"I am delighted to be able to encourage you to apply to your local Catholic independent school – New Hall School, Chelmsford. Our Catholic schools foster values of honesty, respect and tolerance and encourage an atmosphere of high expectation conducive to hard work. At the same time, our schools are places where you will see Christ at the centre of the enterprise with a Catholic ethos that is palpable. Our teachers and support staff strive to enable all pupils to fulfil their potential, explore their individual talents and learn to appreciate, nurture and protect the world in which we live.

Learning opportunities are challenging and stimulating, both within the classroom and through a wide range of activities out of it. Each child is supported to grow in confidence and develop attitudes and skills to enable them to make a significant contribution to wider society. The education of the whole child is a fundamental principle that underpins the approach taken in our Catholic schools.

Making the decision about which school a parent sends their child to is an extremely important one and as a teacher I hope the information that you have received enables you to make an informed choice that is right for you. I encourage you to visit your local Catholic school when you have the opportunity to do so, in order to feel the sense of warmth, commitment and excellence provided to our young people.

Our Catholic schools look forward to working with parents as they are the child’s first, best and most important educator. Schools recognise that developing this partnership with parents is crucial because with mutual understanding and shared responsibility towards achieving the best educational outcomes for children we are more likely to succeed."

Robert Simpson
Director of Education, Diocese of Brentwood