Pupil Chaplaincy
Pupil chaplaincy is a growing field that involves young people, in their schools, offering a range of opportunities to explore the Christian faith; to encourage creativity and curiosity; and to support students to grow and develop their spiritual faith. It seeks to give ‘agency’ to young people and help them play an active role in the spiritual, cultural and moral development of school life.
Our first cohort of student chaplains were appointed in November 2025 and fall into one of three distinct types. These
- Worship Chaplains. These will focus predominantly on the nature of spiritual development at St John's, including Eucharistic and non-Eucharistic expressions of worship. These chaplains are: Grace (Year 11); George; Nathan; and Hannah (all Year 12);
- Community Chaplains. These work play a leading role with the student congress and leaders at school to help identify the charitable causes that the school will support throughout the academic year, both nationally/internationally and local priorities. These chaplains are: Thomas; Theo (both Year 9); Ffion; Annabelle (both Year 10); Joshua; and Daisy-Rae (both Year 12); and
- Buddy Chaplains. These will provide support for younger pupils, offering guidance and advice on aspects of school life that may present as a challenge for some. These chaplains are: Grace; Travis; Connor (all Year 10); Joshua; and Jayden (Year 12).
The St John’s Pupil Chaplaincy team will work alongside staff within the school and local community to fulfil a range of roles. This includes helping to overcome issues that are important to the pupils at the school; partner with local organisations to make a positive difference in our community; and to work with the Diocese of Llandaff to raise the voice of young people.
The Pupil Chaplains have helped establish a vision for their work, captured by their mission statement
Through our pupil chaplaincy programme, we seek to be bold and courageous within our community by sharing, encouraging, and understanding Christian belief. We wish to promote stewardship by recognising the inherent worth of every person, ensuring that we listen, empathise and create a safe, judgement-free environment that celebrates our God-given talents. We are passionate to see the culture of God’s Kingdom reflected within St John’s, with our central aim of helping to grow our own faith, as well as the faith of others. We aspire to prepare the way and to show that ‘nothing will be impossible with God’.