Headteacher, Cath’s Everyday Faith

From a selectively mute child inspired by a teacher’s kind words to a sponsor child who overcame adversity to lead her own charity, the power of love, faith, and encouragement shines through Cath’s Everyday Faith story.

Cath will be joining estate agent, Robert Reed from Middlewich and refuse collector, Francis Pendlebury from Northwich in a ‘live’ podcast event hosted by Ruth Bull on Wednesday 15 October.

Raised in an independent Methodist church, Cath’s early life was marked by a blend of belief and questioning. With a Christian mother and a non-believing father, she found herself encouraged to explore her faith rather than simply accept it. Sunday School played a pivotal role in her spiritual development, offering a safe space where, despite being extraordinarily shy and a selective mute, she felt confident and at home.

At just 16, Cath became a Sunday School teacher, working in areas of high deprivation. It was here she learned the importance of showing children the unconditional love of God and the message that they are accepted. Despite a family tradition of preaching and teaching, Cath was determined to forge a different path.

Yet, as she pursued English Literature and Theology at university, she found herself once again teaching Sunday School, leading youth groups, and delivering children’s addresses during services. “I was completely blind to the fact that God was preparing me,” she reflects. A conversation with church members who assumed she was already a teacher became a turning point. Their confidence in her calling led her to apply for a PGCE—and so began her teaching career.

Cath jokes that every time she tells God she won’t do something, she ends up doing it. Becoming a headteacher was another role she initially resisted. “I wasn’t going to be a head—that was definitely something I wasn’t going to be,” she laughs. But God had other plans, gently guiding her through circumstances and opportunities that led her to leadership.

Her brief time in a non-Church of England school highlighted the importance of being rooted in God’s love. She soon returned to church schools, where her faith and vocation could flourish together. Preaching, another role she once vowed never to take on, also became part of her journey—again, through subtle nudges from God.

Cath’s approach to both teaching and preaching is interactive and visual, drawing on her classroom experience to make faith accessible and engaging.

In moments of challenge, Cath’s learned that remembering that every child is a child of God brings clarity and purpose. She’ll explain that church schools aim to shape not just minds, but hearts—preparing children for life, not just exams. She explains that church schools offer more than academic excellence—they nurture compassion, reflection, and a sense of community. While parents may worry about faith schools being focused on conversion, she tells them that the reality is quite the opposite: children are encouraged to question, explore, and grow spiritually and emotionally. The goal is to develop young people who care deeply for others and want to make a difference in the world.

Cath’s story is a testament to the quiet, persistent ways God works in our lives, often leading us exactly where we said we wouldn’t go—but where we’re meant to be.

Come and listen to Cath at the Everyday Faith Podcast Event on Wednesday 15 October