The Catholic Life of the school is integral to what we do at Christ the King and runs through all aspects of school life. We have a welcoming, caring community built on Christian values, where all members, adults and children are valued and encouraged to achieve their potential as children of God. The Catholic Identity and ethos is explicit through the learning environment, chaplaincy provision and community cohesion.
Displays at Christ The King
Throughout the year, our school is filled with vibrant and meaningful Catholic displays that reflect the seasons of the Church and the life of our community. We take great pride in creating engaging spaces that bring faith to life for our pupils, helping them to connect more deeply with key liturgical events and teachings. These displays celebrate pupils’ work, encourage reflection, and make visible the values we live by each day. They also offer a warm welcome to families and visitors, sharing with our wider community the joy, creativity, and faith that are at the heart of our school.
Inspire Workshops
Christ the King introduced ‘Inspire Workshops’ to our ‘Religious Education Curriculum’ and ‘Prayer & Liturgy’ at the start of the academic year 2025-26. These events are a way of enhancing and developing our understanding of the Catholic Faith, the Catholic Catechism and the foundations of the Church. The workshops are intended to be an inspiring way to support our children through prayer, religious art, arts, crafts and creativity.
As part of these Inspire Workshops, parents and carers are invited to come along, work alongside their child to create a religious craft which they then take home. As part of the workshops, children and adults are invited to reflect on their own personal and spiritual journey in Christ.
EYFS – Advent and the coming of Jesus
Year 1 – Angels
Year 2 – Easter
Year 3 – The Eucharist
Year 4 – The Rosary
Year 5 – Creation
Year 6 – The Saints
Reception took part in their Inspire Workshop. The children and parents shared a wonderful time learning about what Advent means, the true meaning of Christmas and exploring the Nativity story through different pieces of art from around the world. The children each made their own star and lantern to remind us of the star at Bethlehem and how we too are to shine brightly in our actions and words.
Our Year 1 children had a wonderful time taking part in the Inspire Workshop on Angels. The session was filled with creativity, imagination, and joyful learning through art, the Catechism and Scripture. The children explored the theme and created some beautiful wooden Angels to take home, along with a card to their own guardian angel. It was especially lovely to welcome parents who came along to join in and support the children.
Year 2 shared a wonderful Inspire Workshop on the theme of ‘Easter’. Along with their family, the children experienced the Easter story through Scripture, the Catholic Catechism and religious art. They made beautiful easter scenes and crosses to take home with them. A beautiful journey of faith and prayer.
Children in Year 5 had an Inspire Workshop on the theme of Creation. They explored a range of religious art and looking in depth at the YOUCAT/Catechism to talk about their purpose on Earth. Together, we looked at our Catholic Social Teaching Principle of ‘Care for Creation’ and thought about how we can take care of God’s world. The children made miniature clay creations from God and their own Creation bookmark to take home.
Year 6 shared a reverent and prayerful Inspire Workshop all about ‘The Saints’. Using Scripture, art, the Catechism and the story of Saints, children explored what it truly means to be a Saint – in Heaven and on Earth! The children created their own Saint Stain glass window and a beautiful envelope with their handwritten inspirational Saints’ quotes.
Diocesan Initiatives
As part of the Catholic Life of the school, we are focusing on the three themes set out by Bishop Patrick McKinney. Each term we will focus on one of the three topics, starting with Encounter, where we invite the children to find more opportunities to be with God and allow Him into our hearts and minds. The following terms will focus on Discipleship and Missionary Discipleship.
These words mean:
Encounter – to call
Discipleship – to build
Missionary discipleship – to send
Mission Weeks at Christ the King
The year is punctuated with opportunities for children at Christ the King to enhance their understanding and ‘Mission’ here on Earth.
At the beginning of the year, children have their first ‘Mission Week’ where they explore the CTK Mission Statement, their year group Gospel Values and then the Catholic Virtues. Later in the year, children revisit the CTK Mission Statement and then reflect on their own personal mission.
What is our purpose and mission here on Earth?
YouCat: “We are here on earth in order to know and to love God, to do good according to his will, and to go someday to heaven. [1-3, 358].”
This is the main mission in the Catholic faith, which will support children’s understanding about their own purpose and mission on Earth and the CTK Way.
We are here… in order to know and to love God The YouCat states that “To be a human being means to come from God and to go to God.” God created us in order that we might share in His life. He is always there for us and wants us to “seek him, to know him, to love him” (CCC-1). He calls each one of us to be part of his family, the Church. We are here… to do good according to his will
God created us to take action, to live out our lives in ways that lead others to Him. That’s no small task! It’s easy to get so caught up in all of the everyday distractions and just look out for ourselves and our own happiness. But we are called to serve others and to spread the faith through actions and words – “All Christ’s faithful are called to hand it on from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer” (CCC – 3).
We are here… to go someday to heaven
As we grow our relationship with God and come to know Him closer, we are better able to serve others and share our faith. These are the critical connections necessary to help us all get to heaven. We are not in this alone. We have to help each other along the way.
