Chaplaincy is at the heart of life at Donhead and we are proud to be part of the global Jesuit community. Pupils show curiosity and attentiveness in lessons, generosity and compassion in supporting others, and courage and hope when facing challenges. They reflect on their actions with gratitude and strive to make thoughtful, intentional choices in daily life.Our chaplaincy team 'Acutis Group' creates opportunities for the whole community to grow in faith through charitable initiatives, prayer services, and liturgies, helping pupils act with love, open-mindedness, and a sense of purpose. Through these experiences, pupils develop the qualities of discernment, reflection, and active engagement that shape them as thoughtful, compassionate, and committed members of both the school and wider community.
Chaplaincy events at school
At Donhead we support Jesuit Missions. Jesuit Missions works with Jesuit partner organisations to empower local communities to build a more just and sustainable future. Our partner project is called The Quality Bilingual Education Programme (QBEP) and its aim is to help children keep their language, culture and identity by learning in English and their own indigenous language. Pupils took part in workshops with Fr Paul Martin, who works on the ground in Guyana, learning more about daily life in the communities where the project is based as well as learning to sing a song in the indigenous language of Wapichan.
Visit https://jesuitmissions.org.uk/ to learn more about Jesuit Missions and their work
At Donhead, we believe that being a person for others means looking beyond ourselves and taking action to make a difference in the lives of others. Throughout the year, our pupils are given opportunities to learn about different charities and the people and communities they support, while putting our Jesuit values into action through prayer, fundraising, service and acts of kindness. Whether supporting local communities or responding to needs around the world, we encourage our pupils to grow in compassion and generosity and to recognise that even small actions can make a meaningful difference.
Some of the charities we have supported are:
St George’s Time for change - https://www.stgeorgeshospitalc...
St Raphael’s Hospice - https://www.straphaels.org.uk
Guide Dogs for the blind - https://www.guidedogs.org.uk
DONS local action - https://donslocalaction.org
The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity - https://www.royalmarsden.org
Goods for Good - https://goodsforgood.org.uk
Mrs Ruth Pandole - Lay Chaplain - r.pandole@donhead.org.uk
Mme Maria Negkaki – Head of RE
Father Michael Barnes SJ – Donhead priest
Mrs Jenny Nealon – Chaplaincy Team
Miss Becky Jackson – Chaplaincy Team
Mrs Melanie Metherell – Chaplaincy Team
Donhead is part of the parish of Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon, and we are proud to share a close and valued partnership with the parish community. Whole-school Masses are celebrated in the church each term, and pupils from the Prep School also have the opportunity to attend parish Mass throughout the year.
Our partnership is strengthened by the support of members of the parish team, who join us at school events and celebrations. Canon David – Parish Priest, Sr Dorothy - Parish Sister and Rob Hitchcock – Youth Minister are valued members of our wider school community and support our pupils and staff in many aspects of school life such as attending Collective Worship and Retreat days.
Donhead is also regularly featured in the parish magazine, Edgeways, helping to strengthen the links between our school and parish communities. Pupils receive the Sacraments at Sacred Heart, as well as at other parishes, and these important moments in their faith journey are celebrated and supported by the whole Donhead community.
“The broader nature and work of Donhead's chaplaincy education, is so important to us and we feel very lucky to have such a wonderful environment and teaching staff to help support and guide them.”
“As Donhead Alumni, the Jesuit Mission and values have been and remain a central part of our family life and the upbringing of our children."
We believe that Christian worship in a Catholic school is concerned with giving glory, honour and praise to God. It is our loving response, in word and action, to God’s invitation to enter into relationship, made possible through the work of Jesus Christ and the witness of the Holy Spirit.
We encourage the children to form and develop a closer personal relationship with God through prayer and to think about what it means to be a follower of Christ in their every day lives. We encourage the children to take a leadership role in the prayer life of the school with pupils having opportunities to plan and take part in Celebrations of the Word and Prayer Services.
