Name: Mr Hughes
Role: Assistant Headteacher (Catholic Life and Aspiration) and Head of Religious Education
What made you want to be an RE teacher? I always wanted to teach RE in a Catholic school and help to shape the hearts and minds of our students. Teaching has enabled me to fuel my passion for educating and shaping the minds of our young people. It also allows me to impart not only academic knowledge but also moral and ethical values rooted in the Catholic tradition. On a day-to-day basis I have an unwavering commitment to the formation of our young people and influence how students perceive and engage with their faith. Teaching enables me to help pupils navigate questions about morality, ethics, and spirituality, ultimately contributing to their holistic development.
Favourite topic to teach: All of them! However, most notably, topics relating to forgiveness, ethics and morality. Exposing our young people to the beliefs, practices and experiences of others, including those from different world faiths, beliefs and traditions, or ‘no faith’, enriches the lives of our pupils and helps deepen their own faith experience and prepare them for the wider world.
Favourite Book: “Windswept and Interesting” – Billy Connolly
My own faith journey: I am a very proud Catholic. Throughout my teens, I enjoyed visiting key religious sites including Rome, Venice and, later, Israel and parts of the middle east. I enjoyed being an altar server and contributing to the music liturgy at St Patricks Parish in Stockton. My faith remains strong and I feel honoured to be in a position whereby I can share my experiences with others and provide opportunities to help our young people grow and flourish.
Name: Mrs Shields
Role: Deputy Headteacher and Teacher of RE
What made you want to be an RE teacher? I always wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember! I decided to pursue a career as a RE teacher because I have a deep passion for sharing spiritual knowledge and insights with others. I believe that education is a powerful tool that can foster understanding, compassion, and respect for diverse religious beliefs. Being a RE teacher allows me to guide pupils on their spiritual journeys, while also promoting tolerance and open-mindedness in our increasingly diverse world. Moreover, I find great joy and fulfillment in being able to inspire and empower our pupils to explore their own faith, ask meaningful questions, and develop a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives.
Favourite topic to teach: Anyone I've taught over the years will know how much I love to teach Philosophy! I especially love teaching the Problem of Evil with my GCSE classes. However, this year I have really enjoyed looking at the Big Bang Theory and religious responses with my amazing Year 11 pupils.
Favourite Book: “Wuthering Heights" by Emily Brontë... a true masterpiece!
My own faith journey: I am a very proud to be a product of outstanding Catholic education, attending a Catholic primary, secondary, 6th Form and University. I believe this shaped me as a young person to feel confident and comfortable sharing my faith.
However, my relationship with God truly flourished when I became a teacher and I delved into the rich traditions, prayers, and liturgies that Catholicism offers.
Throughout my journey, I have encountered both moments of doubt and profound spiritual growth. These challenges have helped me strengthen my faith and deepen my understanding of Catholic teachings.
Ultimately I believe our job as teachers is to give all our young people a chance to experience the love of Christ on a daily basis and to help form them into the person God has created them to be.
Name: Mrs Spoors
Role: Second in Religious Education
What made you want to be an RE teacher? I wanted to be a teacher from a very young age. When I went to secondary school this didn’t change, and in fact became a much stronger feeling. I felt as if teaching was my vocation. During secondary school I developed a love for RE which was the reason I continued to study it at college and university. My calling to teach and my love of RE combined meant that becoming a RE teacher was the perfect career for me; not only would I get to teach my favourite subject everyday but also, I would get to cultivate, inspire and nurture young people which I also felt and still do feel so passionately about.
Favourite topic to teach: My favourite topic to teach is anything which involves ethics and philosophy as these are the topics which involve the most discussion, dilemmas and real deep thinking.
Favourite Book: The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss by David Bentley Hart
My own faith journey: I was raised a Catholic receiving my Baptism and Holy Communion; more recently I have also been confirmed. God has always been a big part of my life, something that I have turned to in my happiest moments and something I have turned to in my worst. My belief in God has kept me grounded at many times in my life and I feel comforted in my belief that He has created me with a purpose and loves me endlessly. There are many Bible quotes that I have found inspiration in during my faith journey but one that has always stuck with me is “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths”.
Name: Mrs Parker
Role: Teacher of Religious Education
What made you want to be an RE teacher: When I was at school, I wasn't in the highest set for RE but my own RE teacher still inspired me and made lessons engaging and fun. I have always enjoyed thinking deeply about ethical issues and philosophy and wanted to bring this to my own students. My RE teacher always instilled the belief in me that I could achieve no matter what and it's this aspiration that I think is important to pass on to our students today.
Favourite topic to teach: My favourite topic to teach is philosophy as I love the way that our students respond. Hearing students discussing a philosophical question in the classroom and seeing that spill onto the yard during break time makes me feel a sense of joy and pride that our students really want to engage with the topics and deepen their understanding further.
Favourite book: my favourite book to read is the Fire Keepers Daughter, this book mixes tough topics such as crime, racism and death with cultural knowledge and brings awareness to the Native American culture.
My own faith journey: my own faith journey is a complicated one, I first thought about my own faith when I attended this school as a student, I was a big part of mission week, attended all the retreats and even went on pilgrimage twice to Taize. I started to go to church around this time alongside a family I met through the parish. When I went to college and university I went through some rough times and my own faith ended up being something that I did not think about much. When a job came up at Our Lady and St Bede, I knew this was where I had to teach, teaching here and being part of the Catholic Life of the school reignited my faith and I have recently received the sacraments of initiation becoming a Catholic myself. This was a very special time in my life becoming baptised and confirmed alongside our students.
Name: Miss Coates
Role: Teacher of Religious EducationWhat made you want to be an RE teacher: From being little, I have constantly thought about the big questions in life, and I have been so intrigued by them every single day. In school, RE straight away became my subject; I loved exploring different religions, thinking big questions, and debating huge topics of the world. After studying RE at school and then onto university, I knew I didn’t want to stop there! So, I decided to become an RE teacher and become the very person who kick started my love for the subject.
Favourite topic to teach: My favourite topic to teach is death and the afterlife, it is so interesting and makes you think hard! You can also get some fun debates going in the classroom and explore different opinions.
Favourite book: This was a really tough decision, but my favourite book has to be ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid, I could not put this book down! The twists and turns throughout I did not see coming, they left me speechless. I never wanted this book to end!
My own faith journey: Growing up in a Catholic household, meant that the idea of faith was something very individual and special, this idea has remained with me until today. Catholic education has guided me throughout my life and is something I never see myself leaving. It allows me every day to put my faith into action and allows me to be part of the most amazing community.