Mr White is the head of department and coordinator for secondary Religious Education across the multi-academy trust. He is also the spiritual life and RSE lead for the school. Joining the school in 2009 as a teacher of Physical Education, Mr White began teaching Religious Education in 2013. He has an honours degree in law, another in divinity and a master’s in education. Before joining the school, Mr White engaged in missionary work for a Benedictine Abbey in Tanzania. He taught English to young seminarians as well as hundreds of other students across five schools whilst also volunteering at an orphanage. He continues to serve as lead catechist for St Patrick’s Church and is an active member of the music ministry at St Theresa’s Parish in Birstall.

Mr Alessandrelli comes from Italy. He moved to England in 2013 having served for 16 years in the Italian Navy. During this time, he engaged in various military operations including search and rescue missions for migrants and refugees who had gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea. Mr Alessandrelli has been active in numerous other humanitarian missions, including the international aid response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010. He completed his CCRS in 2022 and is a highly valued member of the RE department. He brings new and creative ideas to the team with a strong and sincere desire to work for social justice. His military experience continues to serve him well in his current role as head of year.

Mr Boonham was appointed head of department for Religious Education, Citizenship and PSHE at the Stonehill High School before taking on the same post at the Cedars Academy. He joined English Martyrs’ in 2018 taking on a range of wider responsibilities relating to spiritual life and leadership within the RE department. Wielding a degree in sociology, Mr Boonham is an experienced head of year, an EVC and one of the school’s safeguarding leads. He is an accredited trainer and coach and has led training days and mentored trainee teachers for the School of Education at the University of Leicester. He has also worked with the British Council as part of the initiative ‘Connecting Classrooms Middle East’. Mr Boonham completed his CCRS in 2021.

Mr Gallagher is the newest member of the department but is by no means new to teaching! Mr Gallagher comes with a wealth of experience spanning decades across multiple schools up and down the country. He has been a head of department and a head of sixth form. He has been a lay chaplain and a spiritual life lead. Mr Gallagher has an extensive record of outstanding GCSE and A-Level exam results. He has a degree in Theology and English with acute subject knowledge in Philosophy and Ethics. Mr Gallagher started his own journey in education at Ratcliffe College. It would appear his teaching career has now gone full circle, and he has returned to where he belongs!

Mr Gonzalo completed his teaching degree in Physical Education at the University of the Basque Country. He completed his teacher training between 2006 and 2008 at Saint Vincent de Paul and Salesians in Bilbao (northern Spain). Mr Gonzalo achieved his QTS in 2011 and began working at English Martyrs’ in 2012. Over the years, he has undertaken a wide range of responsibilities including teaching Spanish, Travel and Tourism, PE and Religious Education. He has served the school community as retreat leader and has led many a successful trip to Castlerigg Manor. Mr Gonzalo has also coached and had responsibility for managing and coordinating all the school’s football teams. He joined the department in 2015 completing his CCRS qualification in 2017.

Mr Hunka has served 28 years within the school community and has dedicated over three decades of his life to Catholic education. He has held many roles over the years including head of year, second in department and lead for student enrichment. In addition to his BA and PGCE, Mr Hunka achieved a master’s in theology from Heythrop in 2005. He is a member of many institutions including the Royal Institute of Philosophers and has had work reported in a number of national articles. He continues to pursue his studies with a doctorate in theology. A budding cellist and qualified apiarist, Mr Hunka is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic and is dual rite in practice. A devoted family man, Mr Hunka is blessed with a wonderful wife, two teenage children and a pet barn owl.