Chaplaincy at Upton

The main elements of chaplaincy life at Upton are prayer and companionship. Our vision statement encapsulates all that chaplaincy aims to do at Upton;

‘Strong in Companionship, the unique giftedness of every person is recognized, nourished and celebrated’.

There are many ways for students to become involved in chaplaincy in our school.

Our chapel.

The Chapel is a beautiful sacred space in our school that offers the whole community a place of prayer. At lunchtimes it provides a space for pupils looking for quiet space or who wish to pray and is a place of companionship. Year 12 chapel prefects and members of the staff chaplaincy team are present at lunchtimes to preserve the prayerful quiet and welcoming space.

Chaplaincy club

Chaplaincy club is every Wednesday lunchtime and has been established this academic year. All students are welcome to attend and attracts students from a variety of year groups, mainly year 7. It is led by our chaplain and is supported by other members of the staff chaplaincy team and year 12 chapel prefects. This group aims to be a space where our FCJ values of Excellence, Justice, Dignity, Hope, Companionship and Gentleness are lived and felt.

The chaplaincy group pray together for our school community and have been key in developing our chapel ‘Prayers of Hope’ for our Jubilee year. These have formed the basis of our chapel Jubilee display and have also been part of our weekly prayers for our Jubilee Year, Pilgrims of Hope. The group have recently developed a new interactive prayer intentions area in the chapel and have taken responsibility to design and co-ordinate the monitoring of it. They are currently designing and creating a prayer intentions box for both staff and pupils to use, as well as a memorial area.

Many members of the chaplaincy group also like to sing, and they are learning a variety of hymns linked to the liturgical year. They have performed at the Advent Service in our chapel and at weekly mass at Saint Joseph’s Parish. They are currently preparing to sing at our Easter Services.

Chapel sessions.

The chapel is a space for year groups to come and have quiet reflections upon a particular theme throughout the year and to think about and develop their faith.

This academic year, RE groups from year 7 were invited to come and reflect upon ‘Living Life to the Full.’ This involved activities to help them to identify how to be their best selves and how they live out our FCJ values in their everyday lives. They also reflected upon God’s purpose for their lives. 

They also had the opportunity to attend a session on different ways to pray, reflecting on different forms of prayer, including prayers of thanksgiving, intercession, saying sorry, and traditional Catholic prayers and devotions. These are interactive sessions aimed to develop students’ awareness of different styles of prayer, and how we can meet with God in our everyday lives.

This year we have welcomed year 8 RE groups reflecting upon the Passion of Christ during Lent. This has included the opportunity to take part in the Stations of the Cross and reflect upon the beautiful icons we have situated on the walls in our chapel.

Staff prayer

Each Wednesday morning members of staff gather for morning prayer in the chapel led by our chaplain. This is a peaceful and reflective time to connect with God and each other in faith.

Jubilee Year of Hope

Every student has had the opportunity to create a prayer of Hope for our Jubilee Year which will be used during our weekly prayers and for displays. Each department has created a prayer of hope linked to their subject area, and these are on display across the school.

FLAME 2025

Our Chaplain attended FLAME 2025 with some of our year 12 students.  They heard presentations from a range of people including CAFOD.  The day ended with the whole of Wembley stadium engaged in prayer.

Special feast days and services.

Our chapel is regularly used for special services and feast day masses. This half term we had services for every student and staff for Ash Wednesday.  There were Ash Wednesday services in both the chapel and the assembly hall followed by the distribution of ashes by members of the student leadership team, and staff leadership team.

Sacrament of reconciliation.

During last academic year we held the Sacrament of Reconciliation for year 13 before they left Upton Hall to begin the next chapter of their lives. During this academic year, the whole of year 8 had the opportunity to attend the sacrament of reconciliation in our chapel in February 2025. This involved several visiting priests from the diocese, providing the opportunity to talk to pupils and answer questions about their faith, and for many the opportunity to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. This was a prayerful and meaningful opportunity to reflect upon what the sacrament means and why it is important during Lent.

Year 13 guided meditation

We have welcomed groups of year 13 students to the chapel to have guided prayer. This involved the use of a scripture passage to help them to use their imagination and take time to think about their stage of life and their relationship with God, each other and the world. 

Retreats

Each year students attend retreats which aim to provide the opportunity to reflect upon our FCJ values and to develop their personal relationship with God. These take place both within school and off site. Last year we welcomed Animate Youth Team who provided a full day retreat programme based upon the theme of Companionship.

The whole of Year 7 went to Pantasaph as an induction retreat to learn about the FCJ values and important elements of the Catholic faith, namely the Eucharist.

In February, Year 12 went to the Conway Centre for an induction retreat. The theme for this was ‘Finding God in all things,’ and the pupils had the opportunity to spend time in beautiful surroundings and use the onsite chapel for a guided reflection involving contemplation and scripture.

 During Culture week, year 9 will have the opportunity to have a retreat day with Rise productions and attend spiritual reflections with our chaplain in the chapel on the theme ‘God’s Call.’

Flame

During March a group of year 12 students attended FLAME Catholic event for young people at Wembley Arena, hosting over 12,000 young people. This was an immersive event full of worship, music, speakers from charities such as CAFOD and prayer and reflection led by the bishops from different regions within the UK. We had the opportunity to join up with other FCJ schools and build connections.

Ethos reps.

The ethos reps are chosen within each year group to help to lead the Catholic Life of the school and have meetings with our chaplain in our chapel every half term. They often volunteer to write and lead prayers in our weekly masses and in our school services and assemblies. They are currently creating prayers for our Jubilee assembly and have volunteered to participate They also assist the senior leaders in charity fundraising events and displays. 

In February the year 8 ethos reps attended the diocese MINI DASH event at St John Plessington High School. This was a wonderful opportunity to connect with many other schools and share ideas focused upon Catholic Social Teaching and looking at their identity in Christ.

Pastoral support.

The chaplain provides accompaniment for pupils who may need to talk through difficulties they are having. The chaplain provides 1:1 space for students to share their concerns and receive more specialised support through certain life events such as bereavements. Pupils can simply drop in, or they can make an appointment through their form teacher, year head, or through the pastoral team.