Choosing The Right School For Your Child

Rev Fr John Brucciani, Head Master

St Michael's School is accepting new primary and secondary school admissions for the coming school year. 

How wonderful it would be to see greater numbers take advantage of the unique opportunity that our school offers. We are a Traditional Catholic School whose ethos, curriculum and teachings are firmly grounded in Catholic doctrine. Sadly, beyond our District newsletter and website, our means of reaching families desperate to find a Catholic school for their children are limited. It is such a great shame when we have so much to offer.

Both our primary and secondary phases have significantly strengthened over the past few years. The school offers a highly trained and organised team of fully qualified staff whose professionalism and talent allows for one of the best learning experiences in the country. With small class sizes, the quality of care and assistance is unparalleled. Most of all, our pupils grow and learn in an environment saturated with Catholicism, making the Faith easy to practice, thus allowing for the development of virtue and virile piety.

The presence of Catholic priests is also unique to St Michael’s. No other school in the country can boast of resident clergy whose average age is thirty-seven! 

The Catholicism we practise at St Michael’s is not like sweet icing on an otherwise tasteless cake. The Faith is not simply a sum of truths, or prayers before class, or pretty pictures, statues and flowers. The Faith is a vision and an understanding, a light that penetrates all branches of human knowledge so that we eventually read reality through God’s eyes, in the light of Divine Revelation. This is of particular importance in subjects like History and English Literature. Catholic education does not turn away from knowledge of the world; rather it seeks to better understand the world in the light of God’s truth.

At this time of Church crisis, moral collapse and social engineering (RSE), St Michael’s is a tremendous gift from God to families desirous of protecting and passing on the Faith. It is surprising that some families choose to pass it over in preference for secular institutions which offer (they think) greater educational opportunities and social prospects. One can only think of our Lord’s words, as He blessed the children who came to Him: 

If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a large millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned at the bottom of the sea. (Mt 18:6) 

Sometimes families are unable to meet the expense of sending their children to school. Again, God’s generosity has allowed for bursaries to be allocated to needy families, who are the majority at St Michael’s. You only have to ask. Bursaries are granted after a third-party financial assessment and St Joseph sends the funds. We receive no monies whatsoever from the State.

Some may say, ‘The school is too far away!’ Not so for secondary schoolboys. We have a very comfortable boarding house and plenty to keep them occupied, with clubs, competitions and the inevitable house chores. Having boarded most of my school life, I can guarantee that St Michael’s is the cosiest experience one could ever wish for. However challenging the first few months might be for new boarders, they all end up very much enjoying the camaraderie and shared service. It is wonderful to see them volunteer to serve early morning Mass or request simply, ‘Father, can you get me up for Mass tomorrow?’ First Fridays often see the entire dorm in voluntary attendance and it is touching to see the boys queue up spontaneously for Confession while they recite the Rosary together. Boarding at a truly Catholic school is an incredible experience in terms of consolidation and growth in the Faith.

The traditional teaching of the Church leaves no room for doubt that parents must do all they can to send their children to traditional Catholic schools, if they are to fulfil their duties as Catholics. This means that a readiness to sacrifice comfort and convenience is necessary. These are the hallmarks of a truly Catholic family and, more often than not, the condition for vocations in the family.

Before choosing schools for your children, look at what St Michael’s has to offer and pray to our Lady for guidance. Do not forget that a child’s moral compass calibrates itself even more on its environment outside the home than inside it. Do not underestimate the formidable power of peer pressure. The salvation of a soul may depend on it. 

For more information, please visit www.stmichaels-school.uk

View all articles from Ite Missa Est.