- Home
- About Bonus
- Our Catholic Ethos
Our Catholic Ethos
Bonus Pastor Catholic College is a Catholic community that is inspired by Christ’s example as the good shepherd. We aim to provide opportunities throughout the school day which nurtures our students to become Catholic citizens of the world who are dedicated to upholding social justice.
Catholic Schools Inspection report 2024
Student Spirituality
The students are at the heart of our Catholic ethos. We have a vibrant Student Spirituality Team who drive the Catholic life of the school. There is a team of Spirituality Shepherds who lead our spirituality team. This team is at the heart of leading charity events, Celebrations of the Word, assemblies and the weekly reflection in the pastorale.
A new role is launching in 2025/26 of ‘The Messengers of the Word’ which will allow students from every year group and every house team to have an active role in organising their assemblies as well as the Celebrations of the Word. This will be done through their selection of scripture, music, prayers etc. As we move to a more student-centred approach to prayer and liturgy; this role is going to be crucial in facilitating this.
Daily Acts of Worship
The College day begins with an act of worship, either in Tutor Groups, assemblies or Celebrations of the Word. Daily acts of worship are planned to allow our students to reflect on our weekly form time theme, issues in society and the liturgical calendar.
Celebrations of the Word
The key Feasts and Seasons of the Church’s year are celebrated at Celebrations of the Word which the students help to prepare, including our Christmas Carol Service, Ash Wednesday Service and Easter celebrations.
Sacramental Life of the College
We aim to provide the opportunity for students in each year group to experience the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist during the academic year.
Each academic year begins with a Mass for our Year 7 and 11 students, and concludes with our Leavers Mass.
Each liturgy is an opportunity to join together to reflect on our liturgical theme for the year and praise God through readings, prayer and music.
Retreats & Pilgrimages
Students are provided with a variety of opportunities to retreat from the busyness of school life and reflect on their relationship with God. In 2024/25, students had the opportunity to attend Flame at Wembley Arena where they experienced worship through music and dance.
Year 8 students engaged in a retreat to the Wintershall: Life of Christ performance that allowed students to see the story of Christ in a more visual way, which engaged them in empathy and compassion for the events that took place leading up to Jesus’ sacrifice.
Students from Year 7,8 & 9 engaged in a variety of pilgrimages during the Jubilee Year of 2024/25. Some of these include the Big Lent Walk, the Rome trip and the Trust Pilgrimage Day.
Moving into 2025/26, students from all years will be encouraged and provided with the opportunity to participate in a wider range of retreats and pilgrimages. For example there will be a year 10 residential retreat to Walsingham House to engage students in strengthening their relationship and faith in God.
Catholic Social Teaching
Our community is committed to living out Catholic Social Teaching. The themes of CST are threaded into the curriculum across subjects and through a monthly focus on a principle of CST. Students are able to experience how its principles weave into every aspect of life.
In addition to this, we have a vibrant extra-curricular provision which enables students to reflect on and engage with the principles of CST. For example, students have attended trips and events exploring the links between CST and Holocaust Memorial and Refugee Week.
This commitment to Catholic Social Teaching has been recognised through our achievement of the Romero Developer Award.
Pastoral Support
The Pastoral system is the central nervous system of the school. It provides opportunities for students to see Catholic teaching lived out through caring relationships between both staff and students.
Each student is placed into a house which is named after an inspirational Catholic martyr; Barton, Campion, Clitherow, Fisher, Gwyn and More. Each house promotes the important qualities of each martyr are exemplified through its flag, prayer, assemblies and inter-house competitions. Every house has a Feast Day where students prepare and deliver a Celebration of the Word to commemorate their saint’s life and work.
