Holy Family Catholic Primary School
Catholic Life & Mission
We are a Catholic School. Everything that happens here is informed by Gospel Values and the teachings of Jesus.
Our belief in God isn't limited merely to the ‘spiritual’ world or what we do in Mass or school Collective Worship, but permeates all aspects of our lives as responsible global citizens. We teach the children about the dignity of the human person, how we are called to live as family and a community, about rights and responsibilities, that we are called to stewardship, our responsibility for the poor and vulnerable, about the dignity and rights of workers and about solidarity and the promotion of peace.
Holy Family provides an education based on the values of living life through Christ. The shared dedication of our wonderful staff team is an essential factor in maintaining our excellent standards; we want our pupils to learn, to grow and to be inspired by Gospel values, so that they can reflect God's love in their everyday lives.
We devote 10% of curriculum time to the teaching of RE. The school follows the new Religious Education Directory (RED).
Collective Acts of Worship take place daily, with 4 days being with the whole school, and the remaining day as class prayer time. We host a weekly Parish Mass on most Thursdays, where Fr. Nixon comes into school to celebrate Mass. This allows us to be close to the parish, even though the church is right at the other end of the town.
Our Prayer Life
Prayer is central to our everyday life at Holy Family. We believe that prayer brings us closer to God. We pray at different times of the day, sometimes as a personal prayer, sometimes as a collective prayer. We pray for ourselves and the needs of others. Our prayers are said to give thanks (thanksgiving), to ask for help (petition), to say sorry (confession), and praise God for his greatness (adoration). HFS has a booklet of prayers that are learnt by the children as they progress through school. By year 6 they will know all of them (see below).
Prayer Focus Area
Throughout the school, we have dedicated prayer focus areas. In some areas, the focus will remain the same, for instance to Our Lady. In other areas they will change to reflect the Liturgical calendar.
Each class has a Liturgical display box that contains everything they need to keep class prayer areas up to date and reflective of the RED, Come and See theme or liturgical calendar theme.
Class Saints
In every class, children learn all about their special Saints. Through studying the lives of the Saints, we all learn to live in God's love. We use the example of the Saints and Feast Days to help us be more like Jesus, and we do this so that we can help grow our school family, and the wider community. We have many role models to help us: many saints to guide us.
Below is a copy of the School Prayer book that has all the prayers said in school.
Prayer Partners
The school has decided to introduce prayer partners across the school, so that each class can pray with a partner and build upon the knowledge and love of Christ.
We really wanted the children to work together and pray together so that they would always have somebody they could call on in times of need. Some of the older children can assist the younger children with prayers they haven't learnt properly, and introduce them to new prayers.
This time of reflection will be done each half-term to allow the children to bond and grow in the love of God.
The Mark 10 Mission
At our school, we use resources from The Mark 10 Mission to support our children’s spiritual development and help them grow in their faith. The Mark 10 Mission is a Catholic charity that provides free, high-quality materials for schools, families, and parishes, including worship videos, prayer activities, and faith-based resources. These resources help our pupils encounter Jesus in a simple, engaging way and strengthen their relationship with God as part of our daily school life.
More information can be found below:
Faith through Art
Throughout the liturgical year, we explore a wide range of famous religious artworks, examining their themes, symbolism, and stories. We also link these works with music, using hymns and sacred pieces to enhance the learning experience. This creative approach helps deepen the children’s understanding of the Bible and the Gospels, as they learn to recognise key events and messages through visual art and sound, and connect them to their own faith journey.
Staff Formation
What is Formation?
Formation is a life-long process of listening to what the Holy Spirit is calling you to be and to do, and then getting the appropriate information, training and guidance to enable you to fulfil that mission. Formation is Christ-centred. It is scripturally rich and grounded in the Church. Formation is intentional, ongoing and reflective. It starts from people’s lived experiences and focusses on the growth of individuals and communities in spiritual awareness, theological understanding, vocational motivation, and in abilities for mission and service in the world.
What is CPD?
CPD – or Continuing Professional Development, is a way of our staff continuing to develop their practice through training. Training for teachers and staff at our school focusses around improving outcomes for pupils, staff are trained both formally and informally and at Holy Family a coaching model is used. Training in aspects of our Catholic life (Catholic Life and Mission, Religious Education pedagogy and Collective Worship) is essential to the induction of new staff and many attend the Diocesan training across an academic year to enhance their understanding of Catholic education and working in a Catholic school.
The CCRS- 'Catholic Certificate of Religious Studies'
Studying for the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies aims to: provide teachers, those involved in parish ministry and other ministry contexts with knowledge and understanding of the teaching and beliefs of the Catholic Faith; develop an appreciation of the principles of Catholic education at all levels; employ and encourage sound adult educational processes which express central values of Catholic life; enhance understanding of education within the Church as a life-long process; enable all participants to make an informed contribution to their chosen field of ministry within the Church.
At Holy Family, many of our teachers hold CCRS. Staff are encouraged to study for this qualification.