CATHOLIC LIFE

DIOCESAN INSPECTION REPORT 2019

St Cuthbert’s is a warm and welcoming school where everyone shares the clear vision of the headteacher. The wellbeing and personal development of all pupils and staff is at the heart of this community, where pupils are helped to develop their faith and their understanding of God’s love for them.

The Catholic Life of the school is outstanding because the mission and ethos of Catholic education is evident in every aspect of school life. The work of the school is highly valued by all who have contact with it.

The quality of Religious Education is outstanding because staff know their pupils well and teach lessons that engage and enthuse them. Leaders and managers ensure that monitoring and evaluation is accurate, timely and embedded in the work of the school.

The quality of Collective Worship is outstanding because it is central to the life of the school. Staff and pupils, led by inspirational leaders, plan and lead high quality acts of worship where all pupils act with deep reverence and respect.

Section 48 Inspection March 2019

Diocesan Inspection Report

STATEMENT OF VALUES & ETHOS

At St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School we follow in the footsteps of Jesus promoting the Gospel values to the whole school community:

Respect - Respect for others, respect for the school building, respect for the values and beliefs of others, respect for ourselves, respect for our Catholic community, respect for other religions, countries and cultures.

Forgiveness - Following Jesus’ teachings by seeking to reconcile our differences, by saying sorry and by forgiving others and giving opportunities to make things better.

Truth - Knowing that telling the truth and being honest is always the right way.

Kindness - Trying our best to show kindness to others in all that we say and do, having kind hands and kind words for everyone – even those we find it hard to get on with sometimes.

Equality - Every human being is equal and valuable and loved by God. Everyone in our school is equal, unique and special and we treat everyone fairly. Everyone is equally special regardless of their gender, religion, ethnicity or cultural background.

CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING

LAUDATO SI

Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, is a profound invitation to everyone on the planet to care for our common home. The encyclical was published on the 18 June 2015.

Pope Francis challenges us to consider the kind of world we want to leave to those who come after us. It discusses the damage being inflicted on the Earth by humans and calls on ‘every person living on this planet’ to make urgent changes to our lifestyles.

It’s not just an ‘environment encyclical’, it leads us to ask ourselves about the meaning of existence and the values at the heart of social life: “What is the purpose of our life in this world? What is the goal of our work and all our efforts? What need does the earth have of us?” (Bishops’ Conference- The Catholic Church in England and Wales)

At St Cuthbert's, we have been looking at the important part we all play in looking after our world.

See Laudato Si’ – CAFOD animation for schools video, below.

LIVING SIMPLY & FAITH IN ACTION AWARDS

Serving ‘The Common Good’

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

An essential part of the Catholic faith, the key values of Catholic Social Teaching are found at the core of the Gospel. The key themes of Catholic Social Teaching are:

Human Dignity
Community & Participation
Care for Creation
Dignity in Work
Option for the Poor
Solidarity & Peace

The children, staff, parents and all involved in the community of St Cuthbert's are here to serve.

“Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world.

Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good.

Yours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.”

St Theresa of Avila

The children at St Cuthbert's have ben inspired by Pope Francis to commit to taking part in two awards which will show the positive and lasting impact our faith can have on our own school and the wider community.

The CAFOD LiveSimply award is an opportunity for our school to answer the call for us to care for our common home and stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers around the world as a way of “protecting this world which God has entrusted to us”.

The Faith in Action Award, led by the Catholic Youth Ministry Federation, will allow our Year 6 pupils to take a leading role in helping the rest of the pupils at St Cuthbert's discover how faith shapes lives. Seeking to serve the community helps us discover even more about ourselves, each other and God.

We are looking forward to sharing our journey with you.

Serving ‘The Common Good’

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

An essential part of the Catholic faith, the key values of Catholic Social Teaching are found at the core of the Gospel. The key themes of Catholic Social Teaching are:

Human Dignity
Community & Participation
Care for Creation
Dignity in Work
Option for the Poor
Solidarity & Peace

The children, staff, parents and all involved in the community of St Cuthbert's are here to serve.

“Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world.

Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good.

Yours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.”

St Theresa of Avila

The children at St Cuthbert's have ben inspired by Pop Francis to commit to taking part in two awards which will show the positive and lasting impact our faith can have on our own school and the wider community.

Macmillan Coffee Morning

We have really enjoyed hosting our annual coffee morning, raising funds for this incredibly worthwhile cause. Raising money in memory of someone you've lost to cancer is a great way to celebrate your loved one's life and make a difference to people living with cancer.

We also took the opportunity to offer parents and carers the chance to swap some uniform and give some pre-loved items a new home!

A huge thank you to everyone who supported us this week. We raised an amazing £250 for this fantastic cause!

MINI VINNIES

The Mini Vinnies have held their first meeting to discuss which charity they would like to fundraise for. They decided to fundraise for an anti bullying charity, so they researched different options, presented their ideas and voted to support the charity, 'Bullies Out'.

They also came up with ideas for fundraising. Their next step is to put their ideas into action!

The Mini Vinnies have chosen to support the charity 'Bullies Out' after researching lots of different anti-bullying charities. They have planned and managed a project to 'name the bear' to raise money.

The Mini Vinnies have been busy planning their campaign to raise money for 'Bullies Out'. They have ordered a teddy and come up with a list of names to choose. They've also created posters to display around school and presented their ideas to all of the different classes so that everyone knows about the event.

CHAPLAINCY

Chaplaincy is understood as the way help and encouragement is offered to staff and pupils as they try to fulfil their respective roles within the school community. We recognise and appreciate the role played by staff, parents, priests, governors and pupils as we try to fulfil our aim of being “the best we can, showing Christ’s love in all we do.” Our Chaplaincy Team exists to foster the Christ-centred Catholic ethos of the school and to create and maintain God’s peace in our school. Through a variety of liturgical and spiritual opportunities, we support and encourage all pupils and staff in their faith journey.

The welfare of staff and pupils is given high priority by the leadership. However, through the pastoral care exhibited towards the needs of the pupils, all members of staff within the school contribute to a whole school approach to Chaplaincy.

Our school’s Chaplain is Mrs Anna Haighton, who supports and leads our Chaplaincy team.

The Young Chaplains team comprises of three children from Years 5 and three from Year 6. They lead, with guidance from our School Chaplain Leader, lunchtime interactive prayer sessions called, ‘Footsteps in Faith’ in our Chapel, based around the teachings of the Bible and prayer. They provide a voice to the school chaplaincy team and evaluate the effectiveness of the school by contributing to the school’s Pupil DSEF whilst working closely with the School Chaplain. The Young Chaplains aim to enhance the prayer life and spirituality of the school through their input and example. They also contribute to liturgical displays, various Sacred Spaces around the school and prayer tables.

The Chaplaincy team aim to:

Support the school in emphasising its spirituality and Catholicity as set out in the school’s mission statement
Support and encourage the school’s pastoral care for the whole school, pupils, staff and parents
Promote, plan and organise the celebration of liturgies and cooperate with others in developing the school as a Christian community
Develop the prayer environment and Sacred Spaces across and outside of the school
Children are prepared for Reconciliation and Eucharist in Year 4. During this time of preparation, staff, parents and priests all contribute to the children’s spiritual development.
Children have the opportunity to receive the Eucharist at school and class masses.
Children have the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

A Bible reading group led by the Young Chaplains is offered for children from KS1 and KS2 weekly through our Footsteps in Faith group, giving the children an opportunity to share thoughts of readings and a time for prayer.

Chaplaincy Policy