Enriched with spirit, legacy and character, the history of The Cathedral and John Connon School has been one of excellence & innovation. Located in a beautiful stone edifice, which is also one of Mumbai’s most prestigious heritage buildings, The Cathedral and John Connon School has completed 162 years of excellence in education in the country.

Melding traditional values into a contemporary, real-world context, our school prepares students to embark on a journey of academic as well as personal excellence. Being a place where children can find magic in their repetitive lives, broaden the intellect, enjoy the gift of robust laughter, build a strong sense of integrity, compassion and a spirit of giving, the school has built a reputation that is synonymous with excellence providing an environment that encourages growth, fosters creativity, exploration and discovery.

The Cathedral and John Connon School was founded in 1860 by the Anglo- Scottish Education Society in Mumbai it began as a humble establishment when Bishop Harding and the Cathedral Chaplain decided to start a small Grammar school for boys and one for girls. In the year 1881, named after Mr. John Connon, a well- known philanthropist and the Chief Registrar of Bombay, a beautiful building was put up on the Esplanade. In the present day the school functions into five sections- the Pre-Primary, Infant, Junior, Middle and Senior Schools imparting the finest education to all its students.

The student body of 1,960 boys and girls is divided into four Houses named after the founding fathers. There is a fierce sense of “School first, the house next, self-last" as expressed through our school song.

Providing students with the finest learning environment, the school has set its standards quite high, expecting the students to earn good marks through sustained hard work. The needs of students with learning difficulties are catered to by the Learning Resource Centre.

The school practices an integrated approach till Grade 8, and thereafter offers the choice of the national curricula- ICSE and ISC, as well as the international curricula -IGCSE, IBDP and AP.

Cultural activities and games are an essential part of the curriculum. Inter – House and Inter-School cultural activities such as Debates, Dramatics and Elocution and team games like Soccer, Rugby, Cricket and Basketball, and individual games like Squash, Tennis and Badminton take their place alongside Gymnastics, Athletics and Swimming and they promote a sense of loyalty and healthy competition.

Tolerance, compassion and inclusion form the warp and woof of this esteemed institution. Championing these values, along with the spirit of inquiry, are the various clubs such as Symposium (the school’s Model United Nations Club), The International Award for Young People, The Nature Club, The Interact Club, The Literary Club, The Makerspace and Innovations Club, The Astronomy Club and The Music Club to name a few.

In its quest to offer a truly global perspective, the school also has several international programmes such as the Harvard Model United Nations in U.S.A, Sunburst Youth Camp in Singapore, EU mind in The Netherlands, and London Science Youth Forum in The U.K.

Exposure to various art forms, such as music, reflects the school’s endeavour to accentuate personal excellence. Students explore and experiment with a range of genres, from choral singing in the long‐standing tradition of the school choir, to Encore – the school’s very own rock concert! And just as gratifying is the service component, where students willingly and proactively support various social causes, all the while nurturing the essence of empathy and altruism.

The school is equipped with an array of facilities that are regularly upgraded to keep pace with global demands. Fully air-conditioned classrooms and laboratories, computerized and barcoded libraries that offer access to a wealth of resources at your fingertips, promote a conducive atmosphere for learning. The school has invested in a state of the art digitized interactive flat panels (IFP) for each classroom to teach and discuss lessons using documentaries, films and presentations.

In addition, the school has a Basketball Court, Badminton Court, Cricket net, Gymnasium, Table Tennis tables, Throwball court and has provisions for Chess and Carrom. Further, the school has a state of the art Teacher’s Resource Centre.

Above all, a team of highly dedicated and invested staff members aims to provide holistic development to the students. Interactive methods like team teaching are encouraged that optimize the teacher‐student ratio while adding a new dynamic to classroom interaction.

The School signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Both parties intend to focus on higher education collaboration, which will become the foundation for future more formal partnerships between a select number of institutions of higher education. This is a privilege limited exclusively to our School in India.

Reinventing Tomorrow

Following its mission statement, CAJCS aims towards providing holistic growth to all its students, empowering young minds to reflect on issues of local and global concern, in order to impact positive change through collaboration and cooperation. Making teaching and learning at the school a collaborative process and making students responsible for their own learning, while making their time at school an engaging and memorable experience as well, the school lays equal emphasis on the mental wellbeing of the students. The school organises from time to time talks for parents on mental health issues, collaborates with some other organizations who come and conduct workshops.

Needless to say, teachers across disciplines collaborate on lessons and skills so that the student can acknowledge, compare, contrast and appreciate different perspectives and ethical concerns. With the fast changing world and the challenges faced by the youngsters, pastoral care has become more important than ever. The school counseling office is in touch with many of the industry captains and who have been alumni so the students have been interns in their firms which exposes them to a lot of opportunities for their future.

Providing individual attention has become important in these gloomy times of uncertainty revolving around us, and how the teachers at CAJCS act as guaranteed mentors, add to the learner support class facilitating one­ on-one tutoring and mentoring to the students.

Qualified counselors across all sections of the school meet the students regularly to get firsthand knowledge of students and their emotional needs. The school emphasizes on the development of all-round personalities ensuring that the students emerge informed, articulate and confident and are able to hold their own in any forum.

Focusing on the importance of practical knowledge over textbook knowledge, the school has shifted to skill based learning, and questions are not just answered, but are the cornerstone of all the classes.

Making the most of the project based learning, flipped classrooms, Socratic seminars, peer reviews, regular feedback and reflection are just some of the valuable methods and strategies employed for students to direct their learning. Adding to that, students are given the agency to choose their learning methods and even topics where possible. Not just teaching, but assessments too are differentiated to recognise individual strengths and challenges, and a range of oral and written formative assessments are conducted to inform the teaching and learning process.

Promoting Overall Holistic Development

Apart from imparting exceptional schooling experiences, services have always been a huge part of the Cathedral education. The children of CAJCS are increasingly more aware of their own privileges and mindful of others in need, emerging as compassionate and empowered citizens of the nation and the world, engaging in service projects from food drives to fund raising; conducting webinars on issues such as fake news, presenting Tedtalks, and hosting an international Model United Nations.

Along with the academic knowledge the students critically engage with contemporary and pressing global issues from the HeForShe movement, to climate change, Corona Quilt Project, all of which continue to hone their spirit of creativity and empathy.

CAS clubs range from theatre and dance to culture, robotics, photography and astronomy. Subjects such as art and music are celebrated through events such as Encore, an online music concert and the Out of the Box, the exhibition for charity. All this is in addition to a vibrant house system with its wide range of cultural and sports activities, largely led by the seniors of the school, inculcate responsibility, leadership and team building.

Keeping the situation of COVID-pandemic in mind, CAJCS has already adjusted to the new normal, while adapting completely to the Hybrid model of classes, as it is the way of the future now and a range of blended learning practices will be included. With the absolute plethora of information available today, digital media literacy is key, motivating teachers to embrace the challenges of the fast changing technology. Progressing each day with a multimodal approach not only engages students better but also enables differentiation giving both teacher and student more options. All teachers are, or have become adept at using a range of online platforms, whether for teaching and learning, or online assessments, with the strong IT team supporting the whole procedure of E-teaching, in a smooth manner.

The school also boasts of illustrious alumni which include captains of industry, scientists, social activists, doctors, lawyers, actors and writers; each one is a beneficiary of the education provided by the institution. The school has proved, over 150 years, that motivation through academics and extracurricular activities creates confident, compassionate and intelligent global citizens of tomorrow.

Like all good schools, no matter how old, Cathedral never stands still. It melds the best of the past with the challenges of the present. Once the bastion of English public school values, today it reflects the multiculturalism that is India.

The Cathedral and John Connon Alumni Association (www.catalumni.com) has over 3,500 members, amongst them are some remarkable people – captains of industry, scientists, social activists, doctors and writers; each one a product of his or her education from a school with a long and illustrious past, and a most promising future.