Latest Update
Now the Christmas break is upon us, we are able to stop for a moment and reflect. I hope Advent has been a blessed time for you. This has been a wonderful time for Common Good Schools, with more schools joining and new partnerships emerging. Most recently we have had wonderful entries for our Christmas card competition, encouraging 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 success through the building of relationships – a central feature of the work 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 just 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 and Teddy (header image, top) from St Mary’s Horsforth. The two runners-up were Julia and her mum Izabella (header image, below right) from St John the Baptist Primary in Normanton, and Lelia (7) and her mum Sarune (header image, 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 schools across Sweden. Working with Ludwig Gelot, I recorded a conversation with my colleague Jenny Sinclair about the effects of current culture on young people and how schools can contribute to 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
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