Welcome to St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School!
St. Joseph’s is a school of love and hope. We believe that a Catholic education develops the full potential of all young people, leading to their life-long activities being guided by the Spirit and presence of Christ, in the service of God and others.
Our school is dedicated to St. Joseph because he inspires us to be caring, faithful and hardworking, just like he was. We honour him as a role model for our community. Joseph was a carpenter who cared for Mary and Jesus with great love and faith. He trusted God’s plan, even when it was challenging, and is a wonderful example of kindness and hard work. St. Joseph is the patron saint of workers, families, and the Church, making him a special figure in our faith.
The school focuses on the education of the whole child, therefore, our curriculum places Gospel values and Catholic Social Teaching at the heart of all learning. As a whole-school community, we are inspired by Pope Francis’ call to be stewards of all God’s creation.
Parents are the first educators of their child in faith and a strong home-school link is fundamental in supporting the school in its mission. Together, we provide support for the faith community, helping to form a Christian conscience, and in addressing the increasingly secular influences of popular culture.
Please read our most recent Section 48 Inspection Report by clicking on the link below.
October 2019 St Joseph’s Section 48 RE Report
Our House Saints
St. Patrick (Patron Saint of Ireland)
St. Patrick, born in the 4th century, is one of the most beloved saints in Catholic tradition. Originally from Britain, he was captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland as a slave. After escaping and returning home, he later returned to Ireland as a missionary, spreading Christianity across the country. He is credited with using a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity and is the patron saint of Ireland. His feast day, the 17th of March, is celebrated worldwide.
St. George (Patron Saint of England)
St. George, a 3rd-century Christian martyr, is known for his courage and faith. According to legend, he slayed a dragon to save a princess, a symbol of the triumph of good over evil. His unwavering dedication to Christ, even unto death, has made him a symbol of bravery. St. George is the patron saint of England and his feast day is celebrated on the 23rd of April.
St. Andrew (Patron Saint of Scotland)
St. Andrew, the brother of St. Peter, was one of Jesus’ first disciples. He is said to have been crucified on an X-shaped cross, which is now a symbol of Scotland, where he is the patron saint. St. Andrew’s Feast Day is celebrated on the 30th of November. He is a symbol of faith and humility.
St. David (Patron Saint of Wales)
St. David, a 6th-century bishop and monk, is the patron saint of Wales. He founded several monastic communities and is often depicted with a dove. He was renowned for his wisdom and dedication to the Christian faith. His feast day, the 1st of March, is widely celebrated in Wales with parades and cultural events.
Welcome Liturgy
We had a very special Liturgy of the Word to celebrate and welcome the new children who have joined our St Joseph’s family. We reflected on the unique light that each child brings and how we all shine brightly together as part of one St Joseph’s community.
Sister Anne
Throughout the year Sister Anne has led retreat sessions across the school for all year groups. She has helped us grow deeper in our faith as we prepared for Christmas and Easter by leading us in prayer. She has worked tirelessly to support us in our lessons by working with teachers on lessons to help us grow closer to Jesus. These were uplifted by including her entertaining stories and raps on parables such as “The Good Samaritan.” As part of their lessons, pupils in EYFS and Year 4 interviewed her to understand what it means to be a nun. School Chaplains met weekly with her to develop and enhance their role across the school. Every week she came in and supported pupils across the school accompanying groups on many occasions. Thank you Sister Anne for all of your hard work, dedication, and joy that you have brought to St Joseph’s. As she leaves us to return to Manchester one of the Year 5 pupils said,” “May God Bless you with happiness as you continue to bring the Lord’s Word to life.”
Change for Change Day
Using the “parable of the Talents’ as an inspirational starting point pupils receive a £10 loan to design, and manage a fundraising stall for a charity of their choice. On the afternoon of St Joseph’s Feast Day the whole school is invited to attend the event and have fun whilst raising money for good causes using loose change. The charities the pupils chose included: CAFOD, WaterAid, Watercan, Ocean Conservancy: Team Sea, Friends of the Earth, The Sea Turtle Foundation, NSPCC, Fauna and Flora: Conservation Leadership Programme, Dogs Trust, Cats Protection, The Honeypot Charity, WWF, World Vision and Rainforest Alliance. The event raised an amazing £900. Thank you to everyone who contributed and participated!!
A Visit from Bishop Nicholas Hudson
Rt Rev Hudson Thank you Letter
We welcomed Bishop Hudson to St Joseph’s. He visited the classes and spoke to the children about their work. In Year 4 Sapphire class one of the children asked “What is the most difficult things about being a bishop?” Bishop Hudson replied “When you have to tell a priest that they need to leave a parish and move to another one once they have become part of the community.” He attended an Irish bodhran drumming workshop and watched Indigo class perform “Imagine” in song and sign language. Bishop Hudson commented that throughout the school there was a lovely energy and atmosphere between staff and children. “The colourful and vibrant environment gives everyone visiting a real sense of a Catholic community.”
Meet the Pupil Chaplains
We are the Pupil Chaplains of St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School and we are incredibly proud to represent our school in this privileged role. We get to wear our special chaplain’s jumpers which are a different colour to the rest of the school. This is to distinguish us as having a special role within the school, so people can recognise who we are and what we do.
In order to be selected for this role, we had to apply for the position and then interviewed by the Executive Headteacher Miss Mc Flynn. We meet regularly supporting the Catholic Life of the school in a range of ways and to discuss and share our ideas.
Our school has its own Chapel, which we are very proud of. It is such a special place that we take our shoes off to enter, as a mark of respect. We take it in turns to be in the school’s Chapel during lunch times, where we are there to talk to pupils who pop in to prayer during their break. We also focus on enhancing the religious knowledge of younger children within the school and spread the Word of the Lord. We take part in Collective Worship across the school marking specific days throughout the Liturgical Year.
As Ambassadors for our school, we have accompanied prospective parents on tours around our beautiful school.
We have lots of ideas on how to live out our faith, and actively show this to the whole school community. Throughout the year we aim to support our community, focusing on local, national and international charities, through fundraising and campaigning activities. We aspire to follow in Jesus’ footsteps through our role as servant leaders.
Harvest Celebration
Earlier this week Year 4 led our school by celebrating the Harvest in their assembly. Our school community collected gifts to share with those who are struggling. This morning the Pupil Chaplains helped to load a car with all of the donations for our Harvest Festival. The generosity of the families in our school has been so over-whelming. It has been estimated that at least 600 products in total have been donated. Everything was taken to a local foodbank run by Light Project Pro International which is located in Islington. The group were extremely grateful. Well done to everyone. Your efforts will help a great number of families over the coming weeks.
The God who Speaks
As part of this special celebration, children from Key Stage 2 created some ‘Transient Art’ installations. Each group selected a favourite quote from the Bible and were asked to think about how their quote spoke to them? What did they feel was the message? They were then asked to create a piece of art, using a range of objects and materials, that they felt represented the words and meaning. Click on the images below to have a look at their creations.
Wrap Up London
This year, one of our pupils suggested that we participate in the Wrap Up London initiative this year. This is an excellent scheme that asks for members of the public to donate old and unwanted coats (still in good condition) to various Tube stations across London. The coats are then distributed to the homeless, refugees and victims fleeing domestic violence. We decided to host our own collection at school over a two week period. Our Pupil Chaplains then loaded them in to a van before they were taken to a Wrap Up London collection point.
The generosity of our school community was truly overwhelming! 156 coats for adults and children of all ages were donated! A massive thank you to all who contributed to such a worthy cause as the days and nights grow colder.
Easter Garden Project
Over the Easter holidays, lots of our families were busy getting crafty and creative. They were set the challenge of creating an Easter garden in order to help learn about and understand the story of Easter, the most special time in our church year. Take a look at their fabulous creations!
Lenten Service
Fr George came into school for our Lenten Service. We prayed to God that he would help us to try even harder to live like Jesus during this special time and we sang some beautiful hymns. Before it ended, we took turns in our classes to place our Lenten Promises at the foot of the cross. It was a beautiful service.
Lent to Easter
