Catholic Life

Living and Learning with Christ as our Guide

 

Our school is Christ-centred.  Every member of our community understands that our words and actions should reflect the teaching and example of Jesus.

As a Dominican school, we value community, prayer, learning and charity.  Our community is one in which every member is respected, included and cherished.  As we grow together academically, morally and spiritually, we endeavour to awaken in each pupil the desire to look outwards and to respond to a calling to be a force for good in the world.

Catholic Life and Mission

‘Faith without works is dead’ James 2:17

Catholic Social Teaching, in particular the recognition of human dignity, care for creation and a preferential option for the poor, is prioritised in all aspects of school life.  Whilst the virtues of the Jesuit Pupil Profile provide a weekly focus in our Prep Department.

Our House Patrons have been chosen to help us to understand more clearly how we live out Gospel values and put our faith into action.

    St Oscar Romero shows us that we should work hard for justice, in school, our local community and the wider world.

    Examples of how we do this:

    • Pupil voice, through the School Council
    • Annual support for the local foodbank
    • Year 9 fairtrade stall
    • Lenten Lunches – eaten simply, in solidarity with the poor of the world (CAFOD)
    • Our Live Simply Pledge which enables us to ‘listen to cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ as we work for global climate justice

    St Teresa of Calcutta reminds us that we can meet Christ in our needy neighbour and that we should always show love towards the sick, the lonely, and the marginalised.

    Examples of how we do this are:

    • Pupil buddy system
    • Prayers for the sick / prayers for refugees
    • Charity walks for CAFOD and for Father Hudson’s Caritas
    • Christmas gifts to the elderly and alone in parish, via our SVP link

    St John Henry Newman challenges us to listen to God’s voice, to be discerning and to respond to our vocation.

    Examples of how this is supported:

    • The prayer life of the school
    • Day retreat to Alton Castle – Year 7
    • Exploring vocation in RE lessons
    • A wealth of extra-curricular activities, that encourage the development of talents and personal growth

    Live Simply Award

    In July 2023 the school achieved CAFOD’s Live Simply Award.

    Through specific projects and ongoing traditions, the school community demonstrated how we have responded to the teaching of the Church in our mission to: Live Simply, Live Sustainably and Live in Solidarity with the poor.

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    A Year of Jubilee

    2025 was declared a Year of Jubilee by Pope Francis

    A Jubilee Year takes place once every 25 years and is a special year of forgiveness and reconciliation, in which people are invited to come back into a right relationship with God, with one another and with all of creation.

    The theme for this Jubilee Year is, Pilgrims of Hope.

    Catholic schools and parishes have been invited to be Pilgrims of Hope in the world today by sharing the joy of the Gospel through active faith.

    Here at St Dominic’s, we have been celebrating this year in a number of ways, including:

    • Praying the Prayer of Hope for the Jubilee in form time and assemblies
    • Eating our Lenten lunches and sending our donations to CAFOD
    • Walking a ‘mile in their shoes’ for Fr Hudson’s Caritas
    • Supporting our local foodbank
    • Supporting our Parish SVP group, through messages of good will and Christmas boxes with gifts
    • Revisiting our Live Simply Award pledge

     

    Students have shared our Jubilee Pledge with all members of our community and encouraged a commitment that will continue long after the Jubilee year comes to an end.

    In all of their actions, students have demonstrated an understanding of Catholic Social Teaching, particularly the principles of Solidarity, Option for the Poor and the fundamental principle of the recognition of Human Dignity.

    On the 21st November, we joined with many schools across the Archdiocese, via video link for the Jubilee Celebration.

    Retreats

    As part of our Catholic Life, all students have the opportunity of a day retreat at Alton Castle.

    Prayer and Liturgy

    ‘Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them’ Mt 18:20

    We take seriously our responsibility to provide the opportunity for all in our community to encounter Christ through prayer and reflection; time in prayer is an integral part of every school day.

    Each week there are two assemblies for senior pupils.  These may be: a reflection on the Gospel; based on a theme appropriate to the liturgical year; a celebration of a particular event in the life of the Church e.g. the Year of Jubilee; or a response to a world issue with a link to a principle of Catholic Social Teaching.

    Senior pupils also experience a midweek Gospel reflection via Teams in their form rooms, as well as pupil led prayer in form time and prayer during fortnightly House Meetings – inspired by their House Patrons.

    Prep pupils gather to pray at the beginning and end of the day in form time and enjoy a weekly liturgy assembly, which provides a child friendly exploration of the Sunday Gospel.  In addition, there is a celebration assembly at the end of each week, in which a demonstration of Catholic virtues is recognised.

    P3 Catholic pupils are prepared in school for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. The whole school gathers together to celebrate the pupils making their First Holy Communion. P6 Catholic pupils are also prepared for the Sacrament of Confirmation during the school year.

    A the heart of our prayer life is Mass, and we are privileged to have access to the Church of the Immaculate Conception and Saint Dominic and the services of Fr Gerald Doyle, who says Mass for us on Feast Days and at certain high points in the school year.  Students also attend the Parish Mass on a fortnightly basis according to a rota.

    Stations of the Cross  is an annual project here at St Dominic’s and an integral part of our prayer life.  It combines the RE, art and music departments and results in a service that brings together all in the senior school and beyond, to pray and contemplate the Passion.  Year 9 students select or write their own prayers and meditations for this observance.  It is always a moving and fitting end to our Spring Term.

    In recent years themes have inluded: Romero Stations, Stations of the Cross for Refugees, Christ with Us, Pope Francis’ Stations for Creation and most recently Pilgrims of Hope.

     

    For this year’s project we visited Liverpool’s Cathedral of Christ the King and then Crosby Beach.  Students were inspired to create the beautiful sculpture that now stands in our prayer garden.  Anthony Gormley’s installation at Crosby made students think about pilgrims, stepping out into a sea of uncertainty and a tide of indifference.  They combined this idea with the words of the prayer of St Teresa of Avila, ‘Christ has no body now on earth but yours’.  The resulting sculpture consists of a cross made up of pilgrims, as well as hands reaching out to do God’s work, mouths to be the voice of the voicless, eyes to look with compassion on the world and hearts to love.

    Rosary Club

    Our Rosary Club meets each week in the school library and is supported by our wonderful Catholic Life Governor.

     

    Rosary for the World                                                 Praying the Rosary for the success of COP30

    Our Prayer Garden

    As part of our Live Simply Award, students created a prayer garden.  They cleared weeds and paths and decorated tiles with inspirational and prayerful quotes to provide a focus for prayer.  Mindful of our responsibility to care for creation, flowers were chosen to attract pollinators, a bird bath was crafted out of an upcycled bathroom sink and bug boxes were installed.  As well as providing a quiet place for contemplation thoughout the school day, Sisters from the Dominican community were invited to enjoy the garden in the stillness of the early summer evenings.

     

    Please see our  Prayer and Liturgy Policy Nov 2025

    Religious Education

    Religious Education is ‘the core of the core’ of our school curriculum.

    The department aims to encourage a thirst for knowledge in religiously articulate young people, who can also respond with empathy and compassion to issues of our times.  Through the empowerment of knowledge, we hope to nurture in our pupils a desire to go out and be a force for good in the world.

    KS1 & KS2 – Learning & Growing as the People of God (updated to the new RED curriculum Sept 2026)

    All senior pupils follow the new RED curriculum

    KS3 – Spirit and Life / Source to Summit

    KS4 – Eduquas Route B

    The progression of the curriculum enables pupils to have a growing understanding of the Catholic faith and the place of God in their lives.  In addition, in the spirit of dialogue and encounter and through our study of Judaism in Year 10, pupils will develop a respect for those of other faiths or no faith at all.

    We are happy to see all our students making progress in RE and particularly proud of outcomes at the end of Year 11.  If not the top performing subject, RE is consistently in the top three subjects in terms of value-added scores.  Further, many of our high achieving students go on to study RE at A-Level.