FCJ Vision and Values

Live that you may have life ('Vive ut Vivas')

There are five FCJ schools in the UK, but there are FCJ schools and centres around the world, all under the Trusteeship of the religious society the Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ). All share a common vision which was inspired by the Gospel and true to Marie Madeleine’s founding ideal.

The FCJ Schools Vision
Our vision is that FCJ schools are communities of personal and academic excellence.
Strong in companionship, the unique giftedness of every person in these faith communities is recognised, nourished and celebrated.

Our hope and expectation is that, through God’s grace working in us all, each young person grows into their best self, with zest for life and the generosity and confidence to use their talents and gifts in the service of others.

FCJ Vision and Values - our 'Zest for Life' (Open for more)

FCJ education - Zest for Life booklets are a series of resources which outline the bespoke education offered in our schools.

Our Vision and Values:
This first booklet was born of the enthusiastic commitment of a number of dedicated educators – members of staff in FCJ Schools and FCJ Sisters. Over three years through meetings and residential gatherings, they reflected together, shared their insights and wisdom and came to a contemporary expression of the distinctive FCJ spirit to be found in our Schools.

FCJ Curriculum Leadership:
Comprised by 18 curriculum leaders from five of our FCJ schools, two FCJ sisters, and two experienced senior educational leaders from the Loreto Education Trust (IBVM). This work explores how curriculum leaders might live the FCJ educational vision and values outlined above and how they might apply them to the responsibilities and opportunities when searching for excellence in leadership of the curriculum and pedagogy in an FCJ school.

FCJ Pastoral Guidance:
This work explores how, as pastoral leaders, we can capture the spirit of pastoral care, and reflect on the practical application of the FCJ values (excellence, companionship, dignity, justice, hope and gentleness) in supporting our students. This booklet is for both new and experienced staff alike and the intention is to provide guidance and inspiration to make the day-to-day caring for students more meaningful and conducive to ‘finding God in all things”.

Our Core Values

Our core values play an integral part our school community, each value is celebrated in its entirety with our girls having many opportunities to showcase how they live and breathe them. The achievements of our students are regularly acknowledged and celebrated. At the end of each academic year we celebrate the students that have continually demonstrated the values throughout all aspects of school life at our annual Awards Evening.

Our Core Values:
Excellence is incorporated within every aspect of school life and living. We set the highest possible standards as we strive to achieve our personal best and to become what we aspire to be.

Companionship is important for establishing a sense of belonging. The school seeks to create an atmosphere where respect, communication and friendship are all present.
Trust and shared experiences will provide the motivation to enable our students to learn, support and grow together.

The Dignity of each person is recognised and celebrated at all times. We actively encourage maturity, consideration for others, and self-respect among the students; in their attitude towards their learning and how they conduct themselves both in and outside of school.

Through Justice, our students will endeavour to treat their peers, the school and wider community with compassion, empathy, and courtesy. Our girls will be known for their reputation of honesty, integrity and fairness.

Hope inspires and enables us to persevere and challenge in the face of difficulties and disillusionment whilst empowering us to fulfil our aspirations and grow towards spiritual, intellectual and emotional maturity.

Gentleness is an understated quality but an extremely important one. Gentleness encourages us to think before we speak and act; it fosters the right relationships by helping us to keep calm and peaceful in all situations, so we always act out of love.

Vive Ut Vivas

We believe that that God is always with us, in each moment of each day, shaping and guiding our experiences. That’s why we proclaim our school motto “Vive Ut Vivas” which translates into ‘Live that you may have life’.

You will see these words of Jesus in St. John’s Gospel (10:10) when Jesus says that, in Him, we may live in all its fullness. This is the firm foundation of being at Gumley House. We encourage and support our students to develop a life-long, personal faith, based on their own convictions and life experiences. Our faith infuses the daily life of the school with daily prayer, regular masses, liturgies, annual retreats and pilgrimages.

Chaplaincy
In the name ‘Faithful Companions of Jesus’, the congregation of Sisters who founded Gumley House Convent School over 180 years ago, we find our inspiration for what chaplaincy means here. Companionship is central to all that that shapes our Chaplaincy. As companions, we are encouraged to walk alongside our students, to accompany and be present with and for them as they grow in maturity.

Our Chaplaincy seeks to inspire young people to become women and men who live in ways that will benefit others as well as themselves. To grow to be young people who will use their gifts and talents to make the world a better place. We will facilitate spiritual reflection, promote and encourage spiritual awareness and accompany our students as they seek to deepen their spiritual lives and grow to reach their full potential.

Common Good
Faith on its own is limited without service to others. Students at Gumley House are firmly committed to servicing the common good of others and put their faith into action through charitable works for both our local needs – and for needs across the world.

'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
(Matthew 25:40)

We seek to embrace and contribute to the mission of the Church by recognising the dignity of all and by recognising opportunities to imitate Christ. Over the past couple of years our school community have supported many different charities (through our various Charity Days every year) including CAFOD, Cancer Research, Acton Homeless Project, Cardinal Hume Centre and supporting our students’ pilgrimage to Lourdes each year to care for those who need it most.

Our ‘Lenten Project' and Christmas fundraising each year researches less well known charities who are supported through an entrepreneurial project of fundraising, education and awareness, thus continuing to stretch our awareness as a school to support the most vulnerable in our world.

Marie Madeleine (A Woman of Our Time)

Marie Madeleine is a woman for our time; a French woman of inspiration and courage. She was ... daughter, sister, friend, wife, widow and mother, and ultimately a religious sister and foundress. Her husband, Joseph died before their child Eugène was born and Marie Madeleine faced the future on her own. She did so courageously and not only did she bring up their child, Eugène, she founded a group of Catholic sisters known as the Faithful Companions of Jesus. Her story is remarkable!

A Woman of our Time (publication from the FCJ Sisters)

For more information on the life of Marie Madeleine, please visit: https://www.fcjsisters.org/our-story/marie-madeleine/

GIGI

Here is the life of Marie Madeleine which is suitable for younger children

gaudete Trust (& The FCJ Educational Trust)

The Gaudete Trust is a collaborative trust exercising the educational trusteeship of five Religious Orders, namely: The Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ), The Christian Brothers (CFC), Sisters of Charity of St Paul the Apostle (SP). De La Mennais Brothers FICP (Brothers of Christian Instruction), and The Congregation of La Sainte Union (LSU).

Discover the Gaudete Trust

The FCJ Educational Trust was established by the congregation of the Faithful Companions of Jesus to work with their schools to ensure that they operate within the teachings, tenets and practices of the Catholic Church in accordance with the ethos reflecting the FCJ charism.

The five schools in England and Jersey which comprise the FCJ Educational Trust are;

As members of the Trust, we have been able to share and reap the benefits of many of the achievements and activities which the FCJ Educational Trust provide, including;

- Facilitation for 250 Sixth Form students from different FCJ schools to attend a conference hosted by Gumley on ‘Fake News’, which included guest speaker Fergal Keane.
- Sharing of best practice to continue our support and deliver educational tools on mental health and resilience for students.
- Curriculum leadership training for 17 curriculum leaders across all FCJ schools.
- School Improvement support including; Ofsted preparation and curriculum changes
- Teacher Training and Induction based on established materials created specifically within the Trust.
- Leadership Training to ensure strong leadership across the Trust combining knowledge and experiences to work on challenges and solutions together
- Governors and Trustees can draw on each other’s experiences to formulate strategic approaches.

The Trustees are as follows;

Sister Brenda Wallace fcJ, OBE, Chair (former Headteacher of Gumley House)
Sister Brigid Halligan fcJ, OBE, Treasurer
Sister Josephine Grainger fcJ,
Sister Moira Cashmore fcJ