A Year to Remember: Celebrating the 2025–26 Academic Year Across Our Family of Schools
Each academic year brings the familiar refrain that “this year has flown by”, and 2025–26 has proved no different. Each year brings new challenges, and this year has been no exception; yet the positivity, resilience and commitment of our staff, Governors and Directors, together with the energy of our wonderful and inspiring pupils and the unwavering support of our families, have carried us through. Working as one body across our family of schools, our triumphs shine as a beacon: something for every member of our community to hold onto and be proud of as we head into the summer break.
Faith at the heart of all we do
Our Catholic mission has been lived out in every corner of the Trust this year. Our leaders travelled to Rome on the Diocese of Leeds’ Spiritual Retreat: a graced opportunity for prayer, reflection and reconnection with the mission of Catholic leadership. On the Solemnity of St George, members of our Mission and Catholic Life Working Group joined Governors for a day of faith formation, exploring how we encounter Christ in daily life and concluding with Mass at St Austin’s Church. Across our parishes, it has been a joy to walk alongside so many of our children as they celebrated the sacraments of First Confession, First Holy Communion and Confirmation, supported by priests, catechists, teachers and families.
The annual Diocese of Leeds pilgrimage to Lourdes was another treasured chapter in our year of faith. Year 10 and Year 12 students from St Wilfrid’s Catholic High School & Sixth Form College, St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School and St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy travelled with staff, headteachers and Lay Chaplains, where they had the privilege of supporting assisted pilgrims: pushing wheelchairs, offering practical help and, above all, being a friendly and compassionate presence. Whether participating in the liturgies and processions, sharing conversations with pilgrims or simply offering a smile and a listening ear, our students lived out the Gospel values of service, kindness and love with remarkable maturity, empathy and dedication. Many meaningful friendships were formed, creating memories that will remain with our students and the pilgrims alike for years to come. They were outstanding ambassadors for our Catholic community, representing themselves, their families, their schools and our diocese with faith and generosity.
Our young musicians raised their voices too, with the Bishop Konstant Catholic Youth Choir performing at Leeds Cathedral as part of the acclaimed Gabrieli ROAR programme. This year also saw the launch of our adult choir, bringing staff and members of our community together in song to enrich the prayerful and shared life of the Trust. Fittingly, we ended the year with our Trust Singing Festival: a joyful celebration that brought voices from across our schools together as one. Read all about the Singing Festival here.
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Achievement and enrichment across the Trust
It would be impossible to capture every precious moment that unfolds in our schools each day. Each academy celebrates its own successes fully and in its own right, and what follows is simply a smattering: a small selection of the many highlights from across our schools this year. Yet even this glimpse shows how the work we do each day creates the environments, tools and opportunities our pupils need to thrive.
So much of what makes our Trust special happens when our schools come together. This year our pupils enjoyed many experiences side by side in a rich calendar of competitions, performances and events, from performing at Sheffield Arena and careers-related experiences to maths, writing, art and sport competitions. Our Central Team looked to the future with a thought-provoking AI in Education session, and to the planet with a Carbon Action Plan workshop through the Let’s Go Zero campaign.
Every school celebrated
Every one of our schools has its own story to tell, and there are far more successes than any single article could hold. This year our commitment to high standards was recognised externally too, with inspection successes woven through the stories below. Here is a flavour of the year from each of our schools.
English Martyrs Catholic Primary, Wakefield: Year 6 won our Trust’s times tables competition; the Mini Vinnies put faith into action at the Good Shepherd Mass at Leeds Cathedral, presenting Bishop Marcus with a certificate celebrating the funds they raised for the Good Shepherd Appeal; and KS2 pupils embraced den-building, archery and fire-lighting at the Elite Forest School Festival. Pupils also enjoyed trips to London and Filey and developed their financial know-how in HSBC money workshops.
Holy Family & St Michael’s Catholic Primary, Pontefract: pupils explored movement, music and creativity with professionals from the Royal Ballet and Opera Schools, and the whole school marked British Science Week with a planetarium visit.
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary, Hemsworth: judged Good in its Catholic Schools Inspection, with Catholic Life and Mission rated Outstanding. Pupils also built road confidence and cycling skills through Bikeability workshops, and Year 6 took on new challenges together on their residential.
St Austin’s Catholic Primary, Wakefield: Year 6 girls lifted the trophy at our Trust’s Girls’ Football Tournament, winning five of their six group matches on the way to the final. The school also launched a new Stewardship Award celebrating pupils who care for God’s creation, represented the Trust at our Singing Festival, and took Years 3 and 4 on a memorable two-day visit to Whitby, climbing the 199 Steps and carrying out fieldwork along the coast.
St Benedict’s Catholic Primary, Garforth: Year 5 pupils earned national recognition from Reading Plus for the highest levels of comprehension and progress over the year. The school also hosted Professor Sarah Howard of the University of Leeds, who explored its research-informed approach to digital learning and was particularly impressed by the purposeful way its teachers integrate digital platforms into their practice to enhance learning.
St Ignatius Catholic Primary, Ossett: the Mission Team lived out the school’s values in action, coordinating two food bank collections and a generous Easter egg appeal, and opening the school’s own ‘pantry’: a safe and welcoming space where families can discreetly access uniform, toiletries and food.
St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy, Dewsbury: rated Good in its Catholic Schools Inspection with Catholic Life and Mission judged Outstanding, with inspectors describing the headteacher and his senior leaders as “an inspirational team”. The school also congratulated Headteacher Karl Mackey on his prestigious Farmington Institute scholarship to study at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford. Read the full story in the Dewsbury Reporter.
St John the Baptist Catholic Primary, Normanton: crowned BKCAT Boys’ Football champions, conceding not a single goal across eight games, and NFL Flag American Football West Yorkshire champions, with both teams unbeaten and heading to the regionals.
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary, Goole: pupils created a ‘Dream Heritage’ mural now proudly displayed at Goole Train Station; Years 3 and 4 enjoyed a live World Book Day lesson with author Michael Rosen; Years 5 and 6 took on an adventurous residential at Marrick Priory; and Year 6 walked in the Batley Torchlight Procession, a public expression of faith alongside other schools and parishes.
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary, Castleford: Year 5 visited the Houses of Parliament for a question-and-answer session with Yvette Cooper, and pupils walked the CAFOD Big Lent Walk to fund life-saving water projects around the world.
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary, Moorthorpe: overall winners of the Trust Maths Competition, sponsored by Learning by Questions, and opened the doors of their newly completed nursery building at the start of the school year.
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary, Pontefract: pupils ran a Christmas Enterprise Sale raising £758 to fund a whole-school pantomime visit, funded 470 meals for children in need through Mary’s Meals on World Porridge Day, and sang at the Diocese of Leeds carol service at St Austin’s Church.
St Mary’s Catholic Primary, Selby: welcomed BBC Children in Need to Selby Abbey, singing for the Look North presenters on their charity walk. A Year 6 pupil won our Trust’s Art Competition; the school choir opened a Leeds Rhinos match at Headingley Stadium; and Christmas fundraising raised £840 for St Leonard’s Hospice and £865 for Mary’s Meals.
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary, Wakefield: judged Outstanding in its Catholic Schools Inspection, with inspectors hearing that “staff see our unique talents and work with us to develop them for everybody’s benefit.” Year 9 pupil Georgia was named West Yorkshire’s Young Poet Laureate, winning her age group from hundreds of entries, and is now an officially published poet. She will hold the title for a year, advocating for poetry nationally, and her work has already begun at school, where she is encouraging fellow pupils to discover a love of poetry. What an amazing achievement. Read Georgia’s winning poem at the National Poetry Centre.
St Wilfrid’s Catholic High & Sixth Form, Featherstone: celebrated a national triumph, winning the IRIS Best KS3 Science Research Project award for “Elephants on the Move”, their study tracking orphaned elephants in Zambia’s Kafue National Park. The school also welcomed Ofsted under the new inspection framework, achieving a Strong standard for personal development and wellbeing, with inspectors noting that “pupils are eager to learn and find staff committed to their achievement.”
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With grateful thanks
None of this happens by accident. Our heartfelt thanks go to Julie Noble, Foundation Director and Chair, and to all our Directors and Governors, whose voluntary service and wisdom underpin everything we achieve. To our Central Team, our headteachers and every member of staff across our schools: thank you for your dedication, day in and day out. And to our pupils and their families: you are the reason we do all that we do.
A message from our Acting CEO, Rob Barraclough
“I’d like to place on record my thanks to our entire Trust community: our pupils, staff, parents and parish communities, all of whom have, in one way or another, supported the continued growth and development of BKCAT over the past 12 months.
As BKCAT continues to grow, so too does our shared mission to provide a life-changing education for every pupil we serve. It has been a tremendous year with many highlights, many of which you’ll read about in this article. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has played a part in making it such a successful year.
I wish all of our pupils, staff and families a restful and enjoyable summer break, and I look forward to welcoming everyone back to our Trust community for the new academic year.”
Farewells and new beginnings
As always, the year’s end brings goodbyes. We say a fond farewell to colleagues moving on to new challenges, with a special mention for Dr Patrick Caldwell. We thank each of them for all they have given to our community. In turn, we look forward to welcoming new colleagues, whose fresh insight, skills and experience will help us continue to grow and develop in the year ahead.
Within our governance family, we bid farewell to Nick Elliott, Foundation Director, Vice-Chair and Safeguarding Director, with sincere thanks for his years of dedicated service, and we warmly welcome our incoming Foundation Directors, who join us at an exciting moment in the Trust’s journey. Our gratitude also goes to two members of our clergy moving on to serve other parishes: Canon Tim Wiley, Foundation Governor at St Joseph’s, Pontefract and Holy Family & St Michael’s and Chair of the Academy Council at St Joseph’s, Pontefract; and Fr Anthony Wilson, Foundation Governor at St Mary’s, Selby. We thank them both for their faithful support of our schools and wish them every blessing in their new parishes.
Looking ahead
We wish every member of our community a happy, healthy and restful summer. Together, we are confident that the year ahead will bring even more milestones and further springboards to enrich our community for years to come. We hope that this round-up of the year, though only a small collection of highlights, reminds us all that when we work in unity, with the shared purpose of serving our pupils, we can achieve wonderful things: enriching young minds by giving them the tools, experiences and support to grow and fulfil their God-given potential.