Mission, aims and ethos

A Christ-centred education is ‘child-centred’ because it asks us to see Christ in every child and to ask every child to set him or herself the highest possible standard imitatio Christi, following the example of Jesus.

We look upon our students, be they Christian or not, with love and respect and encourage a culture of vocation in which every person reaches their full potential, visualising and actualising their God-given gifts.

Through this, we combine an appreciation for each child’s individuality and talents with a refusal to allow them to limit their expectations by questions of individual circumstances.

St Edmund’s College is many things, but it is first and foremost a school and we expect and welcome scrutiny, from within and without, of our academic credentials.

Whilst we are not prepared to cast aside all the other things we offer to focus solely on grades and pass rates, we are very proud of the College’s academic standing and we continue to work towards ensuring all our students leave us with the very best results they can achieve.  Our curriculum is traditional and academic, enabling students to draw on the lessons and riches of the past to move forward into the 21st century with confidence.

A strong body of staff and excellent resources are there to support our students in the classroom and our extra-curricular provision contributes to our academic success by developing the wider thinking skills and independence of thought and action that are the traits of scholars.

Only God knows our true capabilities; each child has a unique combination of talents to be developed for the good of all and it is our duty as teachers to ensure that we provide as many areas for our students to shine in as possible. The extra-curricular is not optional at St Edmund’s and we provide a wealth of opportunities with both day and boarding students supported by an excellent pastoral system that monitors and supports each student’s progress.

An all-round education, however, must not be used as an excuse for mediocrity: we want our children to excel, but whether they do so in one area or several, this quest for excellence must never compromise the development of the whole person.

As a Catholic school we recognise parents as the primary educators of our children and we want our students, in turn, to be the committed and responsible parents of the generation to come.

Our students are encouraged to be always mindful of their place in the world and their responsibilities as stewards of God’s creation.  Charity lies at the heart of much of what we do at the College and our students raise a significant amount each year for a number of organisations.

Our links with alumni through the Edmundian Association and the devoted help of our parents through the Friends of the College create a number of opportunities and networks for our students to make use of while they are at the College and in later life. Edmundians are typically confident, happy, generous and loving; an attitude very much rooted in the ethos of service and leadership that is central to our mission.

As England’s oldest Catholic school, we draw great strength from our history, rooted in the sacrifice of the Douay martyrs. All our lessons start with a prayer, Mass is celebrated regularly and all students study for the GCSE (Catholic syllabus) in Religious Studies with an examined or non-examined course of study as an integral part of our post-16 provision.

‘To propose is not to impose’ however and we are proud of the religious and cultural diversity at the College. What we offer to all our students is a rich heritage that offers solace if needed and challenge when required; we offer up a sacramental view of society, so that in ordinary life we meet God and are touched by grace.