Ursuline College Equality Statement and Objectives

Equality Statement

In framing our thoughts on diversity and inclusion we seek to be true to our foundation as Catholic schools and thus take God as our starting point and our constant source of reference.

Ours is a God of diversity and inclusion. God manifested God’s-self in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Through Jesus God demonstrates the centrality of love, love for all individuals, for all of creation. In constantly affirming God’s love for all, Jesus often defied convention, reaching out to the marginalised, the powerless, those held in disdain. He would challenge those who sought to judge others.

In the Spirit of Jesus we look to create inclusive school communities, accepting and celebrating each individual for who they are, affirming their dignity and their right to a voice, encouraging them to be the best version of themselves they can sustain. We seek to nurture individuals’ self-esteem and aid the development of a mature moral outlook.

A mature individual will live according to a developed and developing conscience and exhibit a resilience, an ability to appraise and discern, to empathise, with a reluctance to judge. Quietly confident within themselves, they will nurture confidence-building in others. They will act with integrity and honesty, seek justice and oppose exploitation and oppression. Respect for others’ beliefs and views will be central to their outlook.

With a lively curiosity about the world, they will foster harmony in human relationships and dealings and a responsible concern for the natural world, the conservation of species and landscapes, the sustainable use of resources.

Our Catholic heritage is rich in examples – written and lived – of how to aspire to a full and centred life. We draw freely on those resources and on the many other diverse ways in which God’s Holy Spirit invites, inspires and challenges us to live lives of authenticity, of service and of love.