Catholic Life at Holy Trinity 2019-2020

Catholic Life is at the foundation of everything that happens at Holy Trinity Catholic School. The schools Motto of ‘Learn to love, Love to learn’ was founded from the teaching of Jesus to ‘love thy neighbour as yourself’. Jesus did not differentiate in this statement or be selective about who we love. Jesus simply tells us to love everybody. This principle is applied daily at Holy Trinity in our thriving multi-ethnic and multi-faith community. At Holy Trinity we celebrate our shared characteristics as children of God made in His image. There is no difference, we are one people, trying to live a life of virtue and aiming to be the best that we can be.

Holy Trinity’s highly effective Chaplaincy Team ensures that Catholic Life is at the heart of the school practice and improvement. The team is supported strategically by an active link governor who supports with regular quality assurance. Quality assurance of provision features consistently in school practice with all information and areas to develop communicated to governors. Governors have started to complete an audit of provision annually and have found this to be a valuable reflective exercise in ensuring improvement. Pupil, parent and staff voice take place throughout the year with Tutor time and assembly provision is evaluated formally three times a year. It is this practice that ensures that Catholic Life provision is Outstanding.

Pupils and staff are encouraged to work alongside each other and to adopt shared Jesuit Values such as discernment and attentiveness in our daily lives. These values are at the heart of our spiritual development and are explored and celebrated in a number of ways. A different value is explored weekly through our ‘word of the week’ focus.

Having previously focused collectively on all values, we have adapted our philosophy this year to ensure a more organised and quality approach. This is achieved by each department focusing on two values to celebrate in curriculum areas. Departments are entrusted to educate pupils on their chosen values and to provide examples of how these can be used in everyday lives. As pupils travel through school they will experience all values and obtain a holistic understanding. This year, departments are focusing on the following;

Creative arts                      Compassionate and Loving

MFL                                       Compassionate and Loving

Technology                         Curious and Active

Science                                 Curious and Active

PE                                           Grateful and Generous

RE                                           Faith Filled and Hopeful

English                                 Eloquent and Truthful

Social Communications Attentive and Discerning

Maths                                   Learned and Wise

Humanities                        Intentional and Prophetic

Non-Teaching                    Compassionate and Loving

Holy Trinity is proud of how it fulfills its mission to serve the poor. Pope Francis calls upon Catholic communities to roll up their sleeves and get their ‘hands dirty’ in helping others. Charity initiatives take place throughout the year. Examples of this include monthly collections and donations of food items to a local food bank. Annually, Holy Trinity supports the St Vincent de Paul Society to prepare a meal at Christmas for the homeless people of Birmingham. The schools kitchen has been used for the last four years with staff supporting SVP volunteers to serve food for 200 people. Holy Trinity pupils have written letters to sick children bed bound in Birmingham Children’s Hospital. We have raised money for charities such as CAFOD, Acorns and Macmillan Cancer Support. Holy Trinity supported a local mosque in collecting items to support Syrian Refugees. Backpack appeals, shoebox appeals and much more are a cornerstone of the schools mission and charity work.

This is what Holy Trinity aims to do. Aesthetically the school glorifies God in a number of ways. Each tutor room has a prayer focus. The schools Chapel is a beautiful place of worship and is regularly used by all of the school community. Our centrepiece, Memorial Garden, reflects Jesus Christ and the Trinity at the heart of our interaction with each other. When you walk around Holy Trinity you cannot fail to feel the wonder and awe of God’s presence. Everything from window displays in RE, prayer focuses in reception and visual art work all around school and much more celebrates the schools Catholic identity.

Holy Trinity provides all pupils with opportunities to develop spiritually. The school celebrates shared understanding of faith and supports all pupils and staff in their journey to find God. Prayer facilities are provided for our large group of Muslim pupils and staff who pray daily and more devotedly each Friday. There is a special focus to support pupils in prayer during the blessed month of Ramadan. Holy Trinity is a remarkable example of community cohesion with Christians, Muslims, and people of other faiths and no faiths working alongside each other to fully develop in shared a vision of love, peace, tolerance and respect.

Holy Trinity is excited by the prospect of being a driving force in the newly formed St Teresa of Calcutta Multi Academy Company. Holy Trinity is fully committed to the embodiment of the academies mission of vocation, courage and compassion. Holy Trinity aims to support in making this academy a beacon Catholic organisation in this part of the city developing Catholic Life collaboratively across the MAC. There are plans for children from each school to join future diocesan pilgrimages, to form a joint MAC choir and to find ways to come together and to develop spiritually as a shared family.

‘The caring culture of the school exists because everyone contributes to it. Pupils told inspectors that they take responsibility for caring for one another and that the school helps them to understand how to build a strong community.’

(Ofsted, December 2017)