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Thursday, September 2, 2010
Education

Arab and Israeli pupils study together at Hand in Hand schools | Hand in Hand schools
Arab and Israeli pupils study together at Hand in Hand schools
Both Arab and Israeli students in Israel study at Hand in Hand schools -  and they study in both languages. These special schools are most unusual in Israel, especially in Jerusalem, where the two communities live in different parts of the city. Read More ...

Students invited to hear Newman experts  | Fr Ian Ker, Newman, Dr Paul  Shrimpton, Fr Ignatius Harrison,  Provost of the Brompton Oratory, Professor Jeroen Bons, The University of Utrecht, Dr Andrew Hegarty, Thomas More Institute, Fr Julian Green, Fr Joe Evans,
Students invited to hear Newman experts
Students will have a rare opportunity to hear some of Britain's leading experts on John Henry Newman next month, when a series of talks is held in in north London, ahead of the Papal visit and beatification. A group of 50 students and teachers will gather at Netherhall House,  Hampstead, Read More ...

Irish Church considers divesting patronage of primary schools | The Council for Education of the Irish Bishops' Conference
Irish Church considers divesting patronage of primary schools
The Council for Education of the Irish Bishops' Conference  have welcomed the publication today of data by the Department of Education and Skills on possible divesting of patronage of primary schools. Catholic Bishops have for some time stressed their willingness to cooperate in the process of ensuring a greater variety of patronage within the primary school system to respond to the needs of parents. Read More ...

Derbyshire schools host disabled children's holiday week | Mount St Mary's College,Chesterfield,Home-Based,Fairplay
Derbyshire schools host disabled children's holiday week
Sixth-form pupils from a Derbyshire school have launched a new charitable venture, for children with disabilities and special needs. Mount St Mary's College, invited children from Chesterfield charity Home-Based and support group Fairplay, also based in Chesterfield, to come and use the facilities on offer at the College, and enjoy a stay at the Mount's boarding accommodation. Read More ...

London: schools minister visits St Gregorys  | St Gregory's Catholic Science College, Kenton, Schools' Minister Nick Gibb MP
London: schools minister visits St Gregorys
St Gregory's Catholic Science College in Kenton, was chosen by Schools' Minister Nick Gibb MP on 7 July  to launch his plans to "put head teachers and teachers back in control of the classroom". St Gregory's Catholic Science College is a leading good behaviour school. Read More ...

St John's relay team swims English Channel | English Channel,St John's Beaumont,Michael Bamber, Jack Griggs, Oliver Mason, Alistair Wilson,Geoff Williams, Erik Boyter
St John's relay team swims English Channel
Four boys aged 12 and 13 years have successfully swum the English Channel in relays - in less than 12 ½ hours.  The swimmers from St John's Beaumont - the Jesuit Preparatory School in Old Windsor - consisted of Michael Bamber, Jack Griggs, Oliver Mason and Alistair Wilson, accompanied by member of staff, Geoff Williams, and Erik Boyter, a parent. Read More ...

Derbyshire pupil wins national poetry prize | Ella Watts,Simon Powell, Poetry Live! day in Sheffield, Gerald Manley Hopkins
Derbyshire pupil wins national poetry prize
A talented pupil at Mount St Mary's College has been crowned a national winner in a prestigious poetry competition. Ella Watts, a boarding student at the Derbyshire school, was one of ten students to be awarded the Simon Powell poetry competition prize after entering a Poetry Live! day in Sheffield. Read More ...

Academy Status offer Catholics 'far more threats than opportunities' | Academy Schools Programme,Primary and Secondary Headteachers Conference,Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools,
Academy Status offer Catholics 'far more threats than opportunities'
The options available to Catholic schools in the Government's Academy Schools Programme was the main topic of the Diocese of Westminster's Primary and Secondary Headteachers Conference, held on 6 July 2010 in Westminster Cathedral Hall.  Speaking at the Conference, Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools, Read More ...

Outstanding Catholic schools pick up 6 out of 15 TES awards  | 2010 TES Schools Awards, St John Plessington Catholic College St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary,Bishop Challoner Catholic Collegiate Schools, Saint Bede's Catholic High, Corpus Christi Catholic Sports College,
Outstanding Catholic schools pick up 6 out of 15 TES awards
Catholic schools picked up an exceptional number of educational awards at the 2010 TES Schools Awards ceremony, held on 17 June as the Grosvenor House Hotel, London. Six out of the 15 categories of awards were won by Catholic schools, an extremely impressive achievement since Catholic schools make up only 10% of schools nationally. Read More ...

Stonyhurst students take action for Zimbabwean boy
Stonyhurst students take action for Zimbabwean boy
Pupils of all ages at Stonyhurst College have been raising money to help a physically disabled boy in Zimbabwe receive the medical care he needs. A fun-run this week has finally achieved their target of £5,000. 14-year-old Kundai Mangoma suffers from a rare disease which has caused a huge tumour on the right hand side of his face; this has left him with breathing difficulties and blindness in one eye. Read More ...

A school trip with a difference! | Saint Paul’s Catholic High School,Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, Thai Children’s Trust, Pattaya, Thailand
A school trip with a difference!
Year 11 students from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, enjoyed the school trip of a life time when they visited a children’s charity in Thailand.  As part of their Citizenship classes, 20 pupils, and four teachers, joined the UK-based Thai Children’s Trust in Pattaya, Thailand, where they visited a children’s day care centre and a school for the blind. Read More ...

Catholic, Anglican churches respond to Ofsted Religious Education report | Oona Stannard, Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali,Ofsted report, Transforming Religious Education
Catholic, Anglican churches respond to Ofsted Religious Education report
The Catholic and Anglican  churches have given their first reaction to the government's Ofsted report:  Transforming Religious Education.  In a statement, director Oona Stannard from the Catholic Education Service for England and Wales (CESEW) welcomes the attention given by Ofsted to Religious Education in its recent report. Read More ...

New Principal at St Mary's  | Bishop George Stack,Professor Philip Esler,St Mary's University College, Dr Arthur Naylor.
New Principal at St Mary's
Bishop George Stack, Chair of Governors,  has today announced the appointment of Professor Philip Esler as Principal of St Mary's University College in succession to Dr Arthur Naylor.  Philip Esler is currently Professor of Biblical Criticism at the University of St Andrews. Read More ...

Catholic Education chief urges caution over new Education Bill  | Catholic Education Service,Oona Stannard,Education Bill,CESEW
Catholic Education chief urges caution over new Education Bill
Catholic Education Service Director Oona Stannard announced today that her department will be carefully considering the new Education Bill which automatically would allow 'outstanding schools'  to become academies. She said in a statement: "CESEW has already received a number of communications seeking guidance on the implications for our sector. Read More ...

First sports chaplaincy degree in UK launched | University of Gloucestershire,MA in Sports Chaplaincy
First sports chaplaincy degree in UK launched
A unique postgraduate course focusing on the training and accreditation of sports chaplains is to be launched at the University of Gloucestershire.  The MA in Sports Chaplaincy, which is the first course of its kind to be developed in the UK, will help ordained clergy, church leaders and lay workers to explore in depth the many and varied aspects of sports chaplaincy.
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London: Living Theology Summer School | A Summer School of Catholic Faith, Allen Hall,Living Theology Summer School
London: Living Theology Summer School
A Summer School of Catholic Faith:  LIVING THEOLOGY ALLEN HALL 2010 will be held from 9 - 12 July, Friday to Monday, at Allen Hall, Beaufort Street, Chelsea, London SW3.  This optional residential or non-residential long weekend is a collaboration between Allen Hall (Diocese of Westminster Seminary) and Living Theology Summer School. Read More ...

New Anglican/Catholic academy for the West Country | All Saints’ Academy,Christ College, Anglican Diocese of Gloucester,Catholic Diocese of Clifton.
New Anglican/Catholic academy for the West Country
A turf cutting ceremony has been held at the site of a new ecumenical Academy in Cheltenham.  All Saints’ Academy will replace Christ College which is due to close on 31 August 2011 and will specialise in science, sport and religious education. It is sponsored by the Anglican Diocese of Gloucester and the  Catholic Diocese of Clifton. Read More ...

West London school pupils experience Cardboard City | Tito Pereira, Mount Carmel School,Acton Homeless Concern
West London school pupils experience Cardboard City
Year 6 pupils at a west London school recently took part in a project to support the local homeless charity, Acton Homeless Concern.  They began in class working on issues surrounding homelessness, challenging stereotypes of homeless people, and looking at all people as children of God. Read More ...

Lancashire: eco-school wins three Green Flags  | eco school, St Teresa's, St Helen's green flags
Lancashire: eco-school wins three Green Flags
Following a recent eco assessment St Teresa's RC Primary School in St Helens, Lancashire has become one of only a handful of schools in the country to be awarded three green flags. Green flags are awarded to schools which promote a culture of sustainability in curriculum and culture and the 'eco warrior'pupils Read More ...

Maria Fidelis is Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year | Maria Fidelis Convent School Gospel Choir,Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year 2010
Maria Fidelis is Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year
Maria Fidelis Convent School Gospel Choir, in Euston, London,  is the Senior BBC Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year 2010. On its first competitive outing,  Maria Fidelis Gospel Choir beat previous St Aiden’s CE High School, Harrogate, a previous winner and   Rugby School, a third time finalist, to win this prestigious competition. Read More ...

Hackney school weightifting team wins national competition | Omarie Mears, Kim Pham,Delyce Albert Joseph,Akinsoji Akinnawo, weightlifting, Cardinal Pole
Hackney school weightifting team wins national competition
A Catholic school in east London has achieved some outstanding results in a national weightlifting contest.  Although it was their first national competition, the team from Cardinal Pole Catholic School in Hackney  won in several categories at the British Schools Championships in Oldbury, Birmingham. Read More ...

American Catholic school gives lessons in kindness          | St Peter the Apostle RC School,Philadelphia,kindness,Jessica Baskin Taylor, MEd, tolerance, anti-bullying,anti-prejudice
American Catholic school gives lessons in kindness
All pupils at St Peter the Apostle RC School, in Philadelphia, have been focusing on kindness this year.  School social worker Jessica Baskin Taylor, MEd, has taught lessons on kindness,  tolerance, anti-bullying, and anti-prejudice in each class from Kindergarten to the 8th grade.
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Staff Reporter

Archbishop Nichols to deliver annual UCL lecture   | Archbishop Vincent Nichols,University Catholic Lecture, at University College London
Archbishop Nichols to deliver annual UCL lecture
Archbishop Vincent Nichols, will deliver this year’s University Catholic Lecture, at University College  London on Tuesday 23 March. The title of the lecture will be Faith in the Academy, and will consider some aspects of  Newman’s Idea of a University.  The Archbishop has been invited by UCLU Catholic Society.  Read More ...

Bilingual school opens in London  | bilingual state education,French,Holy Cross Catholic Primary School,L'école Marie d'Orliac
Bilingual school opens in London
Free bilingual state education in French and English will be available to 56 primary school pupils in the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham from September this year. The scheme, involving Holy Cross Catholic Primary School and L'école Marie d'Orliac was confirmed by the signing of a formal declaration Read More ...

Oxford Chaplaincy to host BBC's 'Any Questions?' | Any Questions?, Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy (OUCC) Lord Adonis, Anne Widdecombe MP,John Micklethwaite,Jonathan Dimbleby.
Oxford Chaplaincy to host BBC's 'Any Questions?'
Any Questions?, the long-running BBC Radio current affairs panel discussion programme where the audience ask the questions, will be coming live from the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy (OUCC) next Friday, 12 March. The programme will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 8pm - and repeated on the Saturday at 1.10pm.
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Young artists paint Stations of the Cross for Lent | St Albans’ school,Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School
Young artists paint Stations of the Cross for Lent
While some people are giving up things for Lent, a group of pupils at a St Albans’ school have been working extra hard to create an Easter artwork. The gifted pupils at Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School Read More ...

Manchester pupils learn how to keep safe on-line | Saint Paul’s Catholic High School,Wythenshawe, Manchester, cyberbullying,internet, e-mail, chatrooms.
Manchester pupils learn how to keep safe on-line
Pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe, Manchester,  recently took part in Safer Internet Week where the 2010 theme was 'Think Before You Post'. They looked at mobile phone technology and the potential dangers, social networking sites, cyberbullying, how to use the internet and e-mail safely and responsibly and staying safe in chatrooms. Read More ...

Winning stories from the Thai Children's Trust writing competition  | Winning stories from the Thai Children's Trust writing competition
Winning stories from the Thai Children's Trust writing competition
The Runaway by Erin Michie -  The sun is my brother, warming my skin and lighting my way. The earth is my sister, providing me with a home and the land on which I live. Each blade of grass whispers words of the past; each song bird sings a unique melody every day. Read More ...

Thai Children's Trust writing competition winners | Thai Childrens Trust. Erin Michie,Beaverwood School for Girls,Caitlin McLarty,  Wallingford School, James O'Donnell,St Joseph's RC Primary School, Christchurch,
Teri Rogers
Thai Children's Trust writing competition winners
Schoolchildren across the country were invited to enter the Thai Children's Trust writing competition.  There was a tremendous response, and the winners are being announced today. Author Tabitha Suzuma who judged the competition said: "I was absolutely staggered by the quality of the stories
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Stonyhurst pupils to visit Zimbabwe  | Stonyhurst, Zimbabwe
Stonyhurst pupils to visit Zimbabwe
A group of pupils and staff from Stonyhurst College, Lancashire leave for Zimbabwe this week, to visit their Jesuit sister school, St Peter’s, Kubatana. Packed in their suitcases will be gifts of various things which are in short supply in Zimbabwe, such as first-aid materials, art equipment, and footballs. Read More ...

Free download:  children's activity book on St Vincent de Paul | St Vincent-de-Paul
Free download: children's activity book on St Vincent de Paul
A beautiful new activity book for children has just been published by the Daughters of Charity in Australia.  The Life of St Vincent-de-Paul Activity Book  has a story, puzzles, quiz, brain teasers, games, drama and pictures to colour,  with formats for children in Kindergarten to Year 6. Read More ...

Westminster:  Chorister Outreach Programme | Westminster Cathedral Choir,Chorister Outreach Programme
Westminster: Chorister Outreach Programme
Primary school children in the diocese of Westminster are being invited to sing in the newly formed Westminster Diocesan Children's Choir, which rehearses every Saturday morning at Westminster Cathedral Choir School.mThe Westminster Cathedral's Chorister Outreach Programme  also offers specialist singing tuition to six primary schools within the archdiocese. Read More ...

London school Gospel choir performs at US Embassy | Maria Fidelis Convent School Gospel Choir
London school Gospel choir performs at US Embassy
The Maria Fidelis Convent School Gospel Choir, in Euston, led by Karen Gibson, performed at a reception at the US Embassy in London recently, to commemorate the life and work of American civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. 
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London: £47m Learning Village opens in Tower Hamlets | Bishop Challoner Learning Village
London: £47m Learning Village opens in Tower Hamlets
Bishop Challoner Catholic Collegiate School's £47 million Learning Village project in Tower Hamlets, London, was officially opened at 12.30 pm today, by the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, in a ceremony attended by Bishop George Stack,  local civic and faith leaders and the school community. Read More ...

MP presents Robin McNair Prize | David Burrowes MP,Robin McNair Prize
MP presents Robin McNair Prize
David Burrowes MP yesterday presented the 2009 Robin McNair Prize in the Houses of Parliament. Student contestants wrote essays on bioethical issues including abortion, human embryos and the rights of the disabled.
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Snow rest at Mount St Mary's | Mount St Mary’s College
Snow rest at Mount St Mary's
It was business as usual for staff and students at Mount St Mary’s College in the north of England today.  Despite snowy conditions, the school stayed open and lessons continued as normal. Read More ...

Education Service welcomes  Government support for  faith schools  | Oona Stannard, CESEW
Education Service welcomes Government support for faith schools
The Catholic Education Service of England and Wales (CESEW) has welcomed the Government's emphasis of its support for schools with a religious character. This has come in a recent letter to the CESEW Chief Executive as well as in a recent debate in the House of Lords. Read More ...

London: Jewish school loses right to select pupil on religious grounds | Oona Stannard,Catholic Education Service for England and Wales, JFS
London: Jewish school loses right to select pupil on religious grounds
A Jewish  secondary school, the JFS in Brent, north-west London, lost its right to select a pupil on religious grounds today, following a ruling by nine Supreme Court justices. Today's  case was brought by a Jewish man whose son was refused a place because his mother was deemed to be not Jewish Read More ...

Convent school choir reaches Songs of Praise final | Maria Fidelis Convent School FCJ, in Euston,School Choir of the Year 2010'
Convent school choir reaches Songs of Praise final
Maria Fidelis Convent School FCJ, in Euston, London, has reached the final of the BBC Songs of Praise programme and so is in the running for the title of 'School Choir of the Year 2010'.  On its first attempt the school has become one of the three finalists chosen for the senior section having beaten the competition from the national pool of entries. Read More ...

Derbyshire school builds water tank for mission in Zimbabwe | Barlborough Hall School, Makumni, aqua aid
Derbyshire school builds water tank for mission in Zimbabwe
Children in an African village are to get access to clean water every day thanks to an aqua aid scheme set up by staff and pupils at a Derbyshire school. Teachers and children at Barlborough Hall School Read More ...

Report shows faith schools build community | Strong schools for strong communities
Report shows faith schools build community
'Strong schools for strong communities', a report published by the Church of England demonstrates that schools with a religious character contribute strongly to community cohesion.  The report features a study of recent Ofsted data assessing schools' progress Read More ...

SCHOOL WRITING COMPETITION | Thai Children's Trust Writing Competition
SCHOOL WRITING COMPETITION
Primary and secondary school students  are invited to enter The Thai Children's Trust Writing Competition.  A case study of  a boy called ‘Chap’ has been chosen  to inspire young people to produce a creative writing piece.  Chap lives at a Drop in Centre for Street kids in Pattaya, Thailand. Read More ...

Catholic Sixth Formers call for tighter internet controls | Sixth formers, tighter policing of social networking web sites,Ursuline High School, Wimbledon, Jesuit Wimbledon College
Catholic Sixth Formers call for tighter internet controls
Sixth formers at two Catholic schools in south west London have called  for tighter policing of social networking web sites and greater restrictions to prevent under-18s accessing adult material on the net.  The students - from the Ursuline High School in Wimbledon and the Jesuit Wimbledon College Read More ...

Children help each other through Mission Together | Mission Together, Janet Fearns
Children help each other through Mission Together
More that 11,000 children and adults were abducted by LRA in Uganda between 1990 and 2000. The young boys and girls are targeted to carry LRA booty and later be trained as child soldiers. Young girls are exchanged for guns. Some of the girls are taken as housewives, while others are raped and abandoned. Read More ...
Sr Janet Fearns

Report studies impact of Christian ethos schools   | impact of schools with a Christian ethos,theology think tank Theos, Stapleford Centre,
Report studies impact of Christian ethos schools
A  new report published today on the impact of schools with a Christian ethos argues that more research is required to determine their effect on pupils. The report, published by theology think tank Theos and the Stapleford Centre, Read More ...

Pax Christi Young Persons' Peace Challenge  | Pax Christi Young Persons' Peace Challenge
Pax Christi Young Persons' Peace Challenge
 Pax Christi have launched their fourth annual competition for young people  focusing on peace heroes and heroines. Young people between the ages of 15-18 are invited to work in teams of four to determine what makes  a peace hero or heroin and then to tell their story in a DVD or video. Read More ...

England: school sex education to be compulsory at 15 | sex education, schools, CESEW,Catholic Education Service for England and Wales. Ed Balls
England: school sex education to be compulsory at 15
The right of parents  to take their children out of sex education classes in England is being ended for 15-year-olds. The change means all pupils, including those in faith schools,  will have to receive at least one year of sex and relationship education before their 16th birthday. The course will include  areas such as same sex relationships and contraception. Read More ...
Claire Bergin

Newman College offers Theology scholarships  | Theology, scholarships,Newman University College, Birmingham, The Fernham Trust,
Newman College offers Theology scholarships
Students considering studying for a degree in Theology are set to receive a helping hand with the launch of three new annual scholarships at Newman University College, Birmingham. The scholarships, which are funded by The Fernham Trust, will be awarded annually from 2010 and  both full tuition fees scholarships and partial bursaries are available. Read More ...

Queen visits St John's Beaumont School | St John's Beaumont School, Queen Elizabeth, British Jesuit Provincial, Fr Michael Holman SJ,Fr Kevin Fox SJ, Mr Giles Delaney, Dermot Gogarty
Queen visits St John's Beaumont School
Pupils at St John's Beaumont School in Old Windsor, Berkshire,  enjoyed a thrilling afternoon yesterday when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth came to officially open their new Dermot Gogarty Sports Centre. On her arrival, the Queen, dressed in a pale turquoise suit and hat, was greeted by a group of  young pipers Read More ...
Jo Siedlecka

Manchester school collects toys for Thai children
Manchester school collects toys for Thai children
Staff and pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently made an appeal for toys for their pupils to take with them when they go to visit the Pattaya Orphanage in Thailand.  The trip, which will take place next year during the school holidays, Read More ...

Forgotten Burmese children  focus of lesson for World Food Day | Thailand,Burma,Hsa Thoo Lei,Thai Children's Trust,World Food Day
Forgotten Burmese children focus of lesson for World Food Day
A school for some 700 'forgotten' refugee children in Thailand on the western border with Burma, called Hsa Thoo Lei, is being highlighted by the Thai Children's Trust for lessons across the UK to mark this year's World Food Day tomorrow (16 October). Read More ...

Hundreds of school students hit streets of London  | Catholic Children's Society,Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,Westminster Cathedral Monsignor Seamus O'Boyle
Hundreds of school students hit streets of London
Hundreds of secondary school students from all over London will walk from Hyde Park Corner to Westminster Cathedral in the Catholic Children's Society 'Walk a Mile in Their Shoes' event on Wednesday. The event will conclude with an ecumenical service at Westminster Cathedral presided over by Monsignor Seamus O'Boyle, Read More ...
Patrick Daly

Wimbledon College launches appeal for Indian flood victims  | Wimbledon College,Pound for Pannur' campaign,flooding,Karnataka,India,Pannur,JM, Jesuit Missions
Wimbledon College launches appeal for Indian flood victims
Wimbledon College is launching a 'Pound for Pannur' campaign, following serious flooding in the state of Karnataka in India. Their aim is to raise a pound from every pupil - and to expand the appeal to their parents and friends outside the college.  The Jesuit comprehensive boys' school in south west London Read More ...

Surrey sixth formers befriend Thai street children  | Holy Cross Catholic Girls School,Thailand,Thai Children's Trust, Fr Ray Foundation,Fountain of Life Women's Centre
Surrey sixth formers befriend Thai street children
Five students from Holy Cross Catholic Girls School in New Malden, Surrey, experienced the trip of a lifetime over the summer when they went on their first visit to Thailand to see for themselves how their school was supporting under-privileged children through the UK-based charity, Thai Children's Trust.
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Student Christian Movement  welcomes new members | Student Christian Movement (SCM)
Student Christian Movement welcomes new members
As universities and colleges around the UK begin their Autumn term, the Student Christian Movement (SCM) is welcoming new members.  Founded in 1889, SCM is the oldest student Christian Network in the UK. Read More ...

Latvia: only Catholic school in Riga under threat | Riga,Latvia,Latvian Gas Company,Seán O’Donnell
Latvia: only Catholic school in Riga under threat
The only Catholic school in Riga,  which accepts children from Kindergarten up to the age of 19 is under threat of closure due to the severe financial situation that is gripping Latvia. Last week the Latvian Gas Company has requested an immediate payment of €27,000 from the school for outstanding gas supplies or else the system will not be restored. Read More ...

Mayors of London and Westminster visit St Christina's School | Mr  Boris Johnson,Duncan Sandys,St Christina's School
Mayors of London and Westminster visit St Christina's School
The Mayor of London, Mr  Boris Johnson and Councillor Duncan Sandys, Lord Mayor of Westminster visited St Christina's School in St John's Wood on Friday, to take part in their 60th anniversary celebrations.
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Manchester schoolchildren  grow their own  | Saint Paul’s Catholic High School,Wythenshawe, Manchester,Mr Wiktor Daron,Mr Joe Richardson
Manchester schoolchildren grow their own
Staff and pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe, Manchester,  have been enjoying growing their own food on the school’s allotment. The pupils have grown many vegetables from seed, they have then had the pleasure of eating these vegetables. Read More ...

Glasgow: St Aloysius' College celebrates 150 years | St Aloysius' College in Glasgow,Most Rev Mario Conti
Glasgow: St Aloysius' College celebrates 150 years
This weekend will mark the 150th anniversary of St Aloysius' College in Glasgow.  The College was originally founded by the Society of Jesus in the Bridgeton area of the city in 1859; it soon moved to its current location on Hill Street. A variety of events will be taking place over the next few days, including a Mass for the Junior School tomorrow at 9.15am, at which the principal celebrant will be the Most Rev Mario Conti, Read More ...

Conference says teachers must listen to children who believe in angels | British Educational Research Association, angels,Dr Richard Woolley,Dr Kate Adams,
Bishop Grosseteste University College
Conference says teachers must listen to children who believe in angels
Children who believe they have seen angels or had other spiritual experiences often keep it a secret for fear of being ridiculed by adults, the British Educational Research Association conference was told today.
 
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Now recruiting: 11 - 13 year old 'Bible detectives' | Catholic Bible Detectives', CASE
Now recruiting: 11 - 13 year old 'Bible detectives'
How many times is cheese mentioned in the Bible? Who was shipwrecked and imprisoned repeatedly? How many loaves and fish fed three thousand people? These are just some of the questions being posed as part of a new Catholic Bible Detectives' Read More ...

Rare chance to see Stonyhurst's historic collection | St Thomas More,Mary Queen of Scots,Arthur Conan Doyle, Stonyhurst
Rare chance to see Stonyhurst's historic collection
Where can you see a hat that belonged to St Thomas More, a lock of Mary Queen of Scots' hair and Arthur Conan Doyle’s school desk, all under one roof this  summer? Well the answer of course is Stonyhurst College, which is once again  opening its doors to the general public for guided tours during August. Read More ...

Publication: Keep the faith schools? | International Studies in Catholic Education (ISCE), Routledge,Professor Gerald Grace, faith schools
Publication: Keep the faith schools?
Independent faith schools have been at the centre of a media storm in recent months, with Ed Balls ordering an Ofsted survey into whether they are meeting requirements on the moral, social, spiritual and cultural development of their pupils. Is the UK faith school model broken, or can we learn from the examples of other countries? Read More ...

London: Christian teacher re-instated after row over gay sex education | Kwabena Peat, Sue Sanders,Schools Out, Andrea Minichiello Williams,Christian Legal Centre
London: Christian teacher re-instated after row over gay sex education
A senior London teacher, suspended and threatened with the sack for expressing his Christian beliefs at work will be back at work next term. Kwabena Peat, 54, was suspended after he complained that a staff training day was used to promote homosexual rights, and to marginalise and  label those who disagreed with homosexual practice.
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Mount St Mary's choir wins national music award
Mount St Mary's choir wins national music award
Mount St Mary's College Junior Choir has just won the Voices Foundation Junior Choirs Award for Excellence at the National Festival of Music for Youth in Birmingham. Mount St Mary's was one of 22 choirs from across the country chosen to perform in the city's Symphony Hall Read More ...

East London students reach out to Burmese refugees  | Burma, Our Lady & St Joseph Primary School, Cardinal Pole RC Secondary School, Hackney,Refugee Week 15-21 June, Thai Children's Trust
East London students reach out to Burmese refugees
As the oppressive in Burma is currently causing hundreds of children to escape across the border, pupils at Our Lady & St Joseph Primary School and Cardinal Pole RC Secondary School, both based in Hackney, were being encouraged to correspond with a school for 'forgotten' refugee children Read More ...

Egyptian mummy returns to Stonyhurst  | Egyptian mummy,Jesuit missionary, returned to Stonyhurst College
Egyptian mummy returns to Stonyhurst
A 2,500 year old Egyptian mummy, discovered by a Jesuit missionary and archaeologist in 1850, has returned to Stonyhurst College in Lancashire.  Since the 1970s the remains of the unidentified young boy, aged five or six, have been cared for at Manchester Museum. Read More ...

Government minister praises Catholic education | The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families,Ed Balls MP, Catholic schools, CESEW
Government minister praises Catholic education
The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, paid tribute Catholic schools at the CESEW annual Parliamentary Reception last Wednesday. He joined headteachers, principals of Catholic sixth form colleges, diocesan officers, MPs, Peers and other friends of Catholic education to celebrate the success of so many Catholic schools Read More ...

Ascot: school wins eco- prize | The Marist Senior School, Ascot, Berkshire, Environment Week, Eco Schools Bronze Certificate
Ascot: school wins eco- prize
The Marist Senior School in Ascot, Berkshire,  has been awarded an Eco Schools Bronze Certificate and has held an Environment Week to raise awareness of environmental concerns by involving the entire school in a range of different eco projects. Read More ...

Westminster children gather for Good Shepherd Mass | Good Shepherd Mass, Catholic Children's Society's (Westminster,  Lenten Appeal, Bishop John Arnold
Westminster children gather for Good Shepherd Mass
 More than 1,000 schoolchildren from Catholic schools around the Diocese of Westminster attended the annual 'Good Shepherd' Mass at Westminster Cathedral on Wednesday 3 June. Read More ...
Maeve McCormack

 Archbishop Nichols: "faith is a crucial dimension in education"
Archbishop Nichols: "faith is a crucial dimension in education"
Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the new Archbishop of Westminster gave a strong defence of religious education during his address at Heythrop College, London University yesterday. Read More ...
Claire Bergin

Catholic recognition for St Bede's Hall, Oxford | St Bede's Hall, Oratory Church of St  Aloysius, Cardinal John Henry Newman, Oxford Oratory Hall
Catholic recognition for St Bede's Hall, Oxford
Solemn Benediction was held at Oxford's Oratory Church of St  Aloysius where Cardinal John Henry Newman once preached. A reception followed at the Oxford Oratory Hall
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London primary school raises record sum for CAFOD | St Lawrence's Primary School, Feltham, record sum, CAFOD
London primary school raises record sum for CAFOD
A Westminster diocese primary school, St Lawrence's  in Feltham,  has just presented CAFOD with more than 400 boxes of coins. The boxes were filled with pennies throughout by the generous pupils and their families.
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Archbishop Nichols  to address Heythrop conference on education | The Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols Heythrop College, University of London.
Archbishop Nichols to address Heythrop conference on education
The Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, will address a one-day conference at Heythrop College, University of London, this Wednesday. The theme of the event will be Education and Young People, and the archbishop will be joined by the British Jesuit Provincial, Fr Michael Holman SJ,
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School for forgotton children | Thai Children's Trust, Mai Sot, Hsa Thoo Lei School
School for forgotton children
A school for the 'forgotten' refugee children on the north western border of Thailand is being highlighted by the Thai Children's Trust for lessons in Catholic schools
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London: schools gear up for music festival  | Martha's Rockers,  St Martha's Convent School, Barnet, Catholic Children's Society
London: schools gear up for music festival
To celebrate 150 years of caring for children, the Catholic Children's Society (Westminster) is holding a High School Music Festival for secondary school pupils and their families at the All Saints Pastoral Centre in London Colney on Sunday, 28 June. Read More ...

A Quiet Garden - where wonder is the beginning of prayer' | A Quiet Garden,  St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School in Kentish Town, Reverend Philip Broderick, Quiet Garden movement.
A Quiet Garden - where wonder is the beginning of prayer'
A Quiet Garden was officially opened at St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School in Kentish Town, north London on Wednesday, by Reverend Philip Roderick founder of the Quiet Garden movement. Read More ...
Jo Siedlecka

St Albans: school breaks records fundraising for CAFOD | St Columba's School,  St Albans,  CAFOD
St Albans: school breaks records fundraising for CAFOD
Twenty three students from St Columba's School in St Albans took part in a 40km cycle ride recently, to raise money for CAFOD. The event was one of many organised by students at the school.  Read More ...
Mathew Ball, Charlie Hunter

Stonyhurst pupils represent Great Britain with war cemetery memorial design |  Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall, Lancashire, new World War One war cemetery, in Fromelles, Northern France,
Stonyhurst pupils represent Great Britain with war cemetery memorial design
Pupils from Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall, in Lancashire, have been given the proud task of designing a memorial at a new World War One war cemetery, in Fromelles, Northern France, created for the soldiers killed in a long forgotten battle. Read More ...

Creepy crawlies visit Manchester school | Saint Paul’s Catholic High School,  Wythenshawe
Creepy crawlies visit Manchester school
Pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe, Manchester, were recently visited by the Wild Roadshow, an educational animal handling event where they got to meet and handle many small animals, including a snail, a lizard, a tarantula, a hedgehog and a centipede. Read More ...

Oratory School Anniversary Mass at Westminster Cathedral
The Oratory School, founded by Cardinal Newman on 2 May 1859, celebrated its 150th anniversary with a Mass in a packed Westminster Cathedral on Saturday 2 May 2009, that concluded with the reading of a Papal Blessing from Pope Benedict XVI.

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Peter Jennings

ADVERT: Senior posts at St John Rigby College, Wigan
St John Rigby College: Grow our reputation and yours...... Principal c£95k Deputy Principal c£75k  Read More ...

Archbishop Nichols praises holistic approach of Catholic schools
"A Catholic school is not an isolated enterprise, living and functioning in a world of its own, concerned only about its own well-being", Read More ...
Peter Jennings

Friar from the Bronx comes to Brentwood Cathedral
Fr Stan Fortuna, a founder member of the Franciscan Friars for the Renewal, jazz musician and speaker, will meet Confirmation candidates at Brentwood Cathedral this Sunday, 15 March. Read More ...

Faith schools - letter for Liberal Democrats
On Friday, Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Hindu school providers published the following letter in the Guardian on the eve of the Lib Dem conference in Harrogate. Read More ...

Joe Swift tells Hackney kids about Mushroom House Project
TV star Joe Swift, from BBC Gardeners' World, will be visiting pupils at Our Lady & St Joseph Primary School in Hackney, east London, next Tuesday  Read More ...

London school marks Lent with special art project
The season of Lent is being marked in a very special way by one west London school this year. Read More ...

Plight of child soldiers inspires award-winning sixth formers
The lives of child soldiers in some of the world's worst trouble-spots have become the inspiration for an award-winning project for a group of Bedfordshire sixth formers. Read More ...

University chaplaincy stages Inferno marathon
Dr George Ferzoco, a research fellow in medieval religious culture at the University of Bristol, put his conviction that Dante's 'Inferno' Read More ...
Father Robert King

Kent: past pupil searching for old teachers
We've just had this message from a former pupil at St John Rigby RC School in West Wickham, Kent. Read More ...

Ireland celebrates Catholic Schools Week
Catholic Schools Week 2009 began in Ireland yesterday.   For the first time the work and contribution of Catholic schools will be celebrated  Read More ...

New counselling service for schoolchildren in west London
The Catholic Children's Society (Westminster) School Counselling Service Society is launching a new school counselling and play therapy service for children at schools in West London, Read More ...

Westminster Cathedral invites boys to be Chorister for a Day
Westminster Cathedral and Choir School will be holding their fourth Chorister For A Day event on Saturday 7 February. Read More ...

Christian words deleted from children's dictionary
The latest edition of the Oxford University Press Junior Dictionary has removed a number of words connected to Christianity. Read More ...

Education Service chief rebuts negative report on faith schools
CES director Oona Stannard has issued the following statement in response to the Runnymede Trust's report on faith schools.  Read More ...

International artist gives bronze statue to Stonyhurst
A new bronze statue depicting St. Ignatius Loyola, has been blessed at its new home outside the entrance to Stonyhurst, St. Marys Hall. Read More ...

Ascot: Sister Stanislaus celebrates 90th birthday
Beloved Sister Stanislaus 'Stan' Kelly who was headteacher at the Marist Preparatory School from 1971 ­ 1989 Read More ...

Oxford: launch of Blackfriars Hall prize for community service
The new Las Casas Institute at Blackfriars Hall Oxford has launched the Blackfriars Hall Prize for community service this week. Read More ...

Publication: 'Catholic Schools: Children of Other Faiths and Community Cohesion'
The promotion of community cohesion is central to Catholic education. This is the continuing message from a new publication: Catholic Schools, Read More ...

Academic Mass at Westminster Cathedral
Catholic students, staff and chaplains from the London Universities gathered on Sunday for the Annual Academic Mass at Westminster  Read More ...

New disability awareness resource for schools
A new disability awareness resource, supported by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, has just been launched Read More ...

Book: 50 years on - the case for Catholic schools
The existence of state supported Catholic schools has become a matter of controversy despite providing quiet and unobtrusive benefits  Read More ...

Berkshire primary school befriends Thai orphans
Pupils and staff at Holy Family Catholic School in Langley, Slough, are joining together to raise funds to sponsor three children in Thailand. Read More ...

Birmingham schools first to study plight of Burmese refugees in Thailand
Schools throughout the Archdiocese of Birmingham have been the first in the country to take up an innovative new study project launched by the Pattaya Orphanage Trust. Read More ...

Stonyhurst students visit Auschwitz
Two pupils from Stonyhurst College experienced the present and the past when they visited Auschwitz to learn about the Holocaust. Read More ...

Oxford: Las Casa Institute to open at Blackfriars
Tonight Rt Hon Chris Patten will deliver the annual Las Casas lecture to an invited audience at the Dominican Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford.  Read More ...

Catholic schools committed to follow new admissions code
Following media reports on research which imply that faith schools are not adhering to new rules on admissions, Oona Stannard, Chief Executive and  Read More ...

Archbishop Nichols: 'Catholic schools must oppose sexualisation of children'
"Catholic schools in England and Wales must strongly oppose any action or proposal that would sexualize children or be se Read More ...
Peter Jennings

Middlesbrough: Mass at school which has 'risen from the ashes'
Bishop Terence Drainey, of Middlesbrough, celebrated a special Mass at St Mary's Primary School, Grangetown, Middlesbrough last Thursday to re-dedicate the blaze-hit school Read More ...
Mike Morrissey

Manchester: Catholic school opts out of cervical cancer vaccination programme
Governors at St Monica's High School in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, have decided to not to allow its 12 and 13 year old pupils to have the cervical cancer vaccination. Read More ...
Claire Bergin

London: Cardinal Vaughan pupils among top ten in the country
Five pupils at Pupils at the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in Kensington, are among the top ten pupils in the country in their respective GCSE examinations. Read More ...

Oxford: John Battle to lead new programme at Blackfriars Hall
Retiring MP Rt Hon John Battle is joining Blackfriars Hall, at the University of Oxford as a Fellow to lead a new programme in the area of poverty, environment and the development.  Read More ...

Hertfordshire school raises funds for leprosy home in Calcutta
St Joan of Arc Catholic School in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, held a barn dance on Saturday evening for the children of leprosy sufferers, some of whom have the disease themselves. £2,600 was made for Udayan, the home in Calcutta which the school has helped to support for a little over four years. Read More ...
Caroline Weldon

New website for Catholic children
A new website: Yfaith.co.uk has been launched this week for Catholic childre between the ages of 10 and 13, who have questions to ask about the their faith.  Read More ...

Stonyhurst Observatory in BBC climate change series
The famous observatory at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire will feature in a new BBC 2 series on climate change on Sunday 14 September. Read More ...

Mainstream religious leaders unite to defend faith schools
Mainstream religious groups and leaders in education have rejected calls by a new group which is demanding an end to the selection of pupils and staff in faith schools on the grounds of their religion. Read More ...

Catholic Education Service rejects 'spurious' claims of group opposing faith schools
The Catholic Education Service for England and Wales has issued a statement in which it rejects the 'spurious' allegations of Accord, a new coalition opposing faith schools. Read More ...