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 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.  EYFS follow the new Religious Education Directory (RED) and years 1 to 6 follow 'Come and See'.  From September 2024 EYFS, years 1 and 2 will all use the RED, and KS2 will begin to use it the following year, if not before.

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 PARISH PRIEST

As a Catholic school we have very strong links with our local Parish church: The Holy Family & All Saints.

Fr Nixon Gomes, the parish priest is a wonderful asset to the school who celebrates mass with the children, supports the school as a Governor and enjoys being part of the school community.

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 learned by the children as they progress through the school.  By year 6 they will know all of them (see below)

Community Prayer

Each week our newsletter gives information about the Gospel for that week.  The Wednesday Word is also sent with the newsletter. Families can join in using the resources.

Parents and the Parish are invited to attend Mass at the school.

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 that they always have somebody they 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 performed each half term to allow the children to bond and grow in the love of God.

The Mark 10 Mission 

We utilise this fantastic resource in our class worship, our assemblies and in our prayers. It is full of engaging resources that allow the children to express their faith in a joyous and meaningful way.

Faith through Art

We study a variety of famous works of religious art over the liturgical year, linking them with music too.  This deepens the children's understanding of the Bible and Gospels.

The children are also inspired by listening to the Gospel stories and produce their own works of art too.