The Benedictine Character of the School

The responsibility for educating a child and preparing him or her for the adult world has always been a daunting one, but today it seems to be more difficult than ever. Many feel that education has become increasingly narrow in its purpose, driven by examinations, league tables and the demand for qualifications. As a result the spiritual and moral development of the whole person is often untended and ignored: faith has given way to moral relativism and rights are spoken of more than duty. For Catholic parents and for many other Christians, Ampleforth's Benedictine character provides the reassurance of a complete education, mind, body and spirit shaped by the love of Christ.

Ampleforth is a Benedictine School, in the Roman Catholic tradition, under the guidance and care of the monks of Ampleforth Abbey. Our conviction is that the wisdom of Benedict can apply to a school community as well as to a monastic one. At our school, the monks and lay people on our staff work together with a single vision to enable the school community to flourish, inspired by the Gospel and its law of love.

We believe the gift of faith and a relationship with God is offered to each one of us every day, and we desire to create an environment in which it is possible to respond to that. We hope to communicate and share a faith that is lively, articulate and critically aware - a faith that is celebrated in our prayer and worship, and lived out in our daily lives. We are a Catholic school, and so our teaching flows from the intellectual, moral and spiritual tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. However, we respect the beliefs of other Christian traditions and the consciences of everyone.