Jesuit Pupil Profile

Pupils in a Jesuit school are growing to be . . . 

Grateful for their own gifts, for the gift of other people, and for the blessings of each day; and generous with their gifts, becoming men and women for others. 

Attentive to their experience and to their vocation; and discerning about the choices they make and the effects of those choices. 

Compassionate towards others, near and far, especially the less fortunate; and loving by their just actions and forgiving words. 

Faith-filled in their beliefs and hopeful for the future. 

Eloquent and truthful in what they say of themselves, the relations between people, and the world. 

Learned, finding God in all things; and wise in the ways they use their learning for the common good. 

Curious about everything; and active in their engagement with the world, changing what they can for the better. 

Intentional in the way they live and use the resources of the earth, guided by conscience; and prophetic in the example they set to others. 

Catholic Social Teaching

Catholic Social Teaching is based on the belief that God has a plan for creation, a plan to build his kingdom of peace, love and justice.

It holds that God has a special plan for every single one of us, whoever we are. Our part in this plan isn’t just limited to things ‘spiritual’, or times when we do “religious things.” It involves every aspect of our lives, from the things we pray about, to how we live as a responsible global citizen.

Our part in this story is a kind-of vocation for the common good, a call to treat everyone as our brothers and sisters.  It is something that we all share.

The Catholic Church has seven principles of social teaching that we share with our children through all that we do, through the curriculum, special events and activity and through our ordinary actions in school.

At St Thomas More,  Catholic Social Teaching is incorporated into our curriculum. Children are asked to put their faith into action and reflect on how their learning enables them to do so. Each collective worship refers to Catholic Social Teaching which helps make the worship relevant to our lives today.

Catholic Social Teaching underpins the essence of our daily school life. As members of the Catholic Church, we are all called upon to preserve the dignity of all human beings, to care for creation, and to reach out to our sisters and brothers in need. Pope Francis emphasises that it is our duty to work together to bring about a more just and peaceful world: to put love into action. It is vital that our children can articulate the connection between Jesus' teaching and doing good deeds. We use the CAFOD Catholic Social Teaching resources and the animal mascots to support the children’s understanding of principles.

The animal mascots are used with EYFS, KS1 and Lower KS2. The keys are introduced in the resources for Upper Key Stage 2.

We are called to uphold the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

Human Dignity – Everyone is Special

"Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."
(Isaiah 64:)

At St Thomas More, we recognise the human dignity of others by:

• being respectful to anyone in our community.
• allowing every to express themselves how they want to. 
• treating all people as if they are weekly. 
• raising awareness of the rights of all human beings on Earth.
• preferential option for the vulnerable.

The Common Good– Taking Part in our Communities

"You are not making a gift of your possessions to the poor person.  You are handing over to them what is theirs." St Ambrose (340-397 AD)

At St Thomas More, we show we are part of a community by:

• working together as a school community - just like our Mission Statement states. 
• working for the common good around the world.
• participating and engaging in a range of communities showing love, kindness and care. 

Participation – The dignity of Work

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. (Proverbs 16:13)

At St Thomas More, we recognise the dignity of work by:

• respecting all workers and the challenges they may face - no one is perfect at everything. 
• contributing to society to make it a better place. 
• thinking about how our actions to can shape the economy of our nation.
• sharing our talents with others to help support them and make their lives better. 

Subsidiarity– All people Should have a Say

'Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right.'

(Psalm 106: 3)

At St Thomas More, we acknowledge our rights and responsibilities by:

• recognising our duty as citizens of our world. 
• allow people to speak them mind, have choices and understand different opinions.
• following our school rules to establish right and wrong. 

Stewardship – Caring for God’s Creation and Gifts

The ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion…Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience. Pope Francis - Laudato Si
 

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
(Colossians 1:16)

At St Thomas More, we show we care for creation by:

• taking responsibility for our environment - thinking about how we can protect our world for future generations to enjoy. 
• making environmentally responsible choices - recycling, walking to school and saving school resources. 
• having awe and wonder for the natural world

Solidarity – We are One Family of God.

 "If you want peace, work for justice".

(Blessed Pope Paul VI)

The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers.

At St Thomas More, we show solidarity by:

• raising awareness of social justice and standing up for it. 
• writing to our local leaders and the government, holding them to account. 
• praying for others who feel lost or alone. 
• making connections between ourselves and other. 
• making choices that are socially responsible - our words are kind and our actions are thoughtful. 

Option for the poor – Some People need Extra Help

‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Matthew 25:35-40

At St Thomas More, we show a preferential option for the poor and vulnerable by:

• fundraising for charitable causes
• raising awareness
• treating others with dignity and respect
• thinking of the needs of others

Distributive Justice – Being Fair

...we are agreed today that the earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone.’

(Pope Francis, 'Laudato Si')

At St Thomas More. we recognise the need to share the world's resources fairly by:

• celebrating Fair Trade Fortnight
• CAFOD's Fast Days
• donating our unwanted items to help those who need them. 
• never being greedy with our choices. 
• by sharing our belongings with others.

Promoting Peace – We can be God’s instruments of Peace

“Our common bonds of humanity demand that we live in harmony and that we promote what is good for one another. These ethical implications are the reason why solidarity is a basic key to peace.”

(St John Paul II)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 

(Matthew 5:9)

At St Thomas More, we show we are people of peace by:

• treating each other kindly and see the greatness in one another. 
• resolving disputes fairly. 
• praying for peace in our world today. 
• never resorting to aggressive actions.
• turning away from conflict
• creating bonds between people

Outreach

Our parents are encouraged to use their God given talent for the benefit of others and are very keen to help those that are in need, by their prayers and actions.

Much of our outreach work also focuses on local charities. Regularly we support the Birmingham Fireside Centre, for local homeless, by providing Harvest and Advent gifts from our 'Giving Tree' and the work of St Basil's through our charity sleep outs. During the challenging times of the Global COVID-19 Pandemic, we set up our own food bank to support families in our local community. This has been warmly received and supported generously by members of our Parish.

Also, during Lent, we focus on efforts on almsgiving for charities such as Father Hudson's Good Shepherd Appeal; CAFOD; Macmillan Aqua-aid: RNLI and Barnardos.

(Updated M Jordan Autumn 2024)