Catholic Social Teaching
Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in deed and in truth.
(1Jn 3:18)
Catholic Social Teaching tells us how our Catholic faith guides our actions. It comes from scripture, letters written by popes and holy people, and the examples set by Christians throughout history.
In our school we use the resources and support provided by Caritas Westminster to help teach the children the six main themes of Catholic Social Teaching: Human Dignity, Community & Participation, Care for Creation, Dignity in Work, Option for the Poor, Solidarity & Peace. Throughout the year, in all learning, our teachers aim to link all lessons to the themes of Catholic Social Teaching to demonstrate the universal nature of the actions.
Catholic Social Teaching Overview
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
1 John 3:18 (ESV)
The key values of Catholic Social Teaching are found at the core of the Gospel.
- Care for Creation
- Preferential Option for the Poor
- Solidarity & Peace
- Community & Participation
- Dignity of Workers
- Human Dignity
Catholic schools teach these themes through a programme called Rooted in Love. This programme has been developed by Caritas in line with the requirement of the Religious Education Directory.
Coverage of Catholic Social Teaching
|
roup |
Care for Creation |
Preferential Option for the Poor |
Solidarity and Peace |
Community and Participation |
Dignity of Workers |
Dignity |
|
EYFS |
natural/man-made sculptures; healthy eating; 'Somebody Swallowed Stanley'
|
helping others stories |
loving others; team games |
group talk; drama; PSHRE Me, You, Us |
motor skills; craft activities |
I am Me; feelings |
|
Year 1 |
plants; seasonal changes; UK physical features |
explorers; inequalities in features |
Lonely Beast; continents |
team games; spatial sense |
preparing foods; mechanisms; printmaking |
Beegu; Kings & Queens |
|
Year 2 |
habitats; 'Adventures of a Plastic Bottle' |
Great Fire (impact on poor) |
Zeraffa Giraffa; team activities |
team building; fire & plague community response |
wraps; structures; levers |
Grace and Her Family; Anna Hibiscus |
|
Year 3 |
'Tin Forest'; natural disasters; seasonal food |
Tin Forest regeneration |
Edward Tulane; natural disaster solidarity |
settlements; netball; Italian family vocabulary |
pneumatic toys; textiles; seasonal tart |
Edward Tulane; Egyptians & Mayans |
|
Year 4 |
Water topic; sustainable cooking |
Windrush inequalities |
democracy in Greeks; teamwork in PE |
European Traveller; Windrush; collaborative DT PSHRE |
circuits; pavilions; Jamaican patty |
Varjak Paw; Windrush identity |
|
Year 5 |
Earth's Resources; responsible materials |
refugees in The Journey; global inequality |
global refugee solidarity; online respect |
UK Explorer; Internet participation |
textiles toys; pop‑up book; typography |
The Journey; body systems |
|
Year 6 |
South America (deforestation); activism art |
Street Child; global justice |
war poetry; peaceful digital citizenship |
Social Media topic; drama production |
playground structures; electrical systems |
Pig Heart Boy; respectful media use |
Caritas Ambassadors
Each year, the children in Year 5 immerse themselves in the aspects of Catholic Social Teaching during their first topic of the school year. The children work towards a deeper understanding of the six themes of Catholic Social Teaching and then plan and implement a project aimed at restoring an aspect of Catholic Social Teaching that the children have witnessed to be missing in our local community. Previously, our Caritas Ambassadors have: made links with the elderly members of our parish community, collected items for the Caritas reverse Advent Calendar and ran their own eco-refill shop. This ambassadors project always shows how much our children are true citizens of our community and eager to work towards the common good. We enjoy regular visits from Sr. Silvana, who helps guide and advise our work.
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