Our Catholic Social Teaching 

Teaching the Catholic social principles’ through our Good Book Journey

CST book journey.pdf

Catholic Social Teaching

 

Catholic Social Teaching is: The underlying insight is that everyone has the right and responsibility to live in our world constructively, not destructively, and to ensure that we leave it in a better state than when we entered it.

At the core of Catholic Social Teaching are a number of key concepts and principles.

Chief among these are: justice, human dignity, the common good, the principles of participation, solidarity, and subsidiarity, the universal destination of the world’s goods, and the option for the poor.

 

There are 7 themes of Catholic Social Teaching

Human dignity

We work with all people, regardless of gender, disability, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, culture, sexual orientation, political or religious belief. We celebrate diversity as we come together and seek justice for all. Since we believe each person is made in the image and likeness of God and has inherent dignity, we work with people living in poverty to have access to food, water, housing and other basic amenities which many of us can often take for granted..

Foundation	KS1	KS2
God made me and loves me very much	God loves us equally as His children	We are all equal in God’s eyes and loved
God made me and all my friends very beautiful	We are all different and amazing	I have been given a special gift for the world
We show our love for each other	We love and look after each other because we are brothers and sisters	Each person is unique and irreplaceable- everyone matters
We thank God for loving us and our love for each other	Loving each other makes us strong	People matter more than possessions

 Solidarity 

By coming together in hope as individuals, families, communities, organisations and nations, we can achieve transformative change for the common good. When we unite and make a stand for what we believe in, we can achieve remarkable things.

Foundation	KS1	KS2
My family at home	We are all part of a community	What makes community?
My school family	We look after and care for each other	Who is in my community?
We are all different and we love and care for each other	I belong to my family and my community	Building up the community
We love and look after each other because we are all brothers and sisters in God’s family	My community needs me	Building up the kingdom of God

 Common Good

We are all People of God, one family.  Therefore what happens to one has an impact on all, locally, nationally and globally.  At the heart of solidarity is the pursuit of peace and justice.  Our love for all calls us to work for a peaceful and just society where everyone has a fair share of the goods needed for a sustainable life, and opportunities for growth and development are offered equally.  The dignity of every person is respected.

Foundation	KS1	KS2
We are friends	We are brothers and sisters- one family- one world	I listen to you with my ears, eyes, heart and mind
We play together in love and peace	We learn together	We walk together as people of peace
We help each other	We build together a community of peace	We face challenges together
We thank God for each other	We celebrate together	Building our mission team

Subsidiarity

Work is a way in which we can continue to participate in God’s creation.  Work gives dignity to life and must be carried out in such a way that the basic rights of workers are respected.  Everyone has the right to productive work, to fair and liveable wages, and to organize and join a union.  The economy must be conducted so that it serves the needs of the people.

 

Foundation	KS1	KS2
We are helping to do God’s work	Everybody’s work is valuable and important for the community	Exploring our understanding of work. How does our work build us up?
We use our gifts for each other	Working together to build up our school family	The many sides of working together to build up community
Everybody’s gifts are needed to build God’s world	Finding my special job- my gift to the world	Recognising and helping others to find their gift and share it
When we build together we can do much more	Working hard to be the best you can be for others	Enabling each other to aim high

Distributive Justice

Every person has a fundamental right to life.  It is this right that makes all other rights possible.  Everyone has the right to food, health care, housing, education and employment.  We all need to strive to secure and respect these rights for others both locally and globally.

Foundation	KS1	KS2
God wants everyone to be happy	Happiness is? Exploring what makes us happy	Barriers to happiness
God gives us all we need to be happy	Finding happiness with each other	Exploring our responsibilities for each other
Making the right choices	Helping each other to make the right choices	Recognising the difference between rights and responsibilities
We share all God’s gifts	Fair shares for all	Happiness comes in sharing and giving

Preferential option for the Poor and Vulnerable

We work wherever the need is greatest. We refuse to accept the suffering of our brothers and sisters. No one should be beyond reach of the love and support they need.

Foundation	KS1	KS2
God’s gifts are for everyone (food, clothing, education, medical etc.)	Some of God’s family have plenty of food, toys and clothes. Some don’t	Why are some parts of our area richer or poorer than others?
Learning to share our toys and food with our friends so that everybody has enough	Exploring the feelings of those who have plenty and those who have little	What are the needs of those in a poor area compared with those in a rich area?
Helping everybody to be happy by playing, sharing and learning together	Working together to make our family happy. Exploring fairness and justice	Helping each other to see brothers and sisters, not strangers, in need. Raising awareness locally and nationally
Using our gifts to help others	Who needs our help? How can we help?	Being Christ’s voice in our area for those who need us the most

Stewardship - Care for creation

The world God has created for us has been entrusted to everyone and we are responsible and accountable to God as stewards of the earth.  The world has been given to us as a gift, to enjoy and care for so that future generations can enjoy it too.  It is in caring for creation that we show our love and respect for its creator.

Foundation	KS1	KS2
Discovering God’s beautiful creation	Learning from God’s creation (interdependence)	All things are connected
Playing in and caring for creation	Making good choices- being responsible	Enough for everybody’s need, but not everybody’s greed
Helping God’s creation grow	God’s gardeners	Stewards of God’s world (understanding the concept)
Celebrating God’s creation	Celebrating the harvest	Seeing God in creation

Promoting peace

Poverty and conflict are closely linked. We work on peace-building projects in many countries where there is war or violence.

Foundation	KS1	KS2
Discovering what peace means	Understanding how to be peacemakers	Blessed are the peacemakers
Playing and working together peacefully	Making good choices and resolving conflicts	Building peace in our communities and world
Helping others feel happy and included	Showing forgiveness and reconciliation	Agents of peace and justice
Celebrating kindness and friendship	Sharing God's peace with others	Living as peacemakers in the footsteps of Jesus

 

Cardinal's Introduction

Oscar Romero developer level achieved

 

We were honoured to receive the ‘DEVELOPER’ level Oscar Romero Award for our dedication to Catholic Social teaching.  This award reflects the hard work of our amazing staff and the commitment to our Catholic mission. Here is what they said.

 

'Well done for incorporating more aspects of CST into your school life, showing you have taken on board the suggestions from your participator award. The weekly headteacher’s award assembly rewards children who display aspects of CST in their behaviour; this term, the focus is Dignity. In discussion with the children, they evidenced that they were very familiar with the principles and were able to explain confidently their meaning and discuss their learning. They follow this through with their behaviours at home, where they recycle, turn off lights etc. They were clear that they were listened to when they made suggestions to ‘improve the school’ or support others, e.g. by clearing the pond, helping animals or supporting various charities. In the curriculum strand it was good to see that CST is evidenced in some subjects. You obviously take Care for the Common Home and for Creation seriously-e.g. in your participation of POP23; your excellent displays of children’s work all around the school and your focus on Laudato si. Inviting CAFOD for assemblies and workshops has broadened the children’s awareness of global concerns. On our visit we observed evidence of CST themes in subjects other than RE, e.g. geography, where we saw work on using natural resources to produce energy, and in English there were extended pieces of writing on deforestation of the rainforests and the extinction of animals. '

 

What is Catholic Social Teaching?

Frankie – “Kind teaching!”

Antonia – “Help people in need.”

Zosia – “Help people even though they look different.”

Evie – “I litter picked and got an award.”

Freddie – “Helping people who are less fortunate than you. We raise money for Mary meals and charities!”

Rosa “If you see someone one the street you can give them money. I do gardening  club looking after the birds and our environment.”

Dylan – “Looking after and respecting everything and everyone.”

Issac “Helping other people who are poor.”

Shantelle – “Helping people who are sad.”

Grace – “Helping people when they are poor and give money.”  

Our Eden Club pupils have been helping to care for our school community by litter picking around the entrance to St Augustine's. Equipped with litter pickers and safety equipment funded through a generous community grant from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, the children worked enthusiastically to help keep our school environment clean, welcoming and safe for everyone.

As part of our commitment to caring for God's creation, the children showed great responsibility and pride in looking after their local environment. We are very grateful to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for supporting this initiative and helping our pupils to make a positive difference within our community.

"The Earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." (Psalm 24:1)

Well done, Eden Club, for leading by example and showing how small actions can make a big impact! October 2026

Stewardship of creation

Year One have been busy learning all about bees in class, exploring how they live, work together, and help our environment. This week’s bee workshop brought that learning to life.

Pupils examined real beekeeping tools, including the bee hive smoker and protective bee wear, discovering how beekeepers care for bees safely and gently.

They also enjoyed making their own beeswax candles, using natural wax created by bees. This hands-on activity helped them appreciate how much bees contribute to our world.

The workshop linked beautifully to Catholic Social Teaching, especially Stewardship of Creation—our call to care for God’s world—and Solidarity, recognising how bees work together for the good of the hive.

Community Mass

 

Year One pupils attended a special Community Mass at St Gregory Catholic Secondary School. The children behaved beautifully and represented the school with respect and reverence throughout the celebration. A particular highlight was when the Year One children confidently led the bidding prayers, speaking clearly and thoughtfully in front of the congregation. It was a wonderful opportunity for the pupils to come together in faith with the wider school community and deepen their understanding of prayer and worship.

 

Pentecost: Go tell everyone...

 

This week in Year One, we learned about Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit came to Jesus’ friends like a bright, holy spitfire — filling them with courage and joy. We read the verse from Acts: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:4)

The children learned that once the disciples were filled with the Spirit, they rushed out to tell everyone the Good News of Jesus. We talked about how we can do the same today through kindness, helping others, and sharing hope. We wrote messages to tell everyone about Jesus and spread them around the school!

 

St Francis - care for our environment 

 

This week, St Francis Class has been embracing the spirit of their class saint by learning how to care for the world around them. Inspired by St Francis’ love for nature, the children have been busy helping to look after the birds and tending to our school garden.

 

 

Common Good

 

This advent we have focused on the Common good, the idea we are all responsible for caring for one another. Our wonderful children and families have responded with love to our Christmas card appeal. They have been busy making cards with beautiful messages for people who may be lonely this Christmas. A simple handmade card can bring comfort and joy to someone this Christmas. Thank you for helping us live out our faith by spreading kindness to others.

Solidarity - International day- Beautiful singing, dancing and dressing to impress in traditional cultural clothing. What a fantastic day showcasing our identities and cultures. The school community came together after school to join in with traditional food from our many different cultures.

 

 

CAFOD workshops

CAFOD - world gifts donations