Kicking off the new academic year, Jo Stow, Common Good Schools Project Leader, anticipates a dynamic term ahead. She reflects on the success of Phase One of the pilot for our new primary school resource, previewing Phase Two and the upcoming launch in early 2025. Jo also outlines her plans with our partner secondary schools this term and highlights forthcoming speaking engagements across the country. Discover how you can get involved and join in praying for this vital work.

In the last month we’ve had many encouraging conversations and we’re excited. It’s been great to speak to leaders from a diocese and two Multi Academy Trusts who are interested in joining Common Good Schools as well as a Common Good Schools partner academy who would like more of their Trust’s schools to join. I’m also enjoying a generative conversation with a teacher and an author keen to help us develop a potential new KS1 resource next year.

New resource for KS2 – Pilot Phase One

In Common Good Schools KS2 lessons and assemblies children learned about reciprocal relationships and recognise the dignity and worth of each person. Participating schools were invited to engage with their local community in a way that builds mutuality. We’re incredibly appreciative of staff who gave us feedback and shared stories and photographs.

Year 6 children from Ss Peter and Paul’s Catholic Primary, Yeadon, built relationships with a local Friendship Group through shared activities. These included pupils reading to visitors, sharing a chair aerobics class, playing board games, line dancing, talks from fire fighters, librarians, police and dogs for the blind. The Friendship group was invited to join family members at an afternoon tea and for the school production.

Class teacher Angela Filarowski said, “The children have really enjoyed being able to join the Friendship Group. They talked to the rest of KS2 about it and have really instilled enthusiasm in them for working in the community and living out Jesus’ mission to help those who in many different ways need their support.”

Looking ahead

September – October

• New resource for KS2 – Pilot Phase Two. Participating schools will give weekly feedback on lessons and a final feedback about community engagement and overall experience in November
• Online CPD session for our KS3/4 secondary school partners on ‘Subsidiarity: taking responsibility, making decisions’
• Jo delivers sessions in Common Good Thinking for students during a Mission Week at St Joseph’s Catholic and Anglican High School, Wrexham

November

• Jo addresses delegates at the Secondary PICCLS conference, Archdiocese of Birmingham
• Jenny addresses senior leadership teams at the Three Spires Trust and the St Regis Academy

December

• Opportunity to pre-order our brand new programme for KS2

2026

• Launch of the new Common Good Schools for KS2 programme
• Jenny addresses head teachers at the EducareM School of National Formation
• Jo and Jenny address delegates at St Teresa of Calcutta Trust’s Mission Leadership Conference

Get involved

• We’d love you to consider how you can join in. Here are some suggestions to consider.
• Part of a MAT? Share this page with your colleagues across the Trust
• For high schools, find out more about what being a Common Good School entails
• Pray for young people and staff as they forge relationships with their neighbours
• Make a donation and support more young people to build the common good

Prayers please

We would appreciate your prayers this autumn for our work in the coming months:

• For financial support to enable this work to continue and grow
• For the teachers and young people of partner trusts and schools running the programme 
• For the teachers and children in phase 2 of piloting our new KS2 resource
• For the early 2026 launch of our new primary school resource
• For the teachers attending our online CPD on Subsidiarity in October
• For developing relationships with both Church of England and Catholic Academy Trusts.

Jo Stow, Project Leader, Common Good Schools

T4CG’s Common Good Schools programme equips schools to enable children and young people develop skills around building relationships and taking responsibility. Schools acting as good neighbours in their communities not only strengthen their own students but make a tangible contribution to the shared life of their neighbourhood. Find out more and arrange a conversation with Jo here

Photographs: thanks to children of Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Primary, Yeadon and community group Friends of Ss Peter and Paul