1885 · Pope Leo XIII

1. Spectata fides

Commends Catholic schooling, the partnership of faith and learning, and the community’s generosity.

Governors’ challenge

How does our mission shape teaching and resource decisions?

Governors’ support

How can we strengthen partnerships with families, parish and diocese?

1929 · Pope Pius XI

2. Divini illius magistri

Sets out Christian education and the educational responsibilities of Church, family and civil society.

Governors’ challenge

Are we clear about our responsibilities and parents’ role in children’s education?

Governors’ support

What would help leaders deepen family partnership and staff understanding of Catholic education?

1965 · Second Vatican Council

3. Gravissimum educationis

Affirms the right to education, whole-person formation, parents’ responsibilities and the distinctive contribution of Catholic schools.

Governors’ challenge

Who faces barriers to receiving the full educational offer?

Governors’ support

How can we help leaders remove barriers while sustaining high expectations?

1977 · Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education

4. The Catholic School

Explains the Catholic school’s place in the Church’s mission and its service to the whole person.

Governors’ challenge

Where is Catholic identity visible in curriculum, relationships and decisions?

Governors’ support

What formation would help staff connect their everyday work with the mission?

1982 · Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education

5. Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith

Explores lay educators’ vocation and their contribution as witnesses to faith.

Governors’ challenge

Do staff experience their work as a valued contribution to the school’s mission?

Governors’ support

How can we invest in professional, theological and spiritual formation?

1988 · Congregation for Catholic Education

6. The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School

Considers the religious dimension of school life while respecting pupils’ and families’ conscience and freedom.

Governors’ challenge

How well do RE, prayer and school culture express our Catholic character?

Governors’ support

What resources and development would strengthen these areas for all pupils?

1997 · Congregation for Catholic Education

7. The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium

Calls for renewal, a clear Catholic identity and an educational community built on meaningful relationships.

Governors’ challenge

Are we responding to changing needs while remaining faithful to our purpose?

Governors’ support

How can we support thoughtful innovation and stronger family relationships?

2002 · Congregation for Catholic Education

8. Consecrated Persons and their Mission in Schools

Reflects on consecrated educators’ witness, accompaniment, solidarity with the poor and education for peace.

Governors’ challenge

How are our founding charism and concern for those in need kept alive?

Governors’ support

How can partnerships and formation help sustain this spiritual inheritance?

2007 · Congregation for Catholic Education

9. Educating Together in Catholic Schools

Presents shared mission between consecrated persons and lay faithful, supported by professional and spiritual formation.

Governors’ challenge

Is our mission genuinely shared across leadership, staff and governance?

Governors’ support

How can we create time for joint formation, reflection and collaboration?

2013 · Congregation for Catholic Education

10. Educating to Intercultural Dialogue in Catholic Schools

Connects Catholic identity with intercultural relationships, dialogue and formation for living together.

Governors’ challenge

Whose cultural experiences are heard, and how effectively do we address prejudice?

Governors’ support

How can we help staff build respectful dialogue and a curriculum that fosters belonging?

2014 · Congregation for Catholic Education · Working document

11. Educating Today and Tomorrow: A Renewing Passion

Explores identity, learner diversity, integral education, teacher formation and emerging educational challenges.

Governors’ challenge

Do our priorities address the needs of learners and the challenges ahead?

Governors’ support

How can we resource staff development and thoughtful responses to change?

2015 · Congregation for Catholic Education · Final communiqué

12. World Congress: Educating Today and Tomorrow

Summarises the Congress’s work on identity, educational community, formation and contemporary challenges.

Visit the Congress page ↗

Governors’ challenge

Does our improvement strategy put people, inclusion and the common good at its centre?

Governors’ support

How can collaboration with other schools help us strengthen our educational mission?

2017 · Congregation for Catholic Education

13. Educating to Fraternal Humanism

Connects education with solidarity, dialogue and the common good.

Governors’ challenge

Who is excluded from opportunities to learn, participate and serve?

Governors’ support

How can partnerships strengthen belonging and practical solidarity?

2019 · Congregation for Catholic Education

14. “Male and Female He Created Them”

Addresses gender theory in education through Catholic anthropology and an approach of listening, reasoning and proposing.

Governors’ challenge

How do our policies express Catholic teaching while upholding every pupil’s dignity?

Governors’ support

What formation and diocesan advice would help staff respond thoughtfully and respectfully?

2020 · Pope Francis · Video message

15. Global Compact on Education

Sets out commitments to people, young people’s voices, families, inclusion and care for our common home.

Governors’ challenge

Whose voices shape our priorities, and who remains unheard?

Governors’ support

How can we strengthen partnerships and opportunities for pupils to contribute?

2022 · Congregation for Catholic Education · Instruction

16. The Identity of the Catholic School for a Culture of Dialogue

Provides guidance on Catholic identity, the responsibilities of the educational community and addressing difficulties.

Governors’ challenge

Is our Catholic identity understood consistently across leadership, staff and governance?

Governors’ support

What clarity, formation and diocesan support would strengthen our shared responsibilities?

2025 · Dicasteries for the Doctrine of the Faith and for Culture and Education

17. Antiqua et nova

Examines artificial and human intelligence, including AI’s implications for learning and teacher–pupil relationships.

Governors’ challenge

Does our use of AI strengthen genuine learning, judgement and human relationships?

Governors’ support

What guidance and training would help staff evaluate AI tools and their impact?

2025 · Pope Leo XIV · Apostolic letter

18. Drawing New Maps of Hope

Marks sixty years of Gravissimum educationis and reflects on education as a work of evangelisation and hope.

Governors’ challenge

How does our school offer practical hope to children facing uncertainty or disadvantage?

Governors’ support

How can we sustain staff formation, educational relationships and thoughtful renewal?

Explore the EducareM Hope reflection →

Mission and identity

Challenge

Where does our Catholic mission change the decisions we make?

Support

What formation and evidence would help leaders make that connection clearer?

Evidence to explore

Curriculum plans, policy reviews, leadership reports and pupil experience.

Dignity and inclusion

Challenge

Who is missing out, and how do we know?

Support

What can we help leaders change so that every pupil participates and flourishes?

Evidence to explore

Participation, attendance, SEND and disadvantage information, alongside pupil and family voices.

Staff formation and shared witness

Challenge

How consistently do adults understand and live the mission?

Support

How can we protect time and resources for professional, theological and spiritual formation?

Evidence to explore

Induction, development plans, staff feedback and the impact of formation.

Religious education, prayer and Catholic life

Challenge

How well do pupils learn about faith and experience meaningful opportunities for prayer and service?

Support

What expertise, resources or partnerships would improve the quality of provision?

Evidence to explore

RE evaluation, prayer and liturgy review, pupil voice and examples of service.

Families and educational community

Challenge

Whose views influence our decisions, and who finds it difficult to engage?

Support

How can we help leaders make communication and partnership more accessible?

Evidence to explore

Consultation, family feedback and examples showing how views have shaped action.

Dialogue and the common good

Challenge

How do we respond to difference, prejudice and the needs of the wider community?

Support

What would help leaders strengthen respectful relationships and purposeful service?

Evidence to explore

Behaviour and culture reviews, curriculum examples, community partnerships and pupil voice.

Digital learning and artificial intelligence

Challenge

Does technology strengthen understanding and independent judgement, and what evidence shows its impact?

Support

What training, evaluation and safeguards would help leaders use technology responsibly?

Evidence to explore

AI and digital policies, examples of pupil work, staff training, tool evaluations and feedback from pupils and families.