A Diocese church inspection has praised religious studies as outstanding at east London’s Bishop Challoner Catholic secondary schools.

East London Advertiser: Diocese Report... Stepney's Bishop Challoner school assemblyDiocese Report... Stepney's Bishop Challoner school assembly (Image: Bishop Challone)

The Church systematically assessed the work in two reports which evaluated the schools’ worship and religious education.

Their ‘Catholic life’ was “outstanding”, inspectors found, with classroom education ‘good’ in the Boys’ school and ‘outstanding’ in the Girls’ school.

Boys’ teachers “know their pupils well and there is strong behaviour for learning”.

Headteacher Niamh Arnull was praised for having made “a significant impact on promoting the school’s Catholic life”.

The Chaplaincy seen as the school’s commitment to the Common Good was said the be “outstanding”, with pupils demonstrating how they contribute to the local, national and global community through action and prayer.

The two Bishop Challoner federated schools in the Commercial Road in Stepney have come a long way and the level of compassion and spirituality results in “no-one left feeling unloved or not unique”.

The reports praise the close links between the school, parents and parish, affirming that “the partnership between parents, school and parish is outstanding”.

The schools were awarded an “outstanding” mark in all sections of Catholic Life. The reports affirm that “the partnership between parents, schools and parish is outstanding” which was also “strongly-committed to working with the diocese”.