The BARTIMAEUS CENTRE is a Pre-Exclusion Centre serving the Liverpool Catholic Secondary Schools. It is an exciting, new venture, in partnership with eight Schools.

Two full time teachers staff the Bartimaeus Centre, with some part-time help. They run up to seven four-week courses per year. Schools in the scheme are offered one student place on each course. Between sessions, the staff work with the schools, the students and their families. Brother Michael Curran, a De La Salle Brother, has been appointed as the Project Director.

The Centre is co-educational. It works closely with the eight participating Catholic secondary schools, in identifying students in Years 7, 8 and 9 who are potentially at risk of being excluded, due to their behaviour. Once identified, contact is made with the student's family and the student is invited to attend a four week course at the Centre.

• Returning Students to their School. The whole ethos of the Centre is geared to the students returning to their school. Time is allocated for each student to explore how they will cope on their return to school.
• Links with Schools. Links are maintained with the teaching staff of the school, and key staff visit the students during their placement.
• Links with Families. Links are also maintained with the students' families, who not only have regular feedback from the Centre regarding their child's progress, but are most welcome to visit the Centre at any time.
• Follow-up Support. One of the strengths of this project is the quality of the intended follow-up and support given to the student, when they have finished their placement at the Centre.
• Personal Mentor for the Students. Prior to returning to school the student is allocated a mentor who will give long term support.

Why should the Catholic Community support this Project? For many Catholic teenagers, their major contact with the Catholic Church is via the Catholic Schools. Therefore, if a student is excluded from a Catholic School, they are also, with very few exceptions, excluded from the Catholic Community. Since Christ has asked us to seek the lost sheep, we must also be concerned with preventing a sheep becoming lost in the first place; that is why members of the wider Catholic Community are invited to support to this exciting new venture.

• a Centre for helping children remain active participants of their chosen secondary school.
• a Centre whose programme is based upon tried and tested approaches, but which is also not afraid to be innovative in its approach.
• a Centre which provides a safe haven where individual students can be helped to come to an understanding of their lives.
• a Centre of excellence where present and future teachers are trained in the techniques of helping disaffected young people.
• a Centre that initiates research and is also the focus of research.

Patron:- Right Rev. Patrick Kelly, Archbishop of Liverpool

Further information can be obtained from