Catholic Social Teaching

Catholic Social Teaching

Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is the Church’s guide to living out faith in everyday life. It is an important part of our Religious Education curriculum and the wider Catholic life of our school. CST teaches that every person is created and loved by God, and that we are called to work for justice, peace, and the common good. Through CST, children learn how the Gospel shapes the way we treat others, care for creation, and build a fair and compassionate society. These principles are woven throughout the new Religious Education Directory and help pupils understand that faith is something lived as well as learned.

From EYFS to Year 6, we explore the key themes of Catholic Social Teaching in age‑appropriate ways. Children learn about human dignity, caring for God’s world, standing in solidarity with others, and putting the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. These values guide our learning, our behaviour, and the way we serve our community.

To support this work, we have access to the Caritas Rooted in Love programme. This resource, developed with the Diocese of Westminster Education Service, helps teachers introduce CST through Scripture, prayer, liturgy, and practical action. Rooted in Love enriches our teaching and supports our delivery of the Religious Education Directory, but it is one of several tools we use to help children grow in faith and understanding.

The six CST principles are:

Dignity: God wants us to know how important it is that we treat others with dignity. God wants us to do this because we are all made in the image and likeness of Him.

Community and Participation: God tells us how we are made to live in community with one another and that we should be active members of the world in which we live.

Care of Creation: God calls us to look after the planet – to be Stewards of Creation.

Solidarity and Peace: God asks us to be peacemakers, to try to make the world more peaceful, to help people in need and to help people to stop arguing.

Option for the Poor: This means allowing someone to have first choice. It means giving the poor the best that is available.  God calls us to look for those in need and to work hard to support them as best we can.

Dignity of Workers:​ God wants everyone to feel loved and respected and this means everyone should feel loved and respected at their job too.

These principles are explained to the children and then we try to capture how we, as Christians, can live out these principles at St Michael’s.  These range from being part of Eco-Club, to being a Caritas Ambassador, from raising money for a specific charity to picking up litter on the playground, from being kind to our friends and speaking respectfully to others. The children understand that we behave in these ways because God has asked us to and we want to respond to his call and put love into action.