St Edmund’s Catholic Primary School
‘Learn, Love and Live with the Lord’
Parish AGM Report
May 2017
As Headteacher of St Edmund’s I am delighted to provide this report on some of the events that have taken place during the course of the last year.
We were extremely pleased with the End of Key Stage results at the end of 2016, this was the first year of the new national assessments and the children did extremely well with 97% meeting expected standards in grammar and 93% for maths and English. The Year 6 children took this year’s tests two weeks ago and we know they have worked very hard this year.
In a change from last year, whilst the school is still oversubscribed with a total of 75 applications for a place in Reception in September 2017, there were less first choice preferences. This means that all Catholic families who put St Edmund’s as their first choice secured a place.
In November we welcomed Bishop Richard to St Edmund’s. He met all the children and celebrated a very special Mass for the whole school.
Before Christmas we had a wonderful nativity play from our younger children. Year 3 and 4 classes led a special carol service. The week before Easter our Year 6 pupils performed a beautiful Passion Play, a special event to which we were pleased to welcome families, friends and parishioners.
We have a wide range of enrichment activities and educational visits throughout the year. This year these include: the school council visiting the Houses of Parliament; Young Voices choir singing at the O2; Year 1 to Painshill Park, Year 2 to Hampton Court Palace; residential visits to Sayers Croft for Year 4 and last week Year 6 went to Outdoor Adventure in for 5 days of adventurous activities.
We were delighted to welcome Fr David to our school community last term. His first official engagement was our Ash Wednesday Liturgy at the start of Lent. We had Mass during Lent on Thursday mornings before school. We have taken groups of children to Mass at St Edmund’s on a Thursday morning during Lent. Fr Teyrnon from St John’s Seminary came to support Fr David in a special reconciliation service for the children during Advent and Lent. Children in KS2 had the opportunity to attend individual confessions after the service if they wished.
We have strengthened our links with Wintershall’s Education Department and they have led two assemblies for the whole school and wonderful workshops for Key Stage 2 children led by James Burke-Dunsmore who plays the role of Jesus. Our Year 4 class will be going to watch The Life of Christ later this term.
Our annual May procession to Ladywell went ahead today and thankfully the weather was beautiful. Fr David celebrated Mass for us and we were made to feel very welcome by the sisters at Ladywell some of whom joined us for Mass. The children then processed to the statue of Mary in Minster field and laid their flowers there and we had a wonderful picnic afterwards.
Sr Ann from Ladywell continues to come to school every Wednesday lunchtime to lead a special prayer group with the children. We are very grateful for her time and support.
We have had the pleasure of working with two trainee priests, Stephen and Steve from St John’s Seminary this year; they have come to work with us once a week as part of their training. We have two seminarians lined up ready to come next year, Joseph and Paul.
On Sundays 7th and 14th May children from St Edmund’s made their First Holy Communion. They were both very special days and they all looked fantastic in their smart suits and beautiful dresses, the weather was good and the sun even managed to shine for the occasion.
We aim to put copies of our half termly newsletter in the parish Mass centres where you can read our school news and what the children have been learning each half term, we hope that this will give you a taste of what has been happening at St Edmund’s. If you would like to find out more about our school or have a skill or talent that you would like to share with us please get in touch, we are you are very welcome to come and visit.
Elizabeth Higgins
Headteacher