About us
Our Vision is to establish a Catholic secondary school in the Oxford area that provides an outstanding classical education, alive to the Faith and rooted in virtues.
So far, this project consists of a shared vision and willingness to explore practical next steps. If you would like to hear more, have children at primary school, or are keen to discuss the vision outlined above, please consider joining the mailing list.
The Project
‘Project Pippo’ is led by a group of parents in Oxfordshire, exploring the potential for a Catholic, co-educational, affordable secondary school, with an emphasis on classical education. This school will be “designed not only to develop with special care the intellectual faculties but also to form the ability to judge rightly, to hand on the cultural legacy of previous generations, to foster a sense of values, to prepare for professional life” (Gravissimum Educationis). 'Pippo' was St Philip Neri's childhood nickname, and we have called this Project Pippo hoping to gain the supportive prayers of St Philip Neri, whose ethos of joy and service has encouraged us.
In order for us to ascertain the level of interest, feasible and support available to us, please consider filling in the survey by clicking on the link below. This will help us gather information on who is available to help, how they are able to help and the potential number of children that could potentially attend the school. If you would prefer to just leave your contact details in order to follow up on the latest developments please use the contact form at the bottom of this page and follow us on instagram.
The core team meets on a weekly basis to progress the key project milestones. We also rely on the support of the wider project team, and we are extremely grateful for the help we have had and continue to receive.
Meet the Core Project Team
Stephen Barrie
Siobhan Barrie
Pablo Callejo
Maximilian Beards
Elsa Beards
Meg Weissmann
Octavia Armstrong
Thank you for initiating this very welcome project. We would be so thrilled and relieved if such a school could come into being.
A father of 2, Oxford
Thank you for this initiative and the hard work that has already gone into this project. Keep the spirit and keep going!
Parent of 4 primary aged children, Oxfordshire
First Townhall meeting
In March 2025, the Project team hosted a 'Townhall' meeting in Oxford to present our work so far, the vision and direction of travel. A summary of the event was published here.
Events
Project Pippo is supported by prayers, working groups on curriculum and fundraising, and a core project team of parents. All voluntary.
The events listed here include adoration, where supporters are invited gather to pray for the project; periodic information sessions where we provide an update to supporters; and roundtable sessions where we discuss and seek feedback on progress that has been made.
Thursday 5th March / 20:00h
In Person Project Status Update
@Community hall of Saints Gregory and Augustine Catholic Church OX2 7NS we will provide a recap and status update of the project and outline some of the progress that has been made, there will be time for Q&A at the end of the session.
Sunday 30th November / 16:00h
Advent Family Event
@St Aloysius Primary School Hall OX27PH, enjoy crafts for children and a talk by Paul Shrimpton about Newman and Education
Saturday 19th July / 17:30 h
Adoration - Pray for Project Pippo
@the Oxford Oratory, followed by refreshments in Cafe Neri
You can help: here is how
We encourage all who are interested in this project to spread the word and pray for it.
Pray for the Project
The core team, with the kind support of several Catholic Parishes around Oxford, organises monthly Adoration events for all families to come together and pray for the future school - Check the dates above
Help with fundraising
A key aspect for success is ensuring the sustainability of the project. While a sound financial model will secure long-term stability, we will incur significant costs in the onset. Can you help us raise funds? - Please get in touch with us via: ProjectPippoOxford@gmail.com
Academic support
Another key aspect is defining the Academic path for our students so that the Classical approach and a suitable Qualifications route are optimally combined. Can you help us with advice or direct involvement? - Please get in touch: ProjectPippoOxford@gmail.com
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Frequently Asked Questions
This project is at a very early stage, and we have a long way to go before we welcome our first cohort. We are working hard to articulate our vision, put in place the right structures, explore and establish feasibility, and fundraise.
Prayer - please support us in prayer, Adoration (above) provides an opportunity to pray together for this project.
Spread the word - feel free to share this website, the sign-up link
Academic - we are seeking advice on all things academic, including curriculum, school day etc.
Financial support - we are convening a working group to support fundraising. Please let us know if you can help.
A group of five families, all of whom are based in and around Oxford and have primary school children, are the core 'project team' of Project Pippo. We have been encouraged and supported by Fr Benedict Manning Cong.Orat., and many other parents and prospective teachers that have been in touch so far!
If you have contacted us to express interest or offer support, we will get back to you as soon as we can. Please bear with us as we set up the Financial and Academic teams, and organise some of the actions needed for the Feasibility phase. When in doubt, do reach out again!
Be in touch
Please click on the button below to fill out our support and feasibility form or to only subscribe for updates and information please enter your name and email below:
Alternatively, you can get in touch with the core team by emailing:
