Vision, Ethos & Values
Our mission statement is ‘Inspiring faith, families and futures with Christ’ and all that we endeavour to do at Blessed Carlo Acutis is to fulfil that statement. It reflects the home, school and parish link that is essential in raising pupils to be witnesses to the faith and disciples of Christ.
Faith is central to all that we do and is inspired by Carlo Acutis who said that when we find God we find the meaning of our life and that being united with Jesus should be our life’s plan. Faith is what school life is centred around and what makes us unique. It firmly puts the person of Christ at the centre of all that we do and ensures that the Mass remains the ‘source and summit’ of the lives of all our pupils, staff and governors. It is imperative that teachers understand that they are responsible not simply for the academic success of each child, but the education of the whole person – morally, spiritually, emotionally and physically. The success of a Catholic school comes down to those who teach there; if they role model and emulate a Christian lifestyle then they act as a witness to all those in our care.
Families are so vitally important for the success of our pupils regardless of what that may look like. Parents are the first educators of their children and the school is there to support them in that role. Our school truly fulfils the requirement of a Catholic school to first and foremost ‘offer its educational service to the poor’ whether this is understood in a financial, spiritual or emotional way. Carlo Acutis recognised the worth of the poor as Christ himself was born of an impoverished mother and God chose Joseph, the poor carpenter as his earthly father and it is the duty of the school and all in it to recognise the worth of all who walk through the doors. The school must work closely with families to ensure that firstly the Catholic ethos is supported and that the school enriches the faith lives of all stakeholders, but also to ensure that we help families to succeed as a unit supporting one another in love.
Futures is what we are aiming to secure for each and every child in our care. It is providing them with the support, teaching, care and guidance that they need to leave us as successful individuals who use their knowledge and power for the common good. Each child is an individual who has their own unique talents gifted to them by God and it is our duty to ensure that they are able to discover, develop and use those talents throughout their life, fulfilling their potential. As Carlo Acutis said ‘all people are born as originals, but many die as photocopies’ and we want to ensure that each child understands their unique place in the world and that, to quote Saint John Henry Newman, that ‘God has committed to each person some work which he has not committed to another.’
At Blessed Carlo Acutis, Christ is firmly at the centre of all that we do. We provide an education that focuses on the development of the whole child, academically, socially, morally, spiritually, physically, emotionally and culturally ensuring that each child has the opportunity to achieve their God-given potential. The faith of the school is rooted in Christ Jesus, his sacrificial love, his teachings and example.
Parents and carers are the first educators of their children, instilling in them values and morals from a young age. Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic School aims to work alongside parents and carers and the Church to help develop each child recognising their uniqueness and celebrating their individuality as they are made in the ‘image of God.’
The school prioritises faith in all aspects of the school day and life based on the example of Blessed Carlo Acutis and his love of the Eucharist, ‘...when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist we become saints.’ Mass is celebrated regularly in the primary campuses and each Friday in the secondary campus thanks to the generous support of our clergy with each pupil attending Mass at least once each half term. All key feast days and liturgical events are also celebrated in school including the annual joint Heads of the Valley Advent Service.