After leading her primary schoolchildren on a visit to the Carmelite community at Quidenham, head teacher Theresa Barker reveals the surprising effect meeting the nuns had on both staff and pupils

As head teacher of a Catholic school, I am fortunate to witness daily the simple childhood faith displayed by our pupils. The young faith of primary schoolchildren needs regular nourishment for sustenance and growth and we are blessed with a rich, if rather unusual, source of inspiration quite close by, at the Carmelite community at Quidenham on the Norfolk-Suffolk border.

At our school, pupils and staff reach out to St Teresa of Avila, through routine reflection on extracts from her life’s writings. Crucial to this is a personal and tangible relationship with the sisters at Quidenham.

The Carmelites live a life of prayer and contemplation through a simple, enclosed existence. This approach is in stark contrast to the everyday lives of St Mark’s children and staff. At school, moments of reflection and prayer are constantly challenged by distractions – and are too often crowded out.