6 pupils take responsibility for preparing and enhancing the spaces used for prayer and worship across the school.
At times, this involves arranging seating and resources; at other times, it requires creating immersive prayer environments that support deeper reflection and spiritual engagement. During Advent, for example, the hall may be transformed through the creative use of light and darkness, scripture, music, symbols and reflective spaces. These carefully prepared environments help children and staff enter more fully into the liturgical season and create opportunities for profound encounters with God through prayer and reflection.
By taking ownership of these responsibilities, Year 6 pupils model servant leadership and help to nurture a strong culture of prayer, reverence and faith throughout the school.
