Please remember in your prayers over the coming two months pupils and students at St Peter’s and Oaklands who will be undertaking various different forms of public and national assessments.  Students aged 16 and 18 tend to grab the headlines in the August results, but don’t forget about Year 6 SATs, Year 4 multiplication tables tests, and Year 1 phonics screening tests.  Equally, exams such as GCSEs and A-Levels may have the higher profile, but young people aged between 16 and 18 take a wide variety of different courses assessments to test their learning, check their understanding and exercise their recall.  All of the different types of assessment are designed to give young people the best opportunities in the next stages of their lives, whether that is for further learning and study, an apprenticeship or entering directly into the workplace.  The pupils and students in our schools work incredibly hard, guided by teachers and a wide range of learning support and auxiliary staff – they all would appreciate your prayers as the academic year enters its final furlong. 

Mr R Cunningham
Executive Headteacher

It been a long, wet winter followed by a cold, damp spring, but evidence keeps popping up in St Peter’s that we are finally in something of a spring that could even foretell the arrival of summer. Some pupils have started top brave shorts and summer dresses as school uniform, we had one lunchtime play on the school field last week (which was rained off in the end!) and this week another display of floral beauty in the school.

We also had that annual spring event of the national school place offer day for Reception Year, and I am pleased to say that St Peter’s Early Years classes will be full to the brim next September. We look forward to welcoming our next generation of children, parents and carers to the St Peter’s family over the coming months.

Mr R Cunningham
Executive Headteacher

St Peter’s is delighted to announce that we have achieved the Silver Artsmark Award. This is a great achievement for our school and a wonderful recognition of the strength and breadth of our arts provision.  The assessors’ feedback highlighted how the arts at St Peter’s have moved from enrichment to true entitlement – becoming increasingly central to our curriculum and to pupils’ wider experience of school. They recognised the growth in extra-curricular opportunities, improvements in curriculum design and progression, increased staff confidence and the positive impact on pupil wellbeing, engagement and expression. It is also particularly pleasing that our inclusive approach to the arts and the therapeutic use of art, music and storytelling were noted so positively. 

Special thanks to Mrs Pearson, who led this project with dedication and determination. The process of gathering evidence, reflecting on practice and compiling the report required an enormous amount of time and care.  This recognition is a celebration of the work that all colleagues do to create a vibrant arts culture at St Peter’s. From art, music, choir, performance and storytelling through to creative curriculum opportunities and enrichment activities. Every class teacher, support staff member and leader plays a part in ensuring that creativity thrives across our school.  Well done to them all for their continued commitment to placing the arts as an important part of our pupils’ experience.

And, to accompany this happy news, a happy picture from the first day of the summer term.

Mr R Cunningham
Executive Headteacher