Inclusion

Inclusion ~ Community Cohesion

Catholic schools…. will develop a range of attitudes and activities that promote and support the dignity and worth of everyone.

The commitment of the Catholic Church to interfaith dialogue and to working with other Christians provides a further basis for young peoples’ contribution to peaceful social cohesion.

St Bede’s  is a  rich and diverse community. During Jesus’ life on earth he met people of diverse backgrounds and religious groups who were different from himself. He first engaged with all these people by speaking to them. When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well he spoke first about the need for water, as he asked her for a drink. This enabled him to tell her about the living water – which is himself.      (John 4: 5-42)

Come and See, our religious programme, supports and enables the faith experience of all children because it starts with their real life experience and leads them to reflect upon and consider the Christian message in all its richness in that experience. We recognise that many schools will have children of other religions present in their schools and so:

When pupils of other faiths are present in a Catholic school the task must be to promote their human growth in such a way that they can integrate their particular faith with every aspect of their lives.

The study ‘On The Way to Life’ makes clear how necessary it is to have an effective means of transmission of religion, Faith, life experiences which engage all people in today’s world.

To engage in effective transmission, schools, families, parish, and all the formational programme of the faith community must also have a capacity for effective ‘translation’ between frameworks. This must be developed in members of the faith community if transmission is to continue.

Inclusion, Community Cohesion plays a vital part in the life of St Bede’s  and we hope that  the children come to understand that by working together  we can live the gospel message of Jesus.