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Our Diocese

Guide us O God, to be the best we can be: In every thought, in every word and in every deed.

We are proud to be part of the Diocese of Lancaster, led by our faithful Bishop, Paul Swarbrick.

What makes up the Diocese of Lancaster?

Our parishes, schools, and other central ministries are all important and vital elements of the Diocese of Lancaster.  Besides those ministries and departments that directly support the good works of the Church, there are nearly 40 related Catholic entities, which also serve the local Catholic community.  But it is our people, our clergy, religious, deacons, and lay members, working together in a shared commitment to follow Jesus Christ that defines who and what we are as a Catholic community.

The Diocese is situated in the Northwest in England – all of Cumbria and Lancashire north of the River Ribble. The Mother church of the Diocese is St Peter’s Cathedral, Lancaster.  This is the Bishop’s Church where the Bishop presides over the Liturgy for major diocesan occasions and feasts.  The Pastoral Centre, which since 2004, houses the central administration, is to be found beside the Cathedral on Balmoral Road.  This has allowed the Diocese to bring various departments and ministries stretched across the nine Deaneries into one building to better serve parishes, schools, and other communities.

School Building Levy

As a Catholic school, we have ‘voluntary aided’ status. This gives us the freedom to provide the Catholic education which you have chosen for your child, but this comes at a price. To access the funding provided by the Department for Education the Diocese have to find 10% of the cost of repairing, maintaining and improving  all school buildings themselves – other LA controlled schools do not have to do this.  In order to meet these costs the Diocese initiated a Levy Scheme on its schools.  However we simply do not have enough money to cover the cost of the Levy, therefore we invite parents to make a contribution towards these costs by making a donation to the Diocesan Levy Scheme. This contribution is requested each year following a review of the situation by the Governors and can be paid online using your SCOPAY account or by a regular standing order. UK tax payers can take advantage of the fund's charitable status and Gift Aid their donations which will increase the contribution by 25%.

Our school has taken advantage of the scheme to access in excess of £500,000 in grant funding in the past.  This has enabled the school to:

♦  Extend and refurbish all the classrooms

♦  Re-surface the playground and build on the Early Years’ outdoor play area

♦  Build the ICT suite

♦  Provide ramped access to the front and rear of school

♦  Refurbish all of the pupils’ toilets

♦  Modernise and refurbish the kitchen and dining room

♦  Re-roof all the flat roofs

♦  Provide new boilers and the building to house them.

♦  Update the Entrance Area

♦  Update and furnish the small group room

♦  Install perimeter security fencing

 In addition it has enabled us to maintain the buildings with regard to redecoration and other general maintenance.

We hope to continue to maintain and improve the school environment for the children and staff, but for our aims to be realised, we must once again rely on your generous help. Please log on to your SCOPAY account to make a payment, if you are a tax payer please first complete the Gift Aid Declaration by clicking on Your Info at the top of the page then on Gift Aid, complete the form ticking the box to Gift Aid your donations.  Paper copies will be sent home for your signature.

We welcome a regular commitment from our families in the form of a standing order which can be set up monthly, quarterly or annually for an amount  of your choosing, please complete the Standing Order Mandate below, not forgetting to complete the Gift Aid Form if you are a tax payer to increase your donation by 25%. Diocesan Standing Order and Gift Aid Form 

Thank you for your support of our school.

Mater Ecclesiae - Catholic Multi Academy Trust

All the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Lancaster have been invited by our bishop, Rev Paul Swarbrick to consider converting to an academy and join a Catholic Multi Academy Trust (CMAT).

There will be three CMATs in the diocese (which stretches from Preston to the Scottish Borders). Our CMAT will be the Mater Ecclesiae (Mother of the Church) and will eventually be made up of the 23 Catholic primary and secondary schools in the greater Preston area. Bishop Paul has asked everyone to convert and join one of the CMATs by 2026.

To fully protect the position of Catholic education, we understand the need to join with our sister schools across the diocese; this process however, is lengthy and will require much work. As part of the conversion process the Governors will consult all school stakeholders; which includes:

  • Parents
  • Staff members
  • The Parish
  • Lancashire County Council

It is hoped that by the end of the calendar year 2022, seven schools will have formed the core of the CMAT. Following this, and further advice from the diocese, we will reach out to our school community and keep you fully informed of the process. We ask for your prayers for us, and our family of schools, as these changes take place.

 

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