Here at St Benedict’s, we belong to a community that we call our school family. We try to follow the example set by the Benedictine community at nearby Ampleforth Abbey. Our acrostic vision/mission for children is “Listen”. This is the first word in the Rule of St Benedict, and as a community we always try our best to listen to each other.

To help out with friendships and to make sure no one is lonely in our community, we have a buddy system of older children, who look out for others who might need help joining in a game, or resolving a conflict. The “buddies” also know when they need to involve an adult to help them. The buddies enjoy reading with the younger children, and doing shared activities with them such as arts and crafts on our mindfulness days. They also help to set up at lunch times, and keep the younger children company in collective worship and at Mass if they are struggling to concentrate or keep up. They write a welcome letter to all our new pupils on transition day, introducing themselves and helping our new children to feel welcome.

We know we are part of a bigger family, and as a school family, we develop links in the parish and local community. We are also involved in national and international projects and charity work as we are called to serve others and  make a difference. The charities we raise money for are chosen by our children and staff. We only ever ask for small donations and are always grateful for the generosity shown by our families.

We are called to serve the poor and vulnerable. We try to support local, national and global charities such as The Bird of Hope Foundation in Syria.