Catholic Life and Mission
St John Fisher is first and foremost a Catholic Community of Faith. As such, we aim to provide every child with a genuine experience of what it means to belong to a Christian community, where our relationships are built on encouragement, concern, respect, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
The purpose of Catholic education is to assist the Church in its mission to make Christ known to all people, and to assist Catholic parents in the education and religious formation of their children. We strive to do so by placing Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church at the centre of all that we do, by promoting Gospel values and providing a high - quality Catholic education which contributes to the spiritual, moral, intellectual, and personal development and well-being of all our students.
Every school day starts with the celebration of the word during period one. In addition, each year group gathers in the School Chapel for a weekly act of Collective Worship. Students are encouraged to lead the celebration of the word, including producing and/or selecting their own readings, prayers or reflections.
Chapel acts of worship are planned and led by the Lay Chaplain, Headteacher, all Senior Leaders, Heads of Year, Head of RE and staff volunteers. Each form group also takes responsibility for planning and leading at least one year group Chapel act of collective worship during the school year.
Daily celebrations of the word including scripture readings and prayers are provided by our Lay Chaplain, which are linked to a weekly whole school theme. The format of the Celebration of the Word is Welcome, Word, Worship and Witness.
We provide a wide range of opportunities which contribute to the faith formation and spiritual development of our students. Students in all year groups participate in religious retreats and pilgrimages. Students in the lower school participate in form group retreat days at Harlow Carr and Osmotherly Priory. Students in the upper school and sixth form participate in residential retreats at Ampleforth College and Castlerigg Manor. The school's pilgrimage programme includes visits to the annual Diocesan Pilgrimages to Walsingham and Lourdes.
The school supports our young people in working towards the Faith in Action Award Scheme. This is a national award for young people aged 10 – 18 which is supported by the Catholic Youth Ministry. Students across all year groups participate in a wide range of fundraising events throughout the year, including for Catholic Charities such as CAFOD, the Lourdes Pilgrimage and the Leeds Diocesan Good Shepherd Appeal. Students also raise money for Children in Need, and in response to local, national, and international emergency appeals.
As a Catholic school we support the on-gong faith formation and Catechesis of our students through a formal Religious Education programme. Religious Education is the core academic subject in our curriculum. As such, it is a compulsory subject for all students in years 7 to 11, with all year 11 students taking either a GCSE in Religious Education or an entry level qualification, dependent upon their ability. In addition, all 6th form students follow a General Religious Studies course.
We are committed to building on the sustained successes of our partner Catholic primary schools. Although the admission policy gives priority to baptised Catholic children, the governors’ welcome applications from people of all faiths who wish to benefit from, and are willing to support, our Catholic values and ethos.