Catholic Life of the School

The importance for us of Catholic life is something that permeates through everything we do. Our children lead by example in this and in everything they do here at St Joseph’s. It is through our Catholic life that the children are able to enhance their spirituality and to develop their faith further. Our work with our Parish and within our community exemplifies us as Catholic role models for all. Working with our Parish Priest who supports prayer services, class masses and Friday parish masses. Our Chaplaincy visit the parish group Monthly and serves tea and entertain. The opening of our prayer room in July was a new era for us as we look at new and exciting initiatives to really celebrate us as Catholics.

Our Section 48 Inspection from January 2018 states that Catholic Life at St Joseph’s is Outstanding because;

• Pupils across the phases are offered a rich experience of Catholic life.
• The school meets the 10% curriculum time requirement of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
• Worship and prayer are integral to the day to day life of the school. It offers pupils engaging, innovative and creative experiences of the richness of the Catholic tradition.
• Pupil are pro-active stewards of the Common Good and have a deep understanding of the teaching of the Church and countless opportunities to engage in action for those in need. The children have a dynamic and deep understanding of the call to human flourishing.
• The contribution of religious education to the Catholic life of the school is a strength and its influence permeates all aspects of the stimulating learning environment across all areas of the school.
• Pupil are exemplary ambassadors for their school, demonstrating an excellent understanding of the mission of the Church.
• The headteacher, in partnership with the deputy head and all staff, is the driving force in school development and its striving for excellence.
• The governing body has a clear understanding of its strategic role as governors. They work towards making a highly significant contribution to the work and Catholic dimension of the school.
• The school’s self-evaluation accurately reflects the outstanding Catholic life of the school.

Catholic Life in Action

Our Celebrations during Autumn Term

Year 3 Prayer service

Year 3 held their Prayer Service on Wednesday. They explained beautifully how God is present in every home and that his love binds our family together within the home through good times and bad times.

Year 2 Prayer service

Thank you to all those who came to support our prayer service yesterday 

They children thoroughly enjoyed it. We learnt about God's wonderful creation and how we can continue God's work today

Buddy Assembly 1

What a pleasure it was to see Yr6 welcoming their buddies to St Joseph’s School. As part of Yr 6's wellbeing they have been participating in activities together such as painting, reading stories and outdoors playing.

Yr6 were awarded their buddy badges and Reception were awarded their prayer books. Making both parents and teachers very proud.

As always it was an outstanding assembly

Year 1 Prayer service

Year 1 had their first prayer service this week. We have been looking at families in RE both in our weekly RE and in our other religions unit. We have discussed what makes a family special to us and how we are all part of God's family. I am so proud of year 1 for leaning their lines, remembering the signs to our song and for just being the amazing children they are. We hope you enjoyed watching as much as we enjoyed sharing with you. Miss Axon

Buddy Assembly 2

Again, an outstanding performance by Year 6 and Reception. A pleasure to see them welcoming their buddies to St Joseph’s School. 

Yr6 were awarded their buddy badges and Reception were awarded their prayer books. Making both parents and teachers very proud. They look forward to spending more quality time together in the coming year.

October Mary Celebrations

During the month of October we focus on Mary, the Mother of God, who dedicated her life to Jesus. Our cloths are blue on our reflection tables to remind of Mary and we have looked at many different representations of Mary from around the world including China, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Italy, Poland, Africa as well as Spain, India and the Caribbean. We have said the Rosary as well as hearing the Rosary in other languages from around the world.

Celebrating our Trust Feast Day.

St Francis of Assisi was celebrated on Tuesday 4^th October with assemblies and class discussions.Also during our Mass we had special readings and of course our St Francis hymn.

Year 4 Communion Celebration

Today our year 4 class celebrated their First Holy Communion together as a class, they attended Mass in church this morning followed by a celebration in the afternoon.

All the children looked so smart, thank you to all those parents who attended and supported this celebration. Please take a look at Year 4’s class news for more details.

Westminster Pentecost Service (09.06.22)

We had such a wonderful experience travelling on the tube to Victoria yesterday afternoon and to be welcomed by musicians playing steal pans outside Westminster Cathedral. We were invited to the Diocesan Pentecostal Liturgy, held in the Cathedral to celebrate our diverse and rich community we have here within our Diocese, with the theme of racial justice, equality and welcoming the Holy Spirit to all. We watched some amazing performances by other schools including bidding prayers in home languages, singing, poetry and drama. We also had our very own photo taken with the Bishop himself!! A wonderful experience for all, and a true reflection of wonders of our diverse school here within our walls at St Joseph's.