News - Together For The Common Good

Poverty – under our own roof

Poverty – under our own roof

As we enter the season of Lent, our Common Good Schools Project Leader, Jo Stow, encourages schools to take a more relational approach to charity and to notice hidden poverty in the classroom.

Scroll down for our free Lent resource for secondary schools.

Last week, I joined a friend who is a teacher at an after-school club. The children gather, enjoy snacks and go off to participate in the session’s activities. After snack time, I noticed that one boy, Michael (not his real name) hung back from the activities and was eating what was left over of the snacks. Michael is eleven. His teacher adds quietly, “he comes for the free food.”

This time of Lent is a busy one in church schools. Charities will be supported. Wonderfully creative, sponsored events will take place. Children and staff will be working hard to “give alms to the poor.” Perhaps donations will be made to local food banks. Many will be fasting – a spiritual discipline that points us to God by reminding us how it feels to be hungry, and that as well as being hungry for food, we hunger for many things – things that are good for us and things that are not. Fasting is also meant to draw our attention to the poor. But who are “the poor?”

The data

For a boy like Michael, fasting is not a choice. And his story is by no means isolated: in the UK, 14.3 million people are living in poverty, of whom 4.3 million are children – that is three in every ten children.[1] The percentage of children on Free School Meals (FSM) gives some perspective: in 2023/24, 24.6% of pupils were eligible, up from 23.8% in 2022. This represents 2.1 million pupils.[2]

Among our partner schools, the FSM percentage ranges from 10.2% in a school in the suburbs to 56.3% in a school in an inner-city location.

At an education conference I recently attended, data was shared about child poverty globally. A teacher spoke up. He said, “students at my school are part of that statistic.” I went to chat to him over lunch. He spoke about the stigma of poverty in schools. “These children become invisible because of the shame they feel. Somehow, they feel that poverty must be their own fault.” I was struck that stigma is still an issue after decades of campaigning on child poverty. These children are effectively hidden in plain sight. We have the data, but part of the story is missing.

Where are the poor?

When it comes to a school’s charitable efforts, it is worth reflecting on where the poor people we are supporting are located, where they live; nearby, in another district, or perhaps overseas.

Lately I’ve been doing some research among primary school teachers. It became evident that there are plenty of resources available to help school children engage with issues of global poverty, but there is a considerable lack when it comes to the local. Given this, what could we be missing? Perhaps our approach needs to pay closer attention to context. And when we support a local charity, we should be aware that some of those in need may be under our own roof.

Them and us

Let’s consider the full meaning of almsgiving. Traditionally, giving alms has been described as “a witness to fraternal charity”[3], indicating that it is about more than giving money or services. Christian love particularly involves the gift of time and personal connection. This is how the bonds of fraternity are formed.

Pope Francis is saying repeatedly calling for a culture of encounter, and not to allow charity to be a means of keeping poor people at arm’s length.[4]

In a busy school, “almsgiving” can sometimes become reductive and conflated with fundraising. What might this feel like for Michael? His ability to contribute is compromised, and his family’s situation can become a source of shame. He is faced with the confusion of being invisible in his own classroom.

If we fail to embrace the true spirit of almsgiving, we can inadvertently fall into a “them and us” dynamic. If we do not recognise who is under our roof, we create a false division between those who can afford to give and those who can’t, and risk removing agency of someone who is poor.

In its welfarist, reductive form, where charity is understood as volunteers doing charity for poor people (whether through fundraising or by delivering a service), the possibilities of true encounter are small. The transactional dynamic between active giver and passive recipient does not build fraternity, one of the signs of Christian love.

If our almsgiving is in our local area this opens up opportunities to go beyond the welfarist approach. A mark of the common good is reciprocity. This requires true relationship, where there is give and take, and the dignity of the person is upheld. Simply giving money to the poor may help temporarily but it does not uphold a person’s dignity – it is as if he or she has nothing to contribute.

Solidarity and Subsidiarity

Earlier this week a colleague shared with me some children’s responses to the question “do you think God cares about poverty?” Most assumed that God does care, and that kindness is the right response. But rather a lot of them took the view that poverty is a matter of fate or the result of poor choices. There was little awareness of the injustice of an economic model that relies on low wage, insecure jobs.

The Christian vision of justice derives from the Jewish tradition of right relationship, in which the response to poverty must be relational. We do not stand in solidarity with the poor by giving a handout and walking away.

The principle of Solidarity sees human beings as social beings designed to be interconnected by relationships of mutual concern and support. It is a determination to work for the good of all and of each person – so that in some way, all are responsible for all.

This means going through something with someone, giving time and building a relationship, helping them to get back on their feet. The Good Samaritan not only helped the man by the road and paid for his care; he came back the next day. A relationship was formed.

Charity that is truly Christian is not a one-way street: the giver must be open to receive, and the receiver must be able to give. This ensures a mutuality that goes beyond transaction. Everyone has something to contribute.

In Catholic Social Teaching Solidarity is always to be balanced with the principle of Subsidiarity. Subsidiarity holds that responsibility is taken at the most appropriate level and decisions should always be taken closest to those they effect – and, that a central authority should only do tasks which cannot be performed at a more local level. In this way, everyone fulfils their unique roles, and the integrity and agency of each person is upheld.

If not donations, what might this look like?

We often ask our partner schools ‘how can you make what you are already doing more common good?’ Small tweaks are where to begin. For example, fundraising should always be accompanied by something relational and reciprocal. Whatever your Lent action is, it should build relationships.

If you are open to a radical new way of almsgiving, consider these suggestions:

A shared meal hosted by a local partner with a good kitchen, served by school children (both those on FSMs and those who are not), involving parents and staff, and where members of the community are invited too. Costs could be supported by a pay-as-you-feel or pay-it- forward model.

A listening project where children research what sorts of foods are available locally – identifying whether fresh, healthy food (fruit, veg, meat and fish) is priced too high, finding out about the range of local suppliers including supermarkets, community food sources, co-ops, allotments and local farming produce.

What about Michael?

Michael, the boy who stays for the leftover snacks is not just hungry, he is isolated. He feels shame about having to keep his situation private and sometimes school charitable initiatives are confusing and embarrassing for him. Our approach to poor children in our schools needs to change. Beyond FSM statistics, Michael and others like him are people who deserve solidarity, friendship and accompaniment. Michael has important gifts to contribute within his school and community – precisely because of his situation.

This isolation may mean that Michael’s family and other families in similar circumstances are locked out of solidarity with the wider community. There is often a class divide here which must be bridged. Every school and church should be looking for creative ways to build relationships, where affluent and poor families can stand find common cause and stand in solidarity face to face. This is powerful. Ignorance can turn to empathy; shame can turn to confidence. There are mutual personal benefits as well as community gains.

Jo Stow, Common Good Schools Project Leader

***

Common Good Schools offers a programme of lessons, assemblies and guidance for community engagement. This equips staff and students to put reciprocal relationships at the heart of all they do, for the flourishing of the whole community. We offer ongoing support and CPD to participating teachers, chaplains and staff running the programme in their schools.

FREE LENT RESOURCE

During Lent, we invite secondary school staff to download our free resource A Common Good Lent

NOTES

[1] https://www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2025-the-essential-guide-to-understanding-poverty-in-the-uk

[2] https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics

[3] Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2462).

[4] Pope Francis, World Day of the Poor Letter 2022 (#7)

People Politics and the Common Good

Our societies are confronting multiple crises within a period of epochal change. But as the People of God, we are not gloomy. Always hopeful, we are called to participate in spiritual and civic renewal. To address this, Jenny Sinclair leads a two part session drawing on the tradition of Catholic social thought. First, she invites us to read the signs of the times and understand what is going on, in cultural, political and spiritual terms. Second, she invites us to explore how we will respond, and our calling to the common good. Examining the symptoms of our cultural malaise and identifying the root cause, she introduces and unpacks the practice of the common good as the antidote, proposing intentional rebuilding of relationships at all levels.

This talk was originally given as part of a training session for Head Teachers as part of EducareM’s National School of Formation, at Coombe Abbey on 14 November 2024.

DOWNLOAD Jenny’s text HERE

This was included in the Christ the King 2024 edition of the T4CG Newsletter.

Like what you are reading? More inspirational content from Jenny Sinclair can be found here

Common Good Schools: Christmas 2024

Latest Update

Now the Christmas break is upon us, we are able to stop for a moment and reflect. The past few weeks have been wonderful time for Common Good Schools. Most recently we have celebrated the winners of our community Christmas card competition, we have heard inspiring updates from a partner school in Liverpool, and we have made a video for our partners in Sweden.

Christmas card competition winners

We were delighted with the enthusiasm around our Community Christmas Card Competition. Entrants were invited to design a card with a relative or neighbour: working collaboratively was important to encourage the building of local relationships – a central feature of Common Good Schools. Entries were were shortlisted by artist Polly Shepherd and passed on to our judging panel who together made the final decision: Lucy Moore, Head of Growing Faith Foundation, Bishop Mike Royal, General Secretary, Churches Together in England, and The Most Rev John Wilson, Archbishop of Southwark.

Lucy Moore said: “Oh dear! A very tough call! They’re all fantastic, just in different ways. Please pass on huge congratulations to them all. I think Harry and Teddy’s is a powerful image, really striking use of colour and combines the warmth and apparent insignificance of the nativity scene with the stark architecture of where they live – it really speaks of a living baby coming into a dark world in utter vulnerability: very clever.”

The winners were Harry (9) and Teddy (5) (above, top) from St Mary’s Horsforth. The two runners-up were Julia (8) and her mum Izabella (above, below right) from St John the Baptist Primary in Normanton, and Lelia (7) and her mum Sarune (above, below left) from St Thomas More Primary in Eltham.

Video Project: How can schools contribute to the common good?

We were delighted to work with the Justice and Peace Commission in the Catholic Diocese of Stockholm to produce a video for teachers, educators and parents across Sweden. Working with Ludwig Gelot, I recorded a conversation with my colleague Jenny Sinclair about the effects of our prevailing culture on young people and how schools can contribute to rebuilding the common good. Ludwig plans to share the video across schools in Sweden – you can watch it below.

Our Community Matters

Finally we were delighted to hear of the latest community engagement activities at Alsop High School which has established a “My Community Matters” forum for students who meet weekly to consider ways to make their community a better place to learn, work and live. The students are following the Common Good Schools programme. Among their activities, students are working with a community artist to design and paint a mural to celebrate community life in North Liverpool, baking for the community and they have met with local heroes including Margaret Aspinall, founder of the Hillsborough Families Support Group.

We hope you have enjoyed hearing our latest news. Please do consider sharing this article with your contacts especially headteachers, CEOs of Multi Academy Trusts, Diocesan Directors for Education and teaching colleagues.

Prayer points for 2025

For the staff and students of all our partner schools

For funding to enable us to plan ahead so more schools can get involved

For a blessing on the development and piloting of our new primary schools resource

Jo Stow

Common Good Schools Project Leader

To find out more about the 10-week Common Good Schools programme visit www.commongoodschools.co.uk or contact Jo Stow, Project Leader at: jo [at] commongoodschools [dot] co [dot] uk

***

Common Good Schools Autumn 2024

Common Good Schools update – Autumn 2024

Our Project Leader, Jo Stow, provides our latest update.

Whilst the Church’s year is coming to a close, the academic year is in full swing. It has been wonderful to see three new partner schools and a partner diocese join the Common Good Schools programme and 100 percent of our existing schools re-subscribe to the programme.

Alsop High School, Liverpool

The work of Peter Bull, teacher and long time friend of T4CG, was the original inspiration for the Community Engagement component of the Common Good Schools programme. However, it is only now that the Common Good Schools lesson material is being used in his school, Alsop High – which is located in Walton, Liverpool, the most deprived constituency in England. We’re delighted how this partnership continues to flourish.

In October, Peter launched ‘Our Community Matters Forum’, a weekly after-school initiative to generate neighbourhood pride, form character and develop a ‘Network of Kindness’ to bring people together. Students participating in the Forum are following the Common Good Schools programme and according to Peter, “it’s really taking off!”

A number of local partnerships are being explored as part of the community engagement element of the programme. One plan already underway will see students working with community artist and former pupil Nicola Taggart: together they will design a large painted mural to depict and celebrate community life.

Archdiocese of Modena-Nonatula, Italy

It is also a great joy to be working with our first international partner, the Archdiocese of Modena-Nonantola, in Northern Italy. Led by another longstanding friend of T4CG, Franca Gambari, eleven young people involved in catechetical formation from across the diocese are meeting for monthly Common Good Schools sessions.

In their first session they explored the question ‘What is the Common Good?’ through songs, by engaging in Common Good Schools lesson interactive activities and by building relationships with peers and leaders. They are reflecting on the communities where they live, a theme which will be revisited throughout the year. An important way of building the common good is to meet people from the community who have a story to tell. In the second session, the group met with Antonia and Guido who shared their experiences as volunteer visitors and doctors in prisons.

The group plans to travel to the UK in the summer and meet with young people participating in the Common Good Schools programme in Liverpool, as well as enjoying the culture and history of the city.

All Saints Multi-Academy Trust, Liverpool

Two of our newest partners, Hope Academy and St Francis of Assisi Academy, are secondary schools belonging to All Saints Multi Academy Trust.

The Academy of St Francis of Assisi has many students of different ethnicities, religions and cultures learning alongside each other. Miles Rimmer-Tagoe, the lay chaplain heading up Common Good Schools, is working closely with the RE Department to foster relationship building among students and with groups in the diverse community. A group of twenty Year 9 students are participating in Common Good Schools lessons each week. After Christmas, these students – known as Common Good Ambassadors – will lead Common Good Schools assemblies across the whole school community. Miles expressed his gratitude:

“Thanks so much for a resource that allows Muslim, Christian, and atheist students to feel excited about working together for the common good.”

Hope Academy chaplain Kasia Boydell is excited to see Year 9 students taking part and leading Common Good Schools lessons during her ‘Inspire’ sessions, which are part of the PSHE curriculum and take place during form time. Through the Common Good Schools lessons, her groups are inspired to make plans to engage with the local community.

Spreading the word among head teachers

I was delighted to be invited to speak to headteachers and senior leaders from around the country at three recent events. I led a workshop at the Archdiocese of Southwark headteachers’ conference in Kent, and addressed senior leaders attending a day of reflection at Caritas Leeds. I also gave an introduction to Common Good Schools at the EducareM National School of Formation, where my colleague Jenny Sinclair was giving a keynote talk on reading the signs of the times and our calling for the common good.

Although each presentation has been different, what I’m hearing is that T4CG’s reading of the signs of the times resonates deeply with school leaders. They see in their students the symptoms of distress generated by what Pope Francis calls a ‘malign culture’. Every day teachers are dealing with the fallout and the challenges this culture of individualism and consumerism brings to their school community. But as well as our analysis, they are finding our hopeful message, that building the common good is the antidote, both inspiring and practical. I am delighted that this month 26 new school leaders have expressed an interest in Common Good Schools. We are excited to see more young people benefiting from the programme.

Finally, we published a free Advent Resource and launched a Community Christmas Card Competition. To download the resource and find out how to enter the competition, click here

Jo Stow
Common Good Schools Project Leader

Prayer points

Finally, please would you pray for

The leaders of new prospective schools considering the programme

Secure funding so that we can plan ahead to 2025

The inspiration of the Holy Spirit as we develop a version of the material for primary schools

Do you have a link with your local school? Are you a parent, student, teacher, senior leader, director of an academy trust, trustee or governor? We find the best way to engage is via a personal introduction. For more details about the programme, please visit the Common Good Schools website where you can book a call with Jo Stow and download a free sample pack to try at your school.

Schools: resource for Advent

Free Resource: A Common Good Advent

In this time of uncertainty and fragmentation, there is a growing need to rebuild social trust and strengthen community spirit. Meanwhile, many schools will be looking for ideas for how to mark the season of Advent.

Common Good Schools is offering a free resource to help schools play their part.

Designed to equip children and young people to plan and initiate action that builds the common good in their local area, the resource is FREE TO DOWNLOAD and contains:

Pre-Advent planning session for young leaders

Presentation

Session outline

Students resources

Teacher aid

Ready-to-use activities

An invitation to enter our Community Christmas Card Competition

This resource is suitable for use in schools, chaplaincy, churches and small groups, with separate resources for both primary and secondary aged children.

For your free download, visit www.commongoodschools.co.uk

Download Advent resource flier here

To find out more about the 10-week Common Good Schools programme contact Jo Stow, Project Leader at: jo [at] commongoodschools [dot] co [dot] uk

***

In the meantime please pray for the work of Common Good Schools, in particular:

Students and staff across our eight partner schools

Young people and adult leaders from the Archdiocese of Modena–Nonantola in Italy, soon to commence the Common Good Schools programme

Ludwig Gelot and his team in Sweden as they edit their video for teachers, parents and educators

Thank you!

The art of being a good neighbour

Common Good Schools: the Art of Being a Good Neighbour

The Common Good is the lens through which we invite our partner schools to view their neighbourhood. A principle of Catholic Social Teaching, the Common Good teaches us what it is to be human and how we should relate to one another in love, especially the most vulnerable and poor. Fully understood and embraced, it marks us out as wonderfully different from the prevailing culture. It allows both staff and students to flourish and to explore their vocation.

In September 2023, brand new frameworks were brought in for Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) and Catholic Schools Inspection (CSI) under section 48. SIAMS promotes the flourishing of staff and students whilst CSI looks for the flourishing of pupils pursuing the common good. It is striking that both frameworks promote an awareness of the context of a school in the local, the taking up of responsibility, acting according to a theologically rooted vision.

At Common Good Schools we offer a vision of Catholic Social Teaching through the lens of the Common Good. It is a gift from the Church to all, including our schools. Imagine then, a school working with others in its neighbourhood to build the common good. What might this look like? And is it different from what schools are already doing?

GOOD NEIGHBOURS

The Common Good, a principle of Catholic Social Teaching, is something that at first glance seems obvious.

In St Mark’s gospel, a teacher of the Law asks Jesus, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12: 28-31)

The actions of students and staff are authentically Christian when love of neighbour flows from love of God. The life and mission of a school is rooted in love.

In initial conversations with schools about the Common Good, staff often tell me of the charities or campaigns they support. At Common Good Schools, we want to propose something more radical. Our ten-week programme gives students an opportunity for an in-person, hands on experience of being a good neighbour. Lessons and assemblies develop the knowledge, understanding and skills they’ll need. They will hear stories of neighbours building relationships and working together, challenging injustice and creating a place where people can flourish. But it’s in the community engagement activities that learning really comes alive. In this way, we hope to form young people to live their lives as good neighbours for years to come.

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the person on the road, attacked and abandoned, is clearly in dire need of help. But what sort of help is best? Have you ever noticed that the Good Samaritan spends a significant amount of time with the injured man? He doesn’t simply patch him up and pay for his care. He stays overnight. This is not a faceless handout or donation – it is a relationship. His accompaniment counteracts the man’s abandonment. It is the relationship that makes him a good neighbour.

Abandonment is the experience for many within our society’s individualistic culture today. People have become separated from one another, making them vulnerable. This is what Pope Francis calls a ‘malign’ culture, in which, he says, the young are especially vulnerable.

The ironically named “social” media has been a major contributory factor in the atrophy of “real life” relational ability among the young. Professor Jonathan Haidt’s research shows significant increases in anxiety and depression among young people aged 11 – 15 alongside the change from “flip phones” to smartphones.

In The Campaign to End Loneliness, Robin Hewings commented after analysing the Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures that “younger people are at higher risk of loneliness.” The government’s Tackling Loneliness evidence review showed loneliness is highest for people who are 16-24 years old: young people are lonelier than the elderly.

The symptoms can be seen all too well in our schools. Poor mental health, high levels of anxiety along with problematic behaviour and poor attendance. Distressed young people can have a negative impact on the staff who teach and support them, contributing to a crisis of retention and recruitment. It turns out that our young people have as much need for a neighbour, as those they are encouraged to serve.

Building durable relationships with our neighbours over the road helps us to develop our neighbourliness. In cultivating reciprocal relationships, students benefit from the opportunity to “gladly embrace their personal responsibility to care for our Common Home, pursue the common good and serve those in need”. (Catholic Schools Inspection Framework)

TAKING ACTION

At Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School in Leeds, staff and students have spent the last academic year establishing and developing relationships with their close neighbours. Lead teacher Krystina Gold reached out to Penny Field School for children with complex needs and Brandon House Care Home, both situated nearby. Both responded positively and after initial meetings, weekly lunchtime visits commenced. Vibrant and mutually beneficial partnerships have emerged.

It was during a noisy Makaton ‘Sing and Sign’ session that pupils from schools first got together. Krystina had a clear idea of how the children from the two schools should relate: “I didn’t want the interaction to be power-based, in the sense that Cardinal Heenan pupils would only be helping Penny Fields students. I wanted the pupils to have an equal relationship, learning together.”

Jo Steele at Penny Field School wrote to Krystina expressing her delight at the success of the visits saying, “It’s wonderful for our pupils to gain interactions with mainstream peers and it has a significant impact on their lives. These interactions may not seem huge to your pupils, but they really do make a big difference to our pupils and we cannot thank them enough!”

RECIPROCITY

A mark of the common good is reciprocal relationships. Have you observed this in the gospels? Whenever Jesus encounters someone who needs his help, he also invites something from them. His affirming words, “your faith has made you well.” And, in Matthew 13:58, “And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief,” show that Jesus does not impose his power, nor is he reduced to a blessing provider. Without the contribution of the person in need, his power is minimised or ineffective. Jesus’s way is to give agency, share responsibility, and welcome participation. This gives the recipient the grace to fulfil their humanity.

This is echoed in the mission of the 72. Jesus instructs them not to take a bag, money, or a change of clothes. The disciples rely on the hospitality of those to whom they are sent. Perhaps, the leaving behind of belongings also refers to letting go of our assumptions about what a group of people might need from us. Jesus’s mission requires mutuality.

Whilst it is not possible to build relationships with everyone, it is possible with our neighbours just across the road or with a local group with a mutual interest. When school staff take a lead, in line with their safeguarding policy, young people can gain the confidence to build safe relationships. Volunteering or fundraising for a project might be a step in the right direction but is often more about doing good rather than reciprocity. And that’s what make the Common Good Schools programme more radical.

AN INVITATION

We’re inviting church schools to lead the way in a prophetic rejection of individualism, to learn about Common Good Thinking and to adopt a beautiful posture of reciprocity with neighbours within their catchment area. This invitation offers members of the school the opportunity to take responsibility, according to their calling and ability and alongside their neighbours, for the flourishing of everyone.

It has been encouraging to witness the progress of our partner schools, both Church of England and Catholic.

Year 9 students at Worth School in West Sussex are taking part in Common Good Schools. Teacher Chris Wyles commented that the programme has sparked a significant increase in students volunteering to serve: “Common Good Schools has made a space for our students to be more virtuous and not feel shy about it. Their learning over 10 lessons has got them motivated to build the common good wherever they can.”

Cardinal Heenan students discovered that solidarity with their neighbours can be expressed weekly and in person. A student involved in visits to Brandon House Care Home said, “I have gained more empathy and understanding of the effects of dementia.” And a student visiting Penny Field School said, “I’ve learnt about different types of learning with people who have special needs, its [sic] helped me learn how it may be difficult for them and ive [sic] enjoyed learning Makaton.”

All Saints Multi Academy Trust, a joint Catholic and Church of England trust is our newest UK partner. The lay chaplain at one of their schools acknowledged the timeliness of the Common Good Schools programme. His plans for the programme include forging long term relationships in the community and integrating Common Good thinking into collective worship and form time. He aims to build a broad range of connections in the neighbourhood including with the local mosque, which some of his students attend and which was a focus for some of the rioting over the summer.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE COMMON GOOD

The enjoyment of in-person connections, vital for good mental health, is a striking contrast to interactions via TikTok, Snapchat and the like. With algorithms that drive division and facilitate cyber bullying, school staff are burdened with conflict resolution and disciplinary issues. How else might this ‘malign’ culture that Pope Francis warns about influence school life? And how can Catholic Social Teaching build our capacity to respond?

St John Bosco College in Battersea have adopted the Common Good Schools programme as part of their personal development curriculum. Approximately 825 children from Year 7 to –Year 11 are learning about Common Good Thinking in vertical tutor groups.

In Hampshire, Oaklands Sixth Form College students use tutor time to do the same. Common Good thinking is distinctively different from the prevailing ‘me-culture’, with its focus on self. Rather, personal development informed by the Common Good values the knowledge, skills and talents of each student for the benefit of mutual flourishing.

Bishop Ramsey CE School in Middlesex have introduced the Common Good to Year 8 students in PSHE lessons. Deputy Head, Malcolm Britten says that the programme’s lessons, assemblies and community engagement activities have given them a framework to link school activities and their current community partnerships, enabling a deepening of their local commitment to the common good.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP AND SUBSIDIARITY

At Cardinal Heenan, a group of students were invited to be Common Good Leaders. They spread the word among their peers about the opportunity to visit their neighbours. Krystina reports that, “[Being a Common Good Leader] provides the pupils with the opportunity to develop skills that are useful to real life and the workplace: persuading people, organising and communicating effectively. It gives them a clear role and clear leadership abilities.”

This is an example of the Catholic social teaching principle of subsidiarity in practice: responsibility is taken at the most appropriate level and decisions are taken closest to where they will have their effect. Young leaders, with the knowledge of their classmates’ strengths and talents, and the needs of community partners, can invite peers to participate meaningfully.

IT STARTS WITH RELATIONSHIPS

Working with neighbours across difference is possible! Forging ongoing mutual relationships, especially between the young and the elderly, can build bridges and overcome isolation and loneliness.

These are just some of many ways to build a common good. Our partner schools are leading the way. If we always start with the aim of fundraising or campaigning, we miss out on so much. The principles of human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity are fully expressed in the context of reciprocal relationships and give opportunity for a wealth of mutual benefits. This is why a focus on building the Common Good is more radical. Imagine what your school’s students and your neighbours could build together.

Common Good Schools alone won’t bring that full vision into reality, but it will equip and form young people and teachers to get started.

“Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

Jo Stow

Project Leader, Common Good Schools

To try our free resources: visit commongoodschools.co.uk

For more information: contact Jo Stow at jo [@]commongoodschools [dot] co [dot]uk

A version of this article was first published in Networking – Catholic Education Today in September 2024.

Common Good Schools Summer 2024

Common Good Schools update – Summer 2024

Our Project Leader, Jo Stow, provides our latest update.

At the end of the academic year, there is plenty to celebrate!

Over the last twelve months at Common Good Schools we are proud that five of our partners have completed the 10 week programme at least once, and we are thrilled to have welcomed two new schools from our first multi-academy trust, and completed their induction process. We are excited that a new partner in Italy is joining us in September, the Diocese of Modena over ten months will be running the programme with post-confirmation young people from parishes across the diocese. In addition, we have built a new online portal, written and disseminated two free resources, and held our first CPD sessions for our partner schools. In terms of our goals for the coming year, we want to recruit at least ten more partner schools, and we plan to research, develop and pilot a version of the programme for primary schools.

There have been many highlights which I’ve shared in updates over the year. In this edition, I would love to tell you about a joyful occasion that T4CG’s founder director Jenny Sinclair and I attended at Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral in late June. We were invited to attend the Service of Blessing for our newest partner, the All Saints Multi Academy Trust (ASMAT), led by Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP and Rev Canon Stuart Haynes. Along with fellow guests, we joined staff and students from across the Trust at the special service, which featured many young people from across the Trust playing their part in song and the spoken word. It was wonderful to meet ASMAT’s CEO, Heather Duggan, many of her leadership team and the Directors of Education for both the Anglican and Catholic dioceses of Liverpool.

It was striking that the ASMAT vision is rooted in a history shared with Together for the Common Good (T4CG). For those of you who are new to our work, T4CG is inspired by an unlikely partnership between church leaders in Liverpool a generation ago. Jenny’s father, the Anglican Bishop David Sheppard and his close friend the Catholic Archbishop Derek Worlock saw that God’s reconciling love was calling them to work together for the common good of the city. Seeing themselves as brothers in Christ, they prayed regularly together and their groundbreaking partnership was characterised by a unique combination of gifts from their respective Christian traditions. They saw their work in terms of reconciliation and advocated the “outward-facing church” standing in solidarity with poor communities. Their joint vision resonates strongly with the body of thinking known as Catholic social thought, from which we derive a simple Common Good Thinking framework. You can read more about our history here.

This vision underpins both Common Good Schools and All Saints Multi Academy Trust. Jointly sponsored by both the Diocese and the Archdiocese of Liverpool, the Trust is inspired by the ecumenical vision of Bishops’ Sheppard and Worlock. As Heather Duggan says, their ethos is “we are ‘stronger and better together’ placing partnership working at the heart of what we do! Community is at the heart of our family of Academies, and we are proud to work closely in partnership with the communities that we serve.”

Speaking about joining Common Good Schools, the Trust’s Chaplain, Kasia Boydell said, “I’m so excited to start!” Kasia and her colleagues  will launch the ten week programme in September.

During the service, Jenny and I were struck by a wonderful poem written and recited by students from Hope Academy. It beautifully articulates the hopes and dreams of the two Bishops in the past and the young people and their teachers today.

It started with them

It started with them.
Two men of different denominations: one God.
They showed us that we are stronger together.
Friends united by Christ.
They proved that life is better together,
and that what it comes down to is us in our communities.

It started with them.
It continues with us.

Aspiring for ourselves.
Aspiring for community.
Aspiring for unity.

Previously separated, now united.
Together in strength, no matter the differences.
We thank them for their commitment
for their inclusion and leadership.
We celebrate them in our own acts of service,
with positive diversity and continuing partnerships.

It started with them.
It continues with us.

Poem written by Lily and Adeline, Hope Academy, Newton-le-Willows

I am sure you agree, that the poem expresses a beautiful resonance with our work helping schools become a force for the common good in their neighbourhoods. This vision inspires us as we look forward to developing relationships with all our partner schools in September.

Thank you for reading this short update – just a taste of the wonderful things that are happening. We’d love you to help us encourage more schools to embark on the Common Good Schools programme. If you know of teachers, chaplains or governors of a school who would be interested, please share this link where they can learn more and download a free sample pack to try in school, and also point them them to register for our next free information session is in September – details below.

“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” Romans 12:5

Finally, please would you pray for

Secure funding so that we can work with more schools and develop materials for primary schools.

New schools to join, especially in the North West, Yorkshire and in the South East.

Jo Stow
Common Good Schools Project Leader

COME AND SEE SESSION

Our next free online information session is on: Tuesday 24th September at 3.45 pm. This is an open invitation to school staff right across England and Wales. There will be a short presentation giving an overview of the Common Good Schools programme with a sneak peek behind the paywall at the resources on the Common Good Schools website, and a Q & A.

Click here to book a place: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/common-good-schools-information-session-tickets-939389999777?aff=oddtdtcreator

Do you have a link with your local school? Are you a parent, student, teacher, senior leader, director of an academy trust, trustee or governor? We find the best way to engage is via a personal introduction. For more details about the programme, please visit the Common Good Schools website where you can book a call with Jo Stow and download a free sample pack to try at your school.

Common Good Schools Pentecost 2024

Common Good Schools update – Pentecost 2024

Our Project Leader, Jo Stow, provides our latest update

New partnership with All Saints Multi Academy Trust

It was a joy to meet Kasia and Miles, chaplains for All Saints Multi Academy Trust, earlier this month. Based at Hope Academy and the Academy of St Francis of Assisi respectively, Kasia and Miles are newly responsible for leading the Common Good Schools (CGS) programme. It is their hope that other academies within the Trust will join CGS soon after.

Partnering with a Multi Academy Trust is an important milestone for CGS. Furthermore, with our shared vision and history, working with All Saints Multi Academy Trust is significant and exciting. In the words of Heather Duggan, Chief Executive Officer:

“The All Saints Multi Academy Trust is jointly sponsored by both the Diocese and the Archdiocese of Liverpool and is inspired by the ecumenical vision of Bishops Sheppard and Worlock that we are ‘stronger and better together’ placing partnership working at the heart of what we do!”

https://allsaintsmat.org/welcome/

Our morning began with an invocation of the Holy Spirit. The work of the common good is the work of the Holy Spirit, inviting us into the life of the Trinity. The relational nature of the Trinity, three persons in complete oneness, is the blueprint for common good practice. The theme of reciprocal relationships was revisited throughout the session. Relationships formed in love and in recognition of the dignity of the other, whilst appreciating difference, brings a sense of unity and peace. From there, every person can make their contribution according to their ability, making their school and its neighbourhood and wonderful place to be. This is our desire for the life and mission of our school partners.

During the induction training session, Kasia and Miles became familiar with the online resource, its components and the benefits for students, the academy and the community. They were inspired with stories from other Common Good Schools (CGS) about the impact on young people and school neighbours. We identified different groups and institutions close to their schools using a neighbourhood mapping exercise and began to explore possibilities for community engagement activities. As the conversation flowed, the sense of excitement about the possibilities was tangible. Later, I received a lovely email from Kasia with these words:

“Thank you very much for your time and energy yesterday. It was brilliant, and I’m so excited to start! I have my meeting with our principal soon, so I will tell her all about it (CGS) and what we could achieve through it!”

I’m excited for what Kasia and Miles will achieve and look forward to sharing their news in the future.

Accompanying partners through continuous professional development (CPD)

On 17th April, at a CPD session for four of our partner schools, colleagues came together to reflect on their progress this year as a springboard for planning for next academic year.

Musenga Mumbi and Krystina Gold are teachers with responsibility for CGS in their schools.

Musenga shared about the impact of CGS on St Marylebone CE Bridge students with special educational needs. She uses CGS in RS lessons with Year 10. A highlight was their response to an active listening skills activity (Lesson 5) and how it facilitated two young people reconciling and restoring their friendship during the lesson.

Krystina explained the positive impact on student leadership at Cardinal Heenan in Leeds. Four students from each year group were invited to apply to be Common Good Leaders. They have engaged in community activities and were tasked with encouraging their peers to join. They attended an Eco Summit, conservation trip, helped pack hampers for the SVP, visited a neighbouring care home and school for children with complex needs, inviting them to a ‘communi-tea’ facilitated by pupils studying Food Technology. Krystina confessed that it was a lot of work and that she needed the help of other teachers to manage all the visits. However, she said

“it has been so worthwhile and I have enjoyed it so, so, so much!”

Thank you for reading this short update, just a taste of the wonderful things that are happening in our partner schools. We’d love you to help us encourage more schools to embark on the Common Good Schools programme by sharing this link to learn more and to download a free sample pack to try at your school.

Jo Stow
Common Good Schools Project Leader

COME AND SEE SESSION

Our next free online information session is on: Wednesday 26th June at 3.45 pm. This is an open invitation to school staff right across England and Wales. There will be a short presentation giving an overview of the Common Good Schools programme with a sneak peek behind the paywall at the resources on CGS website. Do feel free to share this registration Zoom link with anyone who might be interested to attend and learn more: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/common-good-schools-information-session-tickets-895281921327

Please pray for:

Kasia and Miles and the staff of All Saints Multi Academy Trust as they make plans and to establish Common Good Schools programme.

Help to secure funding so that we can work with more secondary schools and develop materials for primary schools.

New schools to join CGS. In particular, we would love to develop links with more schools in the North West, Yorkshire and in the South East.

“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” Romans 12:5

Do you have a link with your local school? Are you a parent, student, teacher, senior leader, director of an academy trust, trustee or governor? We find the best way to engage is via a personal introduction. For more details about the programme, please visit the Common Good Schools website where you can book a call with Jo Stow and download a free sample pack to try at your school.

The importance of reciprocity

The importance of reciprocity

And Common Good Schools update: Easter 2024

Here, our Common Good Schools Project Leader, Jo Stow, reflects on the importance of face-to-face reciprocal relationships, and reports on the latest activities of some of our partner schools.

As we’ve journeyed through Lent, Christians have been focusing on prayer, fasting and almsgiving. But what is almsgiving really meant to be about? It’s often thought to be about giving money, but there is much more to it. What does this mean in a schools context?

Our Common Good Schools Lent resource helped young people prayerfully reflect on a common good approach to almsgiving. Schools are wonderful at supporting charities through fundraising and this is to be encouraged. But just giving money can unintentionally create an unhelpful dynamic dividing people into the benevolent giver and the recipient. In a school this can communicate to young people that they fall into one of these two groups. Those from poor families may then perceive themselves as a client or victim, and feelings of shame and powerlessness may be provoked.

The common good approach to almsgiving

By contrast, a common good approach brings both parties together in relationship. In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis encourages a shift from doing good “to”, to “being with”. He emphasises the importance of building relationships of reciprocity. If we form a relationship with the people we help, allowing them to serve us too, then this recognises the dignity and worth of both parties.

Take the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. After Jesus healed her, she served him as he ate in her house. On another occasion, Jesus first received the service of Mary who washed his feet with her tears, before granting her the forgiveness she needed. When he meets the woman at the well he is thirsty and asks her to serve him a drink of water, then he gives her the water of life. Jesus shared life with the people he served. In John 15.15, Jesus says to his followers:

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Jesus calls us into a reciprocal relationship with Him and with each other, where there isn’t a “them and us”, nor service provider and client, nor rescuer and victim. Each needs the other in mutuality.

Reciprocity is difficult to achieve if we give money to a charity who does the work for us – we are effectively outsourcing the relationship and we remain detached – this has become the norm in a highly individualistic society. Whilst it is not possible to build relationships with everyone, it is possible to do so with our neighbours just across the road. Volunteering for a local charity might be a step in the right direction, but the Common Good Schools programme proposes something more radical.

Putting it into practice

Students and staff in our partner schools are invited to engage with their neighbours. At Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School in Leeds, reciprocal relationships are being developed with two of their immediate neighbours – a care home and a school for children with special and complex needs. Krystina Gold, a dynamic teacher and Common Good Schools lead at Cardinal Heenan, is taking the initiative to be intentionally relational.

Krystina’s approaches were warmly welcomed. Now, pupils and elderly residents of Brandon House get to know each other during weekly visits. The pupils volunteer their time, talents and friendship and so do the residents. “I have found it a great opportunity to meet amazing and kind people and hear very inspiring stories. It has improved my social confidence and I will definitely continue the experience.” Dillon, Year 7.

In addition to Brandon House, Krystina is working to establish a relationship with nearby Penny Fields School. Describing the first meeting between the two sets of young people, she said, “We joined for their ‘Sing and Sign’ session. Cardinal Heenan pupils did not know Makaton and I was keen for them to connect on the same level – not as helpers, but fellow learners who had something to gain from Penny Field pupils. It was very noisy! There were people face to face, all trying to communicate!”

Both groups are delighted with the benefits of being together and plan to continue until the end of the academic year and beyond. We look forward to sharing with you how these relationships develop.

Church schools

Working so closely with church schools we understand the importance of providing opportunities for young people to serve but also to build reciprocal relationships. We are pleased to see that the Anglican and Methodist inspection framework articulates this:

“How does the school’s theologically rooted Christian vision create an active culture of justice and responsibility? As an outworking of the theologically rooted Christian vision, what partnerships are important to the school? How do they impact positively and reciprocally on people’s lives?” IQ5 SIAMS framework, September 2023

The Catholic Schools Inspection framework also encourages young people to “pursue the common good and serve those in need” and to respond “to the demands of Catholic Social Teaching in finding ways of responding, locally, nationally, and globally.” CSI Framework 2023

That schools are now required to embed these principles into their approaches is important. Young people badly need local relationships and there is good evidence to show why that is.

The causes of “loneliness“

The Campaign to End Loneliness analysed the Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures. Robin Hewings, Programme Director at the Campaign said: “younger people are at higher risk of loneliness.” Indeed,we know that today, loneliness is higher among young people than the elderly. According to the UK government’s Tackling Loneliness evidence review, loneliness is highest for people who are 16-24 years old.

This is startling because it was not the case in the past. So, what has changed?

The falling levels of social trust fuelled by the “me” culture characterise our cultural crisis. In his seventh World Day of the Poor letter, Pope Francis regards this culture as “malign” and says young people are the most vulnerable to its impact. Together for the Common Good consistently calls for all of us to become more intentionally relational and for the fundamental reform of a culture and political economy that dehumanises, commodifies and divides.

The ironically named “social” media has been a major contributory factor in the atrophy of “real life” relational ability among the young. Professor Jonathan Haidt has researched how the smartphone is damaging a generation. He researched significant increases in anxiety and depression from 2004 to 2017 among young people age 11 – 15. Finding that trends were repeated across “the anglosphere”, his findings showed that changes in behaviour happened concurrently with the change from “flip phones” to smartphones. He also found that this new exposure to social media was happening at the same time as parents were reducing free play in an effort to be more protective. Haidt says, “we ended up overprotecting children in the real world while underprotecting them in the virtual world.”

The pandemic only exacerbated a situation in which young people’s brains were already being rewired. Young people were becoming more comfortable with online content than with fellow human beings. The Age of Alienation report says that “young people appear to be around half as likely to say they think other people are trustworthy as they were sixty years ago.”

Being intentionally relational and reciprocal

Loneliness is a symptom of human distress in a deeply dysfunctional culture, but there is an antidote. In this time of confusion and rapid change, it is vital to offer young people encouragement, to equip them with appropriate skills and to know why, as relational beings, human beings need real, local, reciprocal relationships.

Common Good Schools partners are inviting their young people to lead a counter-cultural movement where face-to-face encounters are central. Meeting the needs of another while building an ongoing relationship is fundamental. Whether it is loneliness, mental health concerns, low confidence or low self-esteem, reciprocal relationships are an antidote to so many challenges faced in the school setting. Crucially, young people engaging with Common Good Schools lessons and assemblies also learn why this is important.

Engaging relationally with each other in a school’s community can bring transformation both inside the school and in the neighbourhood. Integrating this common good form of engagement within the life of a school and its local community can be beneficial for all involved. We’re working with our partner schools to observe the effects.

Latest news

We’re absolutely delighted to welcome All Saints Multi Academy Trust in Liverpool to the Common Good Schools programme. Two of their secondary schools: Hope Academy and the Academy of St Francis of Assisi will embark on the programme in September, hopefully followed by two more schools from their MAT the following year. Their wonderful chaplain, Mrs Kasia Boydell, will develop their common good commitment across the MAT. All Saints is an ecumenical MAT, drawing inspiration from the work of Archbishop Derek Worlock and Bishop David Sheppard. It is a joy that T4CG and All Saints MAT, sharing the same roots, can work together and we’re excited to see how things develop.

It’s been great to hear how our free Lent resource has been used in so many schools throughout Lent to reflect prayerfully on a common good approach to almsgiving. We even had a request to adapt it which we were happy to accommodate: St Nicholas Catholic High School in Northwich adapted it for their students, who reflected on the parable of the Good Samaritan in their classroom prayer time. The Lent resource is still available via the Common Good Schools website if you want to prepare for next year!

Jo Stow
Common Good Schools Project Leader

During this Easter season, please pray for:

*All Saints MAT staff as they train and prepare to begin the CGS programme in September

*More schools to join

*Financial support to develop CGS further

*For the development of an exciting new partnership between CGS and CSYMI

Do you have a link with your local school? Are you a parent, student, teacher, senior leader, director of an academy trust, trustee or governor? We find the best way to engage is via a personal introduction.

For more details about the programme, please visit the Common Good Schools website where you can book a call with Jo Stow and download a free sample pack to try at your school.

(Left) Students from St Nicholas Catholic High School in Northwich. (Right) Staff and students from Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School and Penny Fields School in Leeds

Who is my neighbour?

Who is my neighbour? A free resource for Lent

Our Project Leader, Jo Stow, announces a free resource for schools for Lent

We are delighted to offer schools a free Lent resource consisting of six ready-to-use assembly presentations suitable for collective worship with KS3 and KS4. Students are invited to take a look at prayer, fasting, almsgiving and the passion and death of Christ through the lens of the common good. Each week, participants are challenged to make a contribution in different ways to contribute to the flourishing of everyone in school and in the neighbourhood.

Click here to download the resource

In the resource we feature stories and testimonies from some of our partner schools. Grateful thanks go to Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School in Leeds, to St Marylebone CE Bridge School in London, to Worth School in West Sussex, to Bishop Ramsey School in Ruislip and to Alsop High School in Liverpool. They are all doing great work to build the common good!

For example, Cardinal Heenan School is just across the road from Brandon House Care Home. Pupils and residents are getting to know each other – with pupils volunteering their time, talents and friendship, making weekly visits to the elderly residents. Both groups are enjoying the experience and they plan to continue for the rest of the academic year.

“I have found it a great opportunity to meet amazing and kind people and hear very inspiring stories. It has improved my social confidence and I will definitely continue the experience.”
Dillon, Year 7

In addition to visiting Brandon House care home residents, Common Good Schools lead Mrs Krystina Gold, is working to establish a relationship with a Penny Fields School, for children with special and complex needs, also in close proximity to the school. Krystina described the first meeting of pupils.

“We joined for their ‘Sing and Sign’ session. Cardinal Heenan pupils did not know Makaton and I was keen for them to connect on the same level – not as helpers, but fellow learners who had something to learn from Penny Field pupils. It was very noisy! There were people face to face, all trying to communicate!”

We look forward to seeing how how these relationships develop.

Thank you for reading this short update, just a taste of the wonderful things that are happening in our partner schools. We’d love you to help us encourage more schools to embark on the Common Good Schools programme by sharing the link to our free Lent Resource or click here to learn more and download a free sample pack to try at your school.

Jo Stow
Common Good Schools Project Leader

Prayer requests

We’d be grateful for prayers during the next few weeks.

School staff who are planning to run the programme for the first time.

Schools actively seeking community partners to work with.

Students who will participate in the Common Good Schools programme.

Jo, as she develops relationships with partner schools and seeks new partners.

“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” Romans 12:5

Do you have a link with your local school? Are you a parent, student, teacher, senior leader, director of an academy trust, trustee or governor? We find the best way to engage is via a personal introduction.

For more details about the programme, please visit the Common Good Schools website where you can book a call with Jo Stow and download a free sample pack to try at your school.