During November, we held an online gathering with MAT leaders to explore how we can strengthen Catholic mission together.

What follows is a reflection on what was shared – and the threads of hope, challenge and coherence that emerged.

Beginning with Coherence: A Shared Image

We opened with a moment of reflection on coherence — the quiet, patient work of God that draws things together over time. As I shared:

Coherence grows — not in big dramatic leaps, but in small, repeated moments, when all the parts begin to work together.

From that starting point, we centred our conversation around four simple questions:

  1. Where is the heart of Catholic mission alive across your Trust?
  2. Where are the gaps or tensions?
  3. What support do MATs need from partners like Ten Ten?
  4. What might you want to explore further?

1. Signs of Mission That Are Alive

Leaders shared rich, encouraging examples of where Catholic mission is flourishing:

Whole-Trust gatherings that uplift and re-energise.
Several leaders spoke about the Jubilee year, Trust-wide liturgies and collective worship, and the ‘powerful witness’ of hundreds of children and staff coming together. One described how reluctant staff arrived ‘not sure there was time for it’ — and left deeply moved, returning to school with renewed purpose.

A growing sense of belonging — school, Trust, diocese, universal Church. Leaders noted that children were beginning to articulate this layered identity: ‘We’re part of a school, part of a Trust, part of a diocese, part of the universal Church.’ This widening horizon was described as ‘significant’ and ‘uplifting.’

Catholic Social Teaching as a catalyst.
One Trust shared how their CST-themed Trust day ‘sent staff out with mission,’ and how children’s enthusiasm was sparking staff to collaborate across schools.

The difference leadership makes.
Several leaders reflected that where a headteacher or CEO has a visible passion for Catholic life, it ‘permeates’ through the whole school. One leader put it plainly:  ‘You can tell as soon as you walk in who is leading it.’

2. Where Coherence Feels Most Stretched

A number of honest tensions surfaced:

Formation gaps between schools and leaders.
Leaders described headteachers and CEOs who are superb managers of outstanding schools, yet less rooted in Catholic identity. Formation — tailored, ongoing and confident — was a consistent need.

The primary to secondary cliff edge.
Several noted the loss of confidence and liturgical involvement when children transition to Year 7: ‘From leading worship in primary to feeling completely lost in secondary.’ Chaplains covering enormous cohorts, and fragmented parish-school relationships, deepen this challenge.

Uneven parish links.
Experiences varied dramatically: some parishes are deeply connected; others are stretched across many schools. This creates stark inequalities in opportunity and support.

Staff new to Catholic education feeling out of depth.
One leader described ‘teachers who literally have no idea what’s going on’ in terms of mission language, expectations, or Church teaching — not from disrespect, but from lack of formation and fear of ‘getting it wrong.’

The CSI inspection pressure.
Leaders named the tendency for schools to seek ‘formation in a hurry’ the year before inspection, and the tension this creates between performing mission and living it.

Governors and trustees under strain.
Some spoke of governors who deeply care but ‘don’t go to church,’ have ‘lost connection,’ or feel overwhelmed by diocesan expectations — a barrier to sustaining mission long-term.

3. What MATs Most Need From Partners

Across the discussion, leaders named clear areas of support:

Formation packages across roles.
Leaders described a need for structured support that could meet people where they are:

  • ECTs and staff new to Catholic education
  • Teachers unexpectedly leading Catholic life
  • Middle leaders (e.g., a geography teacher made SLT with mission oversight)
  • Heads and CEOs
  • Governors and trustees

One leader even sketched a vision: ‘a package’ with differentiated pathways for each group.

Helping staff make prayer and liturgy their own.
Leaders want resources that foster real confidence in the room — not just ‘press play.’ As one put it:  ‘It’s got to be more than using the resource — how do they make it their own?’

Tools for evaluation and mystagogy.
Schools welcomed Ten Ten’s content but asked for more support around reflection:  ‘How do teachers evaluate how the prayer went? How do they deepen it afterwards?’

Support for primary–secondary alignment.
There was strong interest in helping chaplains and secondary teams understand the formation children bring with them into Year 7.

4. What Leaders Want to Explore Further

When we shared five possible areas for support — staff confidence in mission and Catholic identity; prayer and liturgy coherence; RSHE/PSHE alignment; parental engagement; and inspection readiness — plus a ‘something else’ box, a few patterns emerged:

Staff confidence in mission and Catholic identity clearly rose to the surface.
Multiple leaders named this first. They spoke about the range of experience across their staff: ECTs new to Catholic education, subject teachers unexpectedly leading Catholic life, senior leaders and CEOs who have not had sustained formation, and governors/trustees who care deeply but feel under-equipped. There was a real desire for tiered formation – something that could look different for:

  • new staff and ECTs
  • middle leaders suddenly responsible for Catholic life
  • headteachers and CEOs
  • governors and trustees

Prayer and liturgy coherence linked closely to this.
Leaders connected staff confidence directly to the quality of prayer and worship across schools. They spoke about wanting staff who can lead prayer, not just ‘press play,’ and about children’s liturgical leadership in primary being nurtured rather than lost as they move into secondary.

RSHE/PSHE and Catholic Social Teaching were seen as ‘live’, fast-moving areas.
One leader used the ‘something else’ option to highlight the Pope’s recent Apostolic Letter and the renewed focus on Catholic Social Teaching, alongside upcoming RSHE guidance. There was a desire for support that keeps these areas relevant and real for staff and young people, without feeling like ‘one more plate to spin.’

Governance, inspection and sustainability sat in the background.
While ‘inspection readiness’ and ‘parental engagement’ were not discussed in as much detail in this final segment, earlier contributions had already highlighted:

  • the pressure of CSI and the risk of ‘performed’ rather than lived Catholic life
  • the strain on governors and trustees who are sympathetic but under-formed Leaders’ later comments about formation for governors and trustees suggest that any future support here would be most helpful when it flows from mission formation, rather than being an isolated compliance exercise.

Where Ten Ten Might Walk With You

During the session, we briefly shared how our work intersects with your needs. Several of you expressed interest in RE Deep Dive – especially as a formation tool for ECTs, senior staff and governors who want a clearer grasp of Catholic teaching and a ‘big picture’ frame for mission.

You also helped us think more clearly about:

  • how to support teachers with little or no formation,
  • how to design flexible options that don’t overwhelm ECTs,
  • and how to help staff move from ‘using a resource’ to genuinely leading prayer and worship.
Your reflections will shape how we develop this further.

Next Steps

We’d love to keep this conversation going, particularly around formation needs across roles. If anything from the conversation has stayed with you or sparked a thought, please do feel free to get in touch. There is no expectation — simply an open invitation.

Get in touch: contact@tentenresources.co.uk