Prayer into life.
Life into mission.
Developing an annual plan of provision for Prayer and Liturgy and Catholic Life and Mission — a coherent journey of encounter, participation, service and growing responsibility.
From Early Years to Sixth Form, help children and young people discover how the Church’s year shapes prayer, how prayer changes daily life, and how their gifts can serve others.
A sequence through the year Progression across ages Ministry through formationA plan for formation, belonging and mission
An annual plan of provision should explain what the school offers, why it matters, how pupils are supported to participate, and how their understanding and responsibility deepen. A calendar makes events visible; a strong plan also makes the journey between them visible.
“fully conscious, and active participation”
Sacrosanctum Concilium, 14 directs attention to participation in the liturgy. For schools, this prompts a practical question: what preparation helps each pupil participate with understanding, attention and reverence?
Prayer and Liturgy
Plan encounters with Scripture, silence, communal and personal prayer, the prayer of the Church, appropriate devotions and sacramental celebrations. Teach pupils how to participate and give them supported opportunities to contribute.
Catholic Life and Mission
Plan how prayer bears fruit in hospitality, reconciliation, solidarity, care for creation, vocation and service. Include the culture of classrooms, relationships, policies and everyday decisions alongside organised activities.
These areas are closely connected while retaining their own purposes. A fundraising event is not itself a liturgy; a liturgy is not a fundraising presentation. Invite pupils to pray about a real need, understand it, act with others, and return to prayer and reflection.
Use To love You more dearly, the CES Prayer and Liturgy Directory , alongside diocesan guidance and dialogue with the parish priest or chaplain. This page offers adaptable planning suggestions rather than a prescribed programme.
Put a dependable rhythm beneath the special events
Seasonal celebrations enrich an established life of prayer. Avoid a plan in which pupils experience major events but receive little help to pray in an ordinary week.
| Rhythm | Provision | What develops? |
|---|---|---|
| Each day | Morning and end-of-day prayer; grace where appropriate; accessible prayer spaces; brief opportunities for gratitude, intercession or stillness. | Familiarity, security, attention and an expanding vocabulary of prayer. Adults model thoughtful participation. |
| Each week | Celebration of the Word at class, phase or whole-school level; Scripture linked to the Church’s season; an opportunity to revisit its invitation in daily life. | Listening, responding, praying for others and connecting faith with choices. Groups gradually take responsibility for suitable elements. |
| Each half term or term | Planned Masses where possible; ministry formation; a retreat or reflection opportunity suited to the phase; a review of a sustained service commitment; invitations to families. | Understanding of different forms of prayer; confidence through rehearsal; reflection on the quality and impact of service. |
| Across the year | Seasonal prayer and liturgy; patronal celebrations; sacramental links; vocation encounters; transition and thanksgiving; staff spiritual formation. | A sense of the whole Christian story, belonging to the wider Church, and readiness to serve beyond the school. |
Build in breadth: sung and spoken prayer, silence, traditional prayers, spontaneous prayer, Scripture meditation, age-appropriate examination of the day, communal intercession and suitable devotions. Teach the purpose of each form rather than adding variety for its own sake.
Keep liturgical integrity: distinguish Mass, Celebration of the Word, devotional prayer, retreat and assembly. Plan Mass with the priest using authorised texts and readings appropriate to the celebration. Pupil leadership supports the liturgy; it does not replace the ordained minister’s role. Coordinate sacramental preparation with the parish and diocese.
The annual journey: revisit, deepen, entrust
The sequence below links prayer with a continuing strand of mission and a next step in ministry. Schools should select a manageable number of priorities. A smaller number of well-prepared experiences can provide more formation than a crowded calendar.
Open each season for planning ideas. Seasonal headings indicate typical opportunities, not fixed term dates. The age progression in the next section shows how to adapt each opportunity.
1 · September: welcome, belonging and first steps in service
Encounter: begin with the school’s mission, the dignity of every person and the invitation to belong. Introduce prayer routines gently. Celebrate a welcome Mass or Celebration of the Word; explore the school’s patron and the parish community.
Mission in daily life: make welcome concrete through playground companionship, accessible information, listening to new families and a check of who finds participation difficult. The Season of Creation, 1 September–4 October, can connect thanksgiving with sustained care for the school grounds and local environment.
Ministry emerges: pupils notice needs before choosing titles. Older pupils accompany new starters; prospective prayer-space stewards learn to care for Scripture and materials; creation stewards undertake a baseline audit. Offer taster roles, demonstrations and supported practice before commissioning.
Preparation → celebration → continuation: learn what welcome means → pray for the new community → check after four weeks whether new pupils and families feel known. Pair older and younger pupils for a continuing relationship rather than a single welcome event.
Development through the phases: EY pupils practise greeting and thanking; primary pupils help another child join in; secondary pupils review the welcome experienced by new forms; Sixth Form students support induction and identify barriers with staff.
Staff, family and parish link: hold a short staff formation session on the school’s mission and prayer routines. Offer a welcoming prayer invitation with clear explanations; introduce the parish and chaplaincy team without assuming families already know how to take part.
2 · October–November: gratitude, saints, remembrance and Christ the King
Encounter: harvest thanksgiving; age-appropriate Rosary prayer in October; All Saints and All Souls in November; remembrance; and Christ the King at the end of the liturgical year. Present holiness through real lives of love and service, and Christ’s kingship through the Gospel.
Mission in daily life: move from donating food to understanding food insecurity and the dignity of those receiving support. Use locally agreed CAFOD or Caritas opportunities. Explore peacemaking through language, conflict resolution and the treatment of vulnerable pupils.
Ministry emerges: intercession writers learn to pray beyond their own concerns; readers practise understanding and proclaiming Scripture; peace ambassadors learn when to seek adult help. Remembrance may prompt a carefully supported ministry of companionship, never pupil responsibility for bereavement counselling.
Preparation → celebration → continuation: meet a parish or charity partner → pray with an informed intention → maintain an agreed partnership and review whether the response was useful. Revisit the welcome ministries established in September.
Development through the phases: EY gives thanks for people who care; KS1 learns from a saint’s example; KS2 researches a saint and follows one practice of service; KS3 considers holiness in ordinary choices; KS4 examines peace and injustice; Sixth Form evaluates the ethics and effectiveness of the school’s response.
Staff, family and parish link: invite families to contribute intentions sensitively and voluntarily. Coordinate remembrance with pastoral staff; acknowledge grief without requiring disclosure or public naming. Ask parishioners to share lived examples of service.
3 · Advent: waiting, listening and preparing a place
Encounter: use the Advent wreath, prophetic hope, Mary’s response and John the Baptist’s call to prepare. Protect a genuine experience of Advent alongside necessary rehearsals for Christmas presentations. Develop silence, patient listening and attentive intercession.
Mission in daily life: identify who experiences isolation, financial pressure or exclusion. Agree a sustained response with a trusted partner; avoid public comparisons of donations. Let preparing a place for Christ inform how the school prepares a place for every person.
Ministry develops: prayer leaders move from repeating an adult script to choosing a suitable response with guidance. Hospitality teams review access for family celebrations. Musicians learn how a refrain helps a congregation pray together. Scripture readers receive further coaching.
Preparation → celebration → continuation: attend to Scripture and listen to a partner’s needs → hold Advent prayer or a service of readings and song → continue practical support after the collection or performance is over.
Development through the phases: EY explores waiting with brief repeated prayer; KS1 offers a simple hope intention; KS2 helps prepare Advent prayer; KS3 explains the relationship between the text and response; KS4 plans an accessible reflection under supervision; Sixth Form mentors younger leaders and considers hope amid real uncertainty.
Staff, family and parish link: offer a short Advent reflection for all staff, including office and site colleagues. Share a simple home-prayer resource that requires no purchase. Where appropriate, coordinate Advent Reconciliation opportunities with the parish priest.
4 · Christmas–early Ordinary Time: receiving the gift and recognising a call
Encounter: celebrate the Incarnation and, when school dates permit, Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord. On return, acknowledge that the Church’s Christmas season may continue; check the actual calendar. Invite pupils to recognise Christ’s presence and the gifts entrusted to them.
Mission in daily life: use the new term to renew relationships and check how families have managed the break. Revisit commitments made in Advent. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January can support an appropriate encounter with neighbouring Christian communities.
Ministry develops: pupils review the role they have tried: What helped others pray or belong? What do I need to learn next? Offer new entry points to pupils who did not volunteer in September. Connect gifts with service rather than status.
Preparation → celebration → continuation: name a gift and a real need → pray about the invitation to serve → set one supported personal or team commitment for the term.
Development through the phases: EY names something kind they can do; KS1 recognises different gifts; KS2 explains how a gift can help the community; KS3 links identity and belonging with responsibility; KS4 explores choices and vocation; Sixth Form reflects on study, work and service as responses to a call.
Staff, family and parish link: invite adults from varied occupations and forms of Christian vocation to explain how faith shapes ordinary decisions. Include marriage, single life, ordained ministry and religious life appropriately; avoid presenting vocation solely as a career choice.
5 · Lent: conversion, prayer, fasting and almsgiving
Encounter: begin with Ash Wednesday where school dates allow; explore prayer, fasting and almsgiving as a response to God’s love. Provide age-appropriate Stations of the Cross, Scripture reflection and opportunities for reconciliation. Explain practices carefully; children’s participation should be appropriate to age, health and diocesan guidance.
Mission in daily life: select one injustice to understand more deeply. Combine prayer, reliable information, partnership, practical service and reflection. Examine habits within school: waste, exclusion, hurtful speech, unfair access and the use of resources.
Ministry develops: service teams learn from the people or organisations they seek to support. Peacemakers practise listening and restorative language within school procedures. Prayer teams deepen the use of silence. Students preparing reflections learn to avoid sensational or distressing material.
Preparation → celebration → continuation: identify a habit or injustice → pray and act with a partner → review changed behaviour and continuing responsibility, alongside any money raised.
Development through the phases: EY practises making peace with adult support; KS1 connects “sorry” with putting something right; KS2 links prayer and a sustained act of service; KS3 distinguishes immediate help from underlying causes; KS4 explores structural injustice through Catholic Social Teaching; Sixth Form leads a supervised partnership project and evaluates it with the partner.
Staff, family and parish link: offer formation on reconciliation and Catholic Social Teaching. Make charitable participation voluntary and dignified. Arrange the Sacrament of Reconciliation with the priest for eligible pupils, while providing meaningful prayer and reflection for others.
6 · Holy Week and Easter: accompanying, remembering and celebrating new life
Encounter: prepare pupils to understand Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, Christ’s Passion, death and Resurrection. If Holy Week falls in the holiday, provide preparation and parish information before the break, then celebrate Easter on return. The school does not need to reproduce every parish rite.
Mission in daily life: connect Easter hope with renewal: restore a damaged relationship, welcome someone back, renew a neglected space, or continue accompaniment of a partner. Take suffering seriously while proclaiming hope.
Ministry develops: readers, musicians and prayer leaders now explain how their contribution serves the celebration. Teams practise prayerful pacing, silence and congregational participation. Do not make liturgy dependent on a polished performance or replace authorised rites with drama.
Preparation → celebration → continuation: learn the Paschal story → celebrate suitable school prayer and liturgy and invite parish participation → revisit the habits of mercy and service developed in Lent during Eastertide.
Development through the phases: EY hears the Easter story with gentle, hopeful language; KS1 recognises the movement from sadness to joy; KS2 connects Holy Week and Resurrection; KS3 reflects on hope and suffering; KS4 explores the Paschal Mystery’s implications for life; Sixth Form supports younger pupils’ reflection while engaging honestly with difficult questions.
Staff, family and parish link: share accessible explanations of parish Holy Week celebrations. Respect different beliefs and family circumstances. Support staff in responding sensitively to questions about death, grief and suffering.
7 · Eastertide–Pentecost: gifts of the Spirit, Mary and being sent
Encounter: sustain Easter prayer across the season; explore Ascension and Pentecost on their actual dates. May offers opportunities for Marian prayer and reflection on Mary’s discipleship. Coordinate First Holy Communion and Confirmation links according to local parish and diocesan arrangements.
Mission in daily life: ask where courage, wisdom, generosity and patient listening are needed now. Use Pentecost to renew service beyond the familiar friendship group. Celebrate linguistic and cultural diversity with accurate translations and genuine participation.
Ministry develops: experienced pupils accompany a new volunteer; ministry teams lead an agreed element with less prompting; older students prepare a handover that includes purpose, practical guidance and lessons learned. A commissioning prayer recognises a formed commitment, not simply a badge.
Preparation → celebration → continuation: discern gifts with peers and adults → pray for the Spirit’s help → accept a specific responsibility and a mentor who will review it.
Development through the phases: EY recognises ways friends help; KS1 names a gift used kindly; KS2 takes a supported responsibility; KS3 plans with a team; KS4 mentors and evaluates; Sixth Form helps form successors and considers continuing parish or community service after leaving.
Staff, family and parish link: invite parish ministries to describe their formation and service. Celebrate sacramental milestones without treating all pupils as sacramental candidates or assuming the school controls preparation.
8 · Summer Ordinary Time: thanksgiving, transition and faithful continuation
Encounter: plan thanksgiving, leavers’ prayer and transition blessings. Consider Corpus Christi, the Sacred Heart, the school’s patronal feast and other celebrations where dates and local arrangements fit. Ordinary Time provides space for sustained discipleship rather than a gap between events.
Mission in daily life: review the year with pupils and partners. Notice small acts of faithfulness as well as visible leadership. Address the practical and emotional needs of transition, including exam pressure, friendships, finances and belonging.
Ministry matures: current teams train successors; portfolios record what was learned, not just what was delivered. Identify where outgoing pupils can continue to participate in their next school, college, parish or community.
Preparation → celebration → continuation: gather examples of growth → give thanks and pray for the next step → complete handovers and arrange autumn follow-up. Where school is closed for a feast or summer period, share optional parish and home resources rather than inventing an in-school celebration on the wrong date.
Development through the phases: EY names a thankful memory; KS1 identifies a new prayer habit; KS2 describes how they have served and helps younger pupils; KS3 reviews participation and belonging; KS4 reflects on responsibilities during transition; Sixth Form articulates a personal next step in faith, conscience and service without being required to disclose private beliefs.
Staff, family and parish link: offer a staff reflection on the year and a welcome plan for new colleagues. Include receiving schools and parishes in transition where appropriate. Agree next year’s formation priorities before simply repeating this year’s events.
Progression from Early Years to Sixth Form
Return to familiar seasons with greater understanding, a broader range of prayer and increasing responsibility. The steps below are suggested opportunities, not attainment grades or a measure of a pupil’s faith. Adapt to developmental readiness, SEND, language and prior experience; age alone does not determine readiness to lead.
| Phase | Prayer and understanding | Contribution and ministry | Mission and reflection |
|---|---|---|---|
| EYFS Encounter and security |
Recognise a prayer space; experience very brief stillness; hear simple Scripture; join a repeated response or gesture with adult modelling. | Choose an image for a thank-you prayer; help place a safe symbol; welcome a friend; contribute through signing, pictures or communication aids. | Practise sharing, care and gratitude. Recall a kind action through talk, play or pictures: “Who did we help?” |
| KS1 Join and contribute |
Recognise different purposes of prayer; learn suitable traditional prayers; identify key seasons and symbols; listen and offer a simple intention. | Prepare one element with an adult: a response, intention, song or prayer-space resource. Explain a simple choice. | Take a regular small responsibility. Connect a Gospel story with kindness or making peace: “What could we do?” |
| Lower KS2 Understand and prepare |
Recognise the shape of a Celebration of the Word and begin to understand the parts of Mass; sustain silence; distinguish prayer forms. | Use a supported planning structure; practise proclamation; choose a suitable response from reviewed options; help prepare the environment. | Learn about a partner’s needs and sustain a team commitment: “How does this respond to what we heard?” |
| Upper KS2 Plan and serve |
Explain how Scripture, silence, song and intercession help people pray; connect seasons with Christ’s life and the community’s response. | Prepare and lead suitable elements with adult review; write informed intercessions; support younger pupils; evaluate accessibility. | Explain the Catholic Social Teaching principle behind an action; listen to feedback: “Did our response help, and what comes next?” |
| KS3 Interpret and collaborate |
Explore Scripture in context; experience different forms of prayer and reflection; discuss how liturgy and daily discipleship relate. | Plan collaboratively with chaplaincy; match text, music and response thoughtfully; rotate responsibilities; learn practical preparation. | Analyse a local need, consult others and maintain a project: “Whose voice have we missed?” |
| KS4 Discern and mentor |
Engage with ethical questions through Scripture and Church teaching; develop reflective habits; consider vocation and conscience. | Lead agreed prayer with informed adult oversight; coach younger volunteers; evaluate whether a celebration enabled participation. | Examine causes of injustice and effects of action: “How should our decisions change?” Include realistic provision during examinations. |
| Sixth Form Accompany and sustain |
Develop mature reflection and informed dialogue; explore a personal pattern of prayer; relate discipleship to study, work and civic life. | Co-plan retreats and formation with adults; mentor teams; organise supervised partnerships; prepare successors and handovers. | Evaluate projects with partners and consider future commitments: “How will I continue to serve?” Adult safeguarding and pastoral accountability remain in place. |
Let ministries grow from encounter and need
A ministry is a responsibility in service of others. Begin with its purpose, offer formation, practise together, entrust a manageable task, and review it. Names such as GIFT Team, chaplaincy team, creation stewards or Caritas ambassadors can reflect local identity; the quality of formation matters more than the title.
| Opportunity | Emerging ministry | Formation needed | Next step and review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome and family celebrations | Hospitality and welcome | Greeting, listening, accessibility, respectful explanations and knowing when to refer to an adult. | Move from greeting guests to checking barriers with staff. Ask newcomers whether they felt included. |
| Advent, Lent and weekly prayer | Readers and intercession writers | Understanding the passage; pronunciation, pacing, microphone use; suitable intentions; adult approval of texts. | Move from supported practice to an agreed contribution, then coaching others. Ask whether people could hear and understand. |
| Sung seasonal prayer and Mass | Music ministry | Liturgical suitability, the place of silence, leading a shared response and enabling congregational singing. | Move from learning a refrain to supporting others’ participation. Review prayerfulness and participation rather than applause. |
| Class prayer and retreats | Prayer leaders and prayer-space stewards | Scripture, prayer forms, safe materials, accessible design, thoughtful pacing and appropriate reflection questions. | Move from one prepared element to a coherent plan with adult review. Listen to feedback from different pupils. |
| Harvest and Lenten outreach | Solidarity and service teams | Catholic Social Teaching, partnership, dignity, consent, reliable information and responsible handling of resources. | Move from a collection to sustained service and informed advocacy. Evaluate usefulness with the partner. |
| Reconciliation and peace | Peacemakers | Listening, fair language, safe boundaries and reporting concerns. Adult-led restorative procedures remain essential. | Move from modelling kindness to supporting agreed routines. Review belonging; never ask pupils to investigate safeguarding concerns. |
| Season of Creation and ordinary routines | Creation stewards | Care for our common home, evidence gathering, practical stewardship and working with site and catering staff. | Move from an audit to agreed changes and repeated measurement. Review waste, resource use and participation. |
| Pentecost, retreats and transition | Peer mentors and chaplaincy leaders | Accompaniment, facilitation, referral boundaries, supervision and evaluation. | Move from assisted contribution to mentoring successors. Review whether younger pupils gained confidence. |
A formation pathway
- Notice: encounter Scripture and identify a real need.
- Explore: understand the ministry and observe it modelled.
- Practise: rehearse a small task with feedback.
- Serve: accept a clear responsibility with a named adult.
- Reflect: ask what helped others and what needs to change.
- Accompany: support the next volunteer and hand over well.
Recruit fairly and revisit
Invite widely, including pupils who may not see themselves as leaders. Offer supported, shared and quieter roles. Use taster sessions and transparent criteria rather than popularity or academic attainment.
Review teams each term. Allow pupils to change roles, take a break or join later. Train liturgical ministries such as altar serving with the priest and parish; any ministry with specific authorisation requirements must follow diocesan norms.
A whole-community plan
Teachers and departments
Connect the year’s mission priorities to rigorous subject learning where the link is authentic. In English, examine whose voice is heard and how testimony is used; in mathematics, interpret data about inequality and evaluate fundraising claims; in science and geography, investigate resource use and the evidence behind environmental decisions.
Music can teach participation as well as performance; art can explore sacred imagery and accessible prayer-space design; PE can address belonging, fairness and team responsibility. Departments should name a concrete teaching decision and its rationale, rather than attach a seasonal slogan to every lesson.
Office, site, catering and support staff
Office colleagues shape welcome through patient communication, clear information and dignified handling of family circumstances. Site colleagues help plan accessible spaces, safe preparation and environmental stewardship. Catering teams support hospitality and inclusion through dietary and allergen arrangements.
Support staff often understand barriers to participation particularly well. Include their knowledge in planning, invite them to appropriate formation, and schedule participation so operational duties remain covered.
Families
Plan welcome in September and whenever a family joins. Offer explained invitations, simple home-prayer ideas, different meeting times and accessible communication. Consult families about barriers rather than assume a lack of interest.
Use Advent, Lent, sacramental milestones and transition as opportunities for continuing accompaniment. Participation should not depend on buying resources, donating money or being available during the working day.
Parishes and the wider Church
Agree dates, Mass provision, sacramental links and formation with parish clergy and chaplaincy before publishing the plan. Invite parish readers, musicians and service groups to model ministry. Let pupils see that the school belongs to a living Church beyond its gates.
Develop reciprocal partnerships: pupils learn from parishioners, share appropriate prayer resources and join agreed service. Check safeguarding, supervision and access for all joint activities.
Staff formation should progress too
Autumn: mission, the Church’s year, inclusive prayer routines and the distinction between prayer forms. Before Advent: Scripture, silence and enabling participation. Before Lent: reconciliation, Catholic Social Teaching and dignified partnership. Eastertide: vocation, discernment and mentoring pupil ministries. Summer: evaluate provision together and identify the next formation need.
Combine practical coaching with opportunities for staff to pray and reflect themselves. Include induction for new colleagues and access for staff joining mid-year. Use diocesan formation and suitable EducareM programmes to deepen leadership understanding.
Build the school’s plan: purpose before dates
- Listen and review. Consult pupils across phases, staff in different roles, families, chaplaincy, parish partners and governors. Identify what is fruitful, what is missing and who encounters barriers.
- Agree two or three priorities. For example: deepen Scripture and silence; widen access to ministry; strengthen a sustained parish or charity partnership.
- Map the dependable rhythm. Identify daily and weekly provision, staffing, spaces and resources before adding annual events.
- Place the seasonal anchors. Confirm the Church’s calendar, parish availability, holidays, examinations and transition points. Plan preparation and follow-up around each anchor.
- Map progression. For each phase, specify what pupils will encounter, learn, practise and gradually take responsibility for. Use the progression table as a starting point.
- Allocate formation and accountability. Name the adult lead, pupil contribution, training, partners, resources, accessibility and safeguarding arrangements.
- Review each term. Discuss participation, understanding, belonging, service and next steps. Amend the plan in response to evidence.
| Planning field | Record |
|---|---|
| Season, date and form | Actual date; liturgical occasion; distinguish Mass, Celebration of the Word, devotion, retreat, service and formation. |
| Purpose and foundation | Scripture or Church teaching; intended encounter; connection to the school’s mission and chosen priority. |
| Phase progression | What pupils already know; the next step in understanding, participation and responsibility; adaptations needed. |
| Before, during and after | Preparation and teaching; celebration or action; reflection and a continuing commitment. |
| Ministry and formation | Pupil roles; recruitment; training and rehearsal; adult mentor; suitable boundaries; successor arrangements. |
| Community and access | Family and parish involvement; communication; SEND, language and sensory needs; provision for differing beliefs; costs and timings. |
| People and resources | Adult lead; priest or chaplain; partner; staff time; materials; budget; supervision and contingency arrangements. |
| Review and next step | Proportionate feedback and observations; partner response; what changed; who needs further support; the next formation step. |
Purpose: help the community listen attentively to Scripture.
Before: discuss the passage, model proclamation, practise pronunciation and microphone use, and offer paired or supported reading.
During: pupils proclaim agreed readings in a suitable Celebration of the Word, with an adult responsible for the plan.
After: gather brief feedback on clarity and pacing; reflect on the passage’s invitation to hope; rehearse again before the next contribution. By Eastertide, confident readers help a new volunteer practise under adult supervision.
Review the fruit, not just the activity
- Participation: could pupils hear, understand and take part? Whose access improved, and who still needs support?
- Understanding: can pupils explain a prayer choice, seasonal symbol or connection between Scripture and action at an appropriate level?
- Responsibility: are pupils better prepared, more thoughtful and able to support others?
- Mission: did the partner find the response helpful? Did everyday relationships or practices change?
- Sustainability: are workloads manageable, ministries supported and handovers effective?
Use short conversations, observations, pupil planning notes and partner feedback. Governors can ask how provision reflects the school’s mission and what leaders have learned. Avoid grading personal faith, demanding private prayer disclosures or equating spirituality with public confidence.
Read, plan and deepen formation
Church and national guidance
- CES: To love You more dearly — Prayer and Liturgy Directory and associated resources.
- Liturgy Office: liturgical calendar — check dates and local observances annually.
- Catholic Bishops’ Conference: liturgy — national information and formation links.
- Sacrosanctum Concilium — particularly paragraphs 10–14 on liturgy, prayer and participation.
- Gravissimum educationis — the Church’s declaration on Christian education.
- CAFOD — explore education, prayer and action resources appropriate to the school’s chosen partnership.
Always add the school’s own diocesan guidance, parish arrangements and local charity partners.
Continue with EducareM
Use these workspaces and programmes to deepen reflection on how the school’s Catholic identity shapes leadership, provision and daily decisions.
- Leading with Hope — leadership reflection and development.
- Governing with Hope — reflection for governors and leaders.
- NSF: Tabor Programme — formation for school leaders.
- Christ the Teacher — explore further formation.
- Programme Diary — see current opportunities and arrangements.