Catholic Life & Mission

Catholic Identity

Parents electing to send their children to the school must understand their obligation to support the Catholic identity and ethos of the school.

Our main aim is to help children to learn and to strive for excellence in the name of Christ. Pupils are the centre of our school. All resources, human and material, are provided and deployed for their benefit.

Pupils live up to the school’s deeply rooted values,  acts of kindness so that all pupils can be happy at school and awareness of the needs of others.  Pupils value the many opportunities to support charities and care for people in need.

In addition to Ofsted inspections, we are also regularly inspected by the Diocese of Westminster who monitor the effectiveness of religious education and collective worship in the school. During a recent inspection, it was noted that “The school’s provision for prayer, collective worship and liturgy is outstanding.”

At regular points in the day pupils are given the opportunity to pray together in class or as a community. To support prayer and reflection, each classroom is equipped with a prayer table as a focal point to complement the topic being delivered within RE. We encourage all to experience a wide variety of prayer, including the option to write personal prayers, sing grace and offer spontaneous petitions.

We have a prayer corner in the school hall which pupils are encouraged to use independently when the need arises.  We enjoy strong links with the local clergy from the parishes served by our school which supports the sacramental life and opportunities for liturgical formation.

Our dedicated team of music teachers ensures that there is a good repertoire of liturgical music to enhance prayer and worship. We are proud of the way the school is very successful in making sure its Catholic ethos permeates aspects of its academic work outside of classroom religious education.

We have a wide range of religious artefacts on display throughout the school, both in class prayer areas and in public areas. These make St Cuthbert Mayne very visibly a Catholic school. Although there are very few pupils from other faiths within our school, we work hard to ensure there are well-considered links to allow children to experience other traditions.