Bishop Bewick is the most northern regionally of the four Trusts. Our schools range from the Tyne, up to Berwick and we serve three Local Authority areas, Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland. We have made a positive start to the journey of bringing all our schools together due to a fantastic response by our school communities.
We set out on this venture with the philosophy that no matter when schools were joining, all would have an equal voice in how our Trust is shaped and developed. We established a number of working parties to explore our ethos, school improvement, governance and finance. All have been enthusiastically attended by representatives from across our schools, so we are really shaping the Trust from the start as a collective. The first work we undertook was to agree our central mission and values. This can best be explained by examining our Trust coat of arms.
Our Crest is based upon the original Bishop Bewick Coat of Arms. At the top of our crest is the Bishop’s Mitre a reminder of our namesake Bishop Bewick, one of the first four Bishops in our region. We too are pioneers but in an educational landscape. Above the shield rests St Cuthbert’s cross, a symbol of our Diocesan Saint. He spent much time among the people, ministering to their spiritual needs, devoted to this region as we are committed to our children and their families. On the shield we have three bears, each bear representing one of our regions. Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland. Traditionally, bears represent strength, protection, wisdom and courage which reflect our Trust’s key belief, that we are stronger when we work together. We will harness our collective wisdom for the benefit of all. We will approach our transformative work with courage together. Finally, across
the centre of our shield sit five stars. Each star represents the 5 core goals of Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust:
Goal 1 – ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’
A golden rule of the Gospel that encapsulates a basic principle that we care equally for everyone in the Trust and outside, not just our own organisations. That we are both inward and outside facing and serve each other’s communities. With God’s love it is possible to see all as our neighbours.
Goal 2 – We have to be greater than the sum of our parts
The main reason we are together in a Trust is this. We are no longer islands working individually for our own schools, staff and pupils. By harnessing the strengths we have collectively, we have so much more capacity to support and improve the education of all the children within Bishop Bewick.
We will work together through a process of solidarity, subsidiarity and finally transparency. We work together but schools retain their individuality at the same time.
Goal 3 – A great education has the power to transform lives and through this the wider communities individuals serve
We will do this for all our children, regardless of their personal circumstances. Where children are held back by vulnerability or disadvantage we will empower them to overcome any barriers they have to fulfilling their potential.
Goal 4 – We believe that each individual is unique and has a purpose in life. Schools should therefore pay regard to the ‘formation of the whole person’ including developing their spirituality
Our schools will offer a broad and balanced curriculum so that all our children can find and explore their individual gifts and talents whatever these may be. Our children should be cared for in such a way that their physical, moral, intellectual talents and spirituality develop harmoniously, so that they develop a greater sense of responsibility and use this freedom to take an active part in society becoming responsible citizens.
Goal 5 – Everyone is valued and cared for as if one family
Our staff are our greatest resource. Therefore, a large part of the Trust’s work is to ensure they are given opportunities to develop professionally from the early years of their career through to leading our organisations. Our culture is to coach and mentor.
We listen to our staff and take careful consideration of their opinions and ideas.
We ensure our staff are well treated and are able to enjoy the best working conditions.
We value and listen to parents, our parish communities as well as Directors and governors.
We are at the start of our work for the region’s children and ultimately, our work will be judged by their future successes. However, everyone in the Trust is excited by the work ahead of us and the positive way that everyone in our Trust community is approaching our mission with energy and heart.
Anita Bath
CEO Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust