School Aims

Education in St Bernadette’s School

"Education is a rigorous and sustained conversation; an activity to find out the great questions of human existence, in the widest possible circle of conversation partners."

The only way to learn is in conversation. Our earliest language comes from our first experiences of conversations with our parents and those significant others who have shown us love.

School then extends that conversation, first by developing skills of listening and speaking, then through reading and writing. These key skills are vital if we are to increase our circle of conversation partners.

Everything that we do in school prepares us for worthy citizenship. Mathematics enables us to acquire confidence and understanding for success in our world. Science, History, Geography, Art, Design, Modern Languages and Music give us insights, provide appreciation and develop our creative capacity for our place in society. Physical Education provides the essential skills and knowledge for a healthy lifestyle.

Enveloping all of this is the religious dimension of our school. At St Bernadette’s we strive to create for our school community a special atmosphere, animated by the Gospel spirit of freedom and charity.

There are five principles that drive our commitment:

• Search for Excellence: Christians are called to seek perfection in all aspects of their lives. In our catholic school pupils are given every opportunity to develop their talents to the full.
• Uniqueness of the Individual: In our school each individual is seen in God’s Image and loved by Him. All pupils are valued and respected as individuals so they may be helped to fulfil their unique role in creation.
• Education of the Whole Person: Catholic Education is based on the belief that the human and the divine are inseparable. All aspects – management, organisation, academic, pastoral – aim to prepare our young people for a life as Christians in the Community.
• Education for All: The belief in the value of each individual leads our Catholic School to have a duty to care for the poor and to educate those who are socially, academically, physically or emotionally disadvantaged.
• Moral Principles: Catholic Education aims to offer young people the experience of life in a community

The role of our teachers in developing the necessary skills of our young people is to provide such wonderful opportunities to meet great people past and present through their own knowledge and love of their subjects and through the use of the wealth of technologies available in our school. The core values that our teachers possess are:

1. Constantly to be in love with what you teach
2. Constantly be in love with who you teach