Important News

Election Day

Election Day

On Thursday, the school (Y2 upwards) took part in a mock election. Four members of Year 6 researched the policies of the four political parties representing Bermondsey and Old Southwark and presented them to the school.

There were five rounds of questioning: Education, a safer UK, a more prosperous UK, healthcare and the issue of the UK’s impending departure from the EU.

The representatives were fantastic, on top of their briefs and explained complex issues really well for the younger
children. Year 6 were given 5 posters for each for political party and placed them round the school.

In the afternoon, the school went to the polls with a mock ballot slip for this constituency. Year 6 counted the votes and aimed to beat Sunderland’s 48 minute record in 2015.

The Liberal Democrats won 46% of the whole school vote. Class by class, they also were the largest party in all but one of the classes. In that class, the Brexit Party received the most votes.

 

The whole school results are included in the gallery. It was a very worthwhile exercise as we further explored the British value of democracy.

Easter Praise

Easter Praise

The school’s Easter service was at Southwark Cathedral today.

As part of it, Year 4 performed ‘Easter Praise’. It was such a professional show – the acting was superb with really memorable performances, the singing was beautiful and full of energy, and of course it was the first time Year 4 had done a musical like this which is a huge responsibility – and everyone thought it was terrific.

They were really confident throughout, and the story of the most important event in the Christian faith really shone through.

We were also delighted that the writer and composer of the show, Sheila Wilson, surprised us by paying us a visit. She told Year 4 that it was the best performance she had seen of this show. She said the performance was amazing and was bowled over by the quality of the production. It was really wonderful to meet her.

Ranked #1 Primary School in London

Ranked #1 Primary School in London

The primary league tables were published yesterday and we were ranked the top primary school in
London, a feat never before achieved by the school.

There were 101 schools around the country who achieved 100% expected combined – then when they
are ranked in order of greater depth combined we are 5th in the country and 1st in London.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/0/primary-school-league-table-2018-search-compare-best-primary/

As we all know, exam results are just one measure of a school’s success, but nevertheless it is a
tremendous achievement and thanks to everyone who has made the school such a special place of
learning over the years.

Christmas Service

Christmas Service

On Friday, the school held its Christmas Service in Southwark Cathedral. It is always a special occasion and this year was no exception. It featured ‘Gold, Frankincense and Mirth’ which was led by Y5 supported by the other KS2 classes, while the younger children from EYFS and Year 1 sang ‘Away in a Manger’.

‘Gold, Frankincense and Mirth’ was a humorous and touching Nativity musical which Year 5 performed tremendously well. Their confidence, ability and talent shone through as they told the story of the birth of Jesus with a few jokes along the way. The singing from all the children was beautiful, particularly Ellah’s (Y6) solo from ‘Once in Royal David’s City’. Franklin’s (Y4) reading was very polished and professional.

It was great to see the many parents and friends of the school at the Cathedral for this service.

Spanish Day

Spanish Day

On Thursday, we celebrated ‘Dia de Español’ (Spanish Day) at Cathedral School. It was wonderful to see so many of the children dressed up in traditional Spanish costumes and colours! We started the day by singing ‘Hola Hola’ in assembly. The children then spent the morning learning Spanish phrases, listening to and translating Spanish stories and making sums out of Spanish word problems.

At lunchtime, traditional Spanish music was played in the hall as children and staff enjoyed either Spanish chicken or omelette followed by some very delicious churros!

This afternoon, a range of activities took place from flamenco dancing to decorating Spanish flag bunting to Miro inspired drawings. All around the school it was lovely to hear the childrenpractising their Spanish and showing so much enthusiasm for Spanish language and culture.

Finally, thank you very much to all of our parent readers who came and read a Spanish story to the children. It was such a great opportunity for the children to ask questions about Spanish culture and language and hear a story from a native Spanish speaker.

Extraordinary Outcomes

Extraordinary Outcomes

Year 6 recently took their SATs tests in May and we are very pleased with the results:

These results are exceptional. As you can see 100% of pupils achieved ‘expected’ level in all subjects.
The figure of 53% of children exceeding the expected level in reading, writing and maths is also remarkable when compared to 2017 national percentage of 9%.

It is important to note that the children were congratulated long before their results were published – for doing their very best.

In practice, it is extremely difficult for schools to ensure that every child leaves Year 6 having achieved the ‘expected’ standard in reading, writing and maths. In fact, this is the first time it has been achieved by any school in Southwark since the tests started assessing the content of the 2014 curriculum. Which makes this achievement all the more remarkable.

Also, it is worth noting, if you were to compare assessment results from different years, that all year groups are unique in every school – with different children and varied challenges, but, in smaller schools, percentages can vary significantly year-on-year despite receiving exactly the same quality of curriculum and teaching. Each child represents a bigger ‘percentage’ in small schools like ours.

Needless to say, we are hugely proud of the outcomes and thanks and congratulations go to everyone involved – all the teaching and support staff who have taught this class throughout their time here and the parents who have been hugely supportive of their children’s learning.

Reading to – and with – your child each evening, practising spellings and multiplication tables (from Y2) are all things every parent can do to give their children the best start in school and in life.
Particular thanks go to Mr Morrell and Brenda for making the children’s Year 6 so successful.

Sports Day

Sports Day

Last week at Cathedral School we ended a super Sports Week with a splendid Sports Day! In their classes, pupils were divided into colour teams: Red, Yellow and Blue. Over at the Marlborough, the colour teams went head to head to compete in a number of fun sports activities and races (as you can see from the photos below). It was a fabulous, fun-filled day with lots of excitement and cheering. Thank you to everyone who came and support the children, and Cathedral School.