Catholic Life and Mission

Catholic Life and Mission

Ss Peter and Paul's is a Catholic School, seeking to encourage the child's deeper love and understanding of our faith and foster a desire to follow Jesus.

The family, the school and the Catholic community of our parish are three main areas of development for our children. Religious Education, although part of the Curriculum, is far more than a subject to us at Ss Peter and Paul's Catholic Primary School. It influences all aspects of school life and relationships. We hope that by developing this Catholic emphasis, we are building a caring attitude in school which will be evident in all our relationships between staff and children.

Example, instruction and practice within the context of family, school and parish create an all-pervading atmosphere of Catholic attitudes, values and ethos.

As a Catholic school, we feel that the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is a major strength of our school. It underpins the education of our pupils and establishes a caring, orderly and self disciplined learning community. We seek to encourage the children to work together and to willingly take on responsibility. They learn to share and value the achievement of others. The moral development of our children flows from a firm spiritual base.

Scripture

Scripture is at the heart of our school and curriculum. We classify scripture as "a message from the Bible".

Faith In Action Award

The children in Year Six work towards the 'Pin' level of the CYMFED 'Faith In Action Award'. The Faith in Action Award builds on what young people already experience in serving others, asking them to reflect upon it so that they may find new ways of living out and exploring their faith. There is an opportunity for both guided reflections, through group reflection points and personal reflection, through journaling.

Pupils are able to say why they should behave and make the choices they do and that they are following Christ's example to reach out to the most vulnerable.  Our Year 6 pupils have positively engaged with this call to action and in turn are now starting to live out their faith in a meaningful way. 

Supporting Charities

Over recent years, we have supported a range of charities. Our children want to make a difference to others, both locally and around the world. 

Community Engagement Week

Community Engagement Week takes place twice per year. In the Spring term, every class participates in an event within the local community to support and make a difference. 

In the Summer term, volunteers are invited into school to talk about their career, interests, hobbies or the significant role they play in the community of Cramlington and beyond. 

Aspirational Campaigns 

Aspirational Campaigns run throughout the year. Our most recent campaign was inspired by the book, The Dot:

Just make your mark and see where it takes you!

As part of a new aspirational campaign, pupils at Ss Peter and Paul’s Catholic Primary School, Cramlington have been studying a book called, ‘The Dot’. The book, by Peter H Reynolds, tells the story of a young girl called Vashti who lacks self-belief when drawing. Her teacher knows that there’s creative spirit in everyone, and encourages Vashti to sign the angry dot she makes in frustration on a piece of paper. This act makes Vashti look at herself differently and helps her discover that everyone has potential to achieve their dreams.

In school, all children have enjoyed creating their very own artistic masterpiece, based on a simple dot. The book has inspired pupils to look at their own unique gifts and talents, considering how they can develop them further in order to be successful and share their gifts with others.

Whilst discussing key concepts of the book, pupils were able to identify the importance of resilience in achieving one’s dreams. We discussed, in classes, how important it is to be flexible and adaptable. These qualities are at the heart of our school’s core values and pupils are rewarded for displaying them in school through our rewards system.  We encourage all stakeholders in school to be lifelong learners, promoting the importance of having clear goals and a plan to achieve them.

In order to boost our pupils’ aspirations further, we will be holding a ‘Careers Week’ in June, where pupils will learn about potential career paths. We are inviting visitors from a range of professions into school to inspire our pupils – seeing real-life examples of people who have reached their goals and fulfilled their potential, something we wish for each and every one of our students.