Catholic Life and Mission

“The quality of provision for the Catholic life and mission of the school is outstanding,” (Section 48, 2023)

As a Catholic school, our aim is to develop a community which is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit. It is a community based on love, trust and respect, in which young people develop as fully integrated persons in Christ.

Together we strive for every member of our community to achieve their full potential, academically, personally and spiritually in the atmosphere of high quality personal relationships.

Our School Ethos

Our school ethos is also something which we at St Edmund Campion work tirelessly to ensure permeates our community at every possible level.

"Achieving together through Christ"

This is something which the students of the school know to be a key part of their educational journey with us; a truth, a guiding phrase, an ethos which helps them develop into true disciples and 'Campionites'.

Our Priest Chaplains, Mr Oxley, Head of Catholic Life, Mr Sorroll, our Lay Chaplain and our strong RE department work alongside each other to develop the Catholic Ethos of our school. They are supported by an absolutely wonderful Chaplaincy Team, which is made up of students from every year group, and by our Young Vincentians, consisting of students from Years 12 and 13. Alongside Mr Sorroll, they help to plan fundraising activities, liturgies and collective worship throughout the year.

“Pastoral care of pupils and staff is at the core of the school’s Catholic life and mission, and

pupils know they are always loved and cared for,”

(Section 48, 2023)

During the year, we follow the liturgical calendar and have various liturgies, Masses and time for prayer during Lent, Advent and on feast days, etc. Every single day begins with ‘Sacred Time, Sacred Space’ in form groups, wherein pupils are invited to listen to and reflect on the Gospel of each day, before being sent forth to embody the Jesuit values in all that they do. The Chapel is also open all day, every day and pupils are invited to use it as a space for retreat, prayer, reflection and time alone with the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Basic School Rule

The basic rule stems itself from scripture in Mark's Gospel; as the most important commandment of Our Lord,

"...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength... you shall love your neighbour as yourself."

(Mark 12:30-31 NRSVCE)

‘Loving God and your Neighbour’ is something which is expressed in day to day action throughout every area of our school community, through the offering of our prayer and work to God and courtesy and consideration to others.

Heart of Catholic Birmingham

At St Edmund Campion Catholic School, we are blessed to gather in a building which is rooted in Catholic history. Our school stands atop of the great St John Henry Newman’s footprints, who preached at the neighbouring Abbey (St Thomas and Edmund of Canterbury) and will have often walked on the surrounding roads. In the late 19th century, a convent for the Dominican sisters was built on the site of our school. This convent soon became St Agnes Catholic Grammar School for girls, which was run by the sisters. Today, the school still retains some of the sacred vessels used in the Dominican sisters’ celebration of Mass, including a beautiful chalice dated 1891. In 1975, St Agnes amalgamated with two other local Catholic schools, St Thomas of Canterbury and St Margaret Clitherow, to become the school we know and love today: St Edmund Campion.

We continue to be at the heart of Catholic Birmingham, since we neighbour many beautiful Catholic churches and are only a short distance from the fantastic St Mary’s College in Oscott, home to many seminarians. We are incredibly fortunate to work closely alongside Fr Prabhakar from the parish of Ss Mary and John and with Fr Kieran and the Redemptorists from the Abbey. They are all very eager to help our young people on their journey towards Christ. They guide us and we learn from them so that we can share our faith and friendship as a school community.