St John Fisher Catholic High School and The Catenian Association

St St John Fisher is a highly popular, Catholic, comprehensive secondary school situated in the delightful spa town of Harrogate. It is a community based on Christian values, which serves a wide area of North and West Yorkshire, within the Diocese of Leeds. The school seeks to serve the Catholic community in the Deanery of Harrogate and has an excellent local reputation.
The mission of St. John Fisher Catholic High School is to provide a process of teaching and learning, which seeks the reality of Christ. His values, ideals and teachings lie at the centre of our relationships and activities. To this end we seek to create a true community of faith and place of learning.
“EDUCATING FOR LIFE”
St. John Fisher is first and foremost a Catholic School. It seeks to maintain and develop its Catholic ethos and encourage the growth of the school as a worshipping community of faith, where there are positive relationships and all feel valued. The school values each and every individual pupil for the God-given gifts and talents that they bring into the community. It seeks to promote their spiritual and moral growth, so that they are ready to take up their lives as responsible, adult Christians in an increasingly secular world. As a Catholic School, the community of St John Fisher has:
· A central faith and belief in the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ
· A code of conduct based on gospel values
· A wide range of liturgies and worship rooted in our Roman Catholic tradition.
High academic standards are also a priority in the school and are achieved through a highly qualified staff, a well-balanced curriculum and good teaching and learning. Each child's individuality and talents are recognised and the school has high expectations of all its pupils. St. John Fisher is committed to continue the work on raising the attainment of all pupils, creating a place of learning where achievement is celebrated. It received the School Achievement Award for high attainment in both 2001 and 2002.
St. John Fisher seeks to encourage the personal, cultural and social growth of all members of the school community. As a specialist Arts College, we promote the creative development of all pupils, through both curricular and extra-curricular programmes, with particular support for art, sport and performance in dance, drama and music.
The school is also committed to its work within the wider community, through its involvement in the Arts, charitable works and issues of Justice and Peace. Music and sport, together with a wealth of other extra-curricular activities, ensure the development of the whole child and offer the widest choice to satisfy all aptitudes and interests.
True to our Catholic tradition, we place great emphasis on our pastoral system, which reinforces positive attitudes and behaviour and reflects our strong Christian ethos. The school is a well-ordered community, based on mutual respect, where learning can flourish.
St. John Fisher has been awarded Investor In People status, reflecting our commitment to the continuing, professional development of staff in order to improve the school still further. Parents and visitors are assured of a warm and welcoming atmosphere in the school and can feel confident that the partnership of home, Church and School will remain central to our success.
St. John Fisher, in association with St. Aidan's Church of England High School, established an Associated Sixth Form in 1973 as an ecumenical and educational venture to maximise opportunities within a Christian community. The further enrichment and development of post 16 students are achieved within the unique context of this Association, which offers a wide choice of advanced courses as well as further opportunities for personal and social development appropriate to that age group. The Associated Sixth Form has received national recognition, both for its outstanding record of academic success and the large numbers of students progressing into Higher Education.
St. John Fisher has much in common with The Catenian Association. We share your aim to advance the interests of young Catholics and to assist them in the choice or pursuit of a career. Just as your association seeks to foster brotherly love among its members, the school also seeks to create a community founded on Christian love and mutual support.
As individuals, we often feel powerless in challenging the secular values and moral relativism of the society in which we live. By working together in community, we can truly begin the task of creating God’s Kingdom here among us.

Paul Jackson