MISSION STATEMENT
The Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School is a Catholic learning community with a strong family ethos and Jesus Christ at its centre. We seek to ensure that all may have life, life to the full.
“Ut Vitam Habeant”
VALUES AND ETHOS
We provide a warm and caring environment with a distinctive Catholic identity that encourages:
- a personal relationship with God;
- respect, love and service;
- gospel values such as honesty, justice, generosity and forgiveness;
- a strong family ethos;
- a commitment to social justice and compassion for those who are most in need;
- an appreciation of uniqueness and difference;
- independence of thought, self-discipline and confident leadership;
- a life-long love of learning.
Our pupils live these values throughout their life in the school.
A variety of assemblies take place across the week allowing pupils to develop these core values. The House assemblies provide an opportunity for younger pupils to learn from older pupils and to develop the family House identity.
Regular charity events encourage pupils to think about those more vulnerable to poverty than themselves and how they can support the wider school community.
Pupils have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills across all year groups with roles in school and participation in wider events.
Student Leadership Roles
Liturgical Representatives – A liturgical Representative is selected in each form from year 7 – 13 and has the opportunity to be a witness to their faith and ready to enhance the spiritual life of the school by organising and planning the celebration of the Word in assemblies.
Pupil Chaplains Group – 6th Form pupils have the opportunity to assist in the planning of the weekly religious themes, week of prayer, read in liturgies, shoebox appeal, enhancing the spiritual life of the school in a variety of ways.
Cafod Young Leaders Programme – This external national programme offers our 6th Formers the opportunity to learn how to lead their peers and younger students to promote the work of CAFOD, to raise money and awareness and to gain transferable leadership skills that they can take into life.
St Vincent de Paul Group – This programme allows year 11 and 6th Formers the opportunity to take up the invitation to join the Vincentian family and turn their concern into real action! Eg. Aiding in the organising of the Christmas Foodbank, sending Christmas cards to Care Homes, supporting the work of Crises at Christmas Carol service etc.
RE Prefects Group – Opportunity for 6th Formers to aid and assist the RE Department at open evenings and with Year 7 RE lessons, to enhance the spiritual experience for pupils by ensuring our RE classrooms are conducive to learning Religious Education.
Prayer Group Leaders – Opportunity for Head Girl Team and House Captains to work with younger pupils to lead a prayer session once a month and to assist in visits to St Joseph’s Church during Advent.
Altar Servers Group – Opportunity for older pupils to train younger pupils to serve and assist in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
House Liturgical Captains – To oversee the House Feast days celebrations of the word and to lead prayer sessions in the Week of Prayer.
Religious Notice Boards Group – To maintain the high standard of Religious Boards around the school.
Eucharistic Ministers Programme – An opportunity for Year 13 pupils to be trained and commissioned as Eucharistic Ministers and to serve their community.
Random Acts of Kindness Group – Various pupils invited to take part in random acts of Kindness activities throughout the year eg. Macmillan Coffee Morning for staff.
Catholic Social Teaching Group – An opportunity for Year 11 to work in conjunction with the eco pupil team to care for our common home, to support the dignity of all and to walk in solidarity during Lent by opting for the poor. To assist in local charity events eg. donate a coat to the local library at Christmas.
Head Girl Team Group – To enhance the spiritual life of the pupils by participating in assemblies and being role models to the younger pupils by being witnesses to their faith.
Prayer Corridor Group – Year 9 pupils have the opportunity to show their creativity and leadership roles by updating and enhancing the Prayer Corridor.
Year 10 Celebration of the Word Group for Year 7 – To help Year 7 plan effectively the celebration of the Word and assemblies.
Prayer Life of the School
‘Prayer is the lifting up of the hearts and mind to God ‘ St. John Damascene
Prayer and Liturgy Policy
School Prayer
God our Father,
Help us to recognise your son, Jesus Christ, in those we meet every day
Teach us to value ourselves, so that we can learn to respect and value others;
We thank you for the opportunities you give us to enjoy ‘Life to the Full’.
May we recognise the power of your Holy Spirit in our school.
Help us to be generous with our time and energy to bring ‘Life to the Full’ to others.
“Ut Vitam Habeant”
Pupils have the daily opportunity to participate in collective worship through prayer in Form Time, Year, House and Key Stage assemblies. At Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School, each Form Group belong to one of four Houses, each associated with a saint.
House Information
In 6th Form: Form groups are named after Saints – Saint Anne, Saint Bakhita, Saint Catherine, Saint Dorothy and Saint Elizabeth.
Some of the traditional Catholic Prayers that are prayed in the celebration of the word:
Our Father, Who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom God’s love
commits me here,
Ever this day,
be at my side,
To light and guard,
rule and guide.
Amen.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.
Hail, holy Queen, mother of Mercy.
Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us;
and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.
V – Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R – That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Masses and Liturgies
There are a variety of opportunities to attend mass at Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School – a welcome mass at the start of the new academic year for staff and governors, a mass for the start of the new academic year for pupils and staff, a mass of welcome for Year 7 and parents, a mass for deceased family and school loved ones, a mass for all holy days of obligation, a carol service and Christmas liturgy, our Founders day mass, an Easter and summer liturgy, a leavers mass for year 11 and year 13. All liturgies and masses are led by pupils.
Year and House assemblies are held each week following the school’s liturgical calendar.
There is a wide variety of the celebration of the word depending on the time in the liturgical year. Throughout Lent and Advent, year groups have the opportunity to visit St Joseph’s Church.
Prayer is the breath of faith; it is its most proper expression. Like a cry that issues from the heart of those who believe and entrust themselves to God.
Pope Francis
