The month of May seems to have flown by!  Since returning after Easter, Year 6 have successfully completed their SATs and are now in audition and rehearsal mode for their end of year performance of Mary Poppins.  Year 2 visited Southampton Sea City museum as part of their Titanic topic, Year 3 went to Fort Nelson to study the Romans and the Celts, and the whole school both marked and celebrated the 80^th anniversary of VE Day.  There definitely seems to be a strong history flavour to some of our curriculum events this half term, and how fitting that we have lived through the historic event of the election of a new Pope. 

The Church and the whole world will doubtless turn to Pope Leo XIV for guidance and moral leadership, so it is only right that we in return pray for him:

Faithful God,
You guide us on the path of life
and your goodness is our constant companion.

Be with our new Shepherd, Pope Leo XIV,
in his service of the Church.
Fill him with the power of your Spirit,
the peace of your presence
and the compassion of Christ.

May he walk with you,
in wisdom and humility,
and lead us, together with all God’s people,
to embody your love for the world.
Amen.

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher

The final report from the Ofsted inspection that took place at St Peter’s on 23^rd and 24^th April 2025 was published this week, and is available to read on the school website.  The outcome of the inspection is that St Peter’s Catholic Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified in the previous inspection of November 2019, an inspection which rated the school as “Good”. 

This outcome is a fitting acknowledgement of the hard work done by all of the staff of St Peter’s over the past six years, a time period which we must not forget included the huge disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic.  I must commend the good behaviour and mature conduct that the pupils showed during the inspection; they were a credit to their families and their teachers, and gave the very best impression of St Peter’s to the inspector.

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher

St Peter’s marked the 80th Anniversary of the momentous Victory in Europe day by dressing up in red, white and blue and gathering for a whole school picnic on the playing field.

At 12:00 midday, over 430 pupils and 55 staff stood for 2 minutes silence alongside the nation to remember with thanks and prayer the sacrifices made by so many across the globe during the Second World War.

Gracious God,
At this time of commemoration, we give thanks for the courage of those who fought for freedom and Peace in Europe. We honour the lives lost, the sacrifices made, and the unity that brought an end to tyranny.
May their legacy inspire us to stand for justice, to seek peace with humility, and to cherish the freedoms we now enjoy. Guide us to be peacemakers in our own time, with hearts full of gratitude and hope.
Amen.

Next, lunch was served, as pupils tucked into picnics both brought from home and provided by the school canteen.

The picnic lunch in the sunshine was accompanied by entertainment. Pupils who attend the SD Dance Studio club after school performed three popular wartime songs, the most vibrant of which was “Doing the Lambeth Walk” (above), after which the choir sang for the school a repertoire which included “Run, Rabbit Run!” (below).

Thank you to all the staff who worked so hard to arrange such a fitting celebration for the children.

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher

The Easter Eggs which St Peter’s collected have been shared with seafarers who came to Portsmouth on two ships around Easter time.  Representatives of Stella Maris explained that they had only brought the Easter Eggs which were donated by the children from St Peter’s Catholic Primary School in nearby Waterlooville; the seafarers were all surprised to the receive eggs since they don’t have this tradition in their countries, and even more surprised and impressed that the gifts came from the children. 

There was a very big thank you to everyone who gave the Easter Eggs from both Stella Maris and the hard working mariners. They were a wonderful treat for those who do not have their families and friends around to see and socialise with at this special time of the year.

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher

The staff and pupils of St Peter’s returned to school for the summer term on Tuesday 22 April for what turned out to be a very busy day.  As planned, we gathered as a whole school for a Liturgy of the Word that celebrated the resurrection of Christ and the joy of Easter.  The theme of the worship was hope out of despair.  The Liturgy of the Word then became a “two-part” affair as we continued with a reflection on the life, leadership and service of Pope Francis I following his death on Easter Monday.  It was both moving and reassuring to reflect upon how great a priority Pope Francis placed upon Catholic Social Teaching with the preferential treatment of the poor, which motivates so much of the charitable work we do in school, as well as the Holy Father’s commitment to the young people of the world.  Straight after the extended Celebration of the Word, I received a phone call from Ofsted for a routine 2-day inspection of St Peter’s.  The school is in a great place to receive this inspection; when the outcome of the visit is made public, it will be shared with our school and parish communities.

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher

Thank you to all the pupils, families and staff who were able to donate Easter Eggs to St Peter’s for our Stella Maris collection. These treats will go to global seafarers who will be visiting the ports of Portsmouth and Southampton over Holy Week the Easter period, along with faith materials, in celebration of this most solemn and joyous season. Pictured here is Deacon Nick O’Neill from the parish of St Michael and All Angels in Leigh Park, who packed his car with over 250 Easter Eggs.

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher

Easter is a movable feast; unlike Christmas it does not occur on a set date each calendar year.  The date of Easter is decided more by celestial and planetary patterns, falling each year on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.  (Remember that, it is bound to come in a quiz sometime!)  It is because Easter is so late this year, falling on Sunday 20 April 2025, that we have the strange sensation of finishing the term with 2 weeks of Lent still to go, and coming back to school on Tuesday 22 April the day after Easter Monday.  In other years, we have worked right up to Maundy Thursday and been able to mark the start of the Easter Triduum and Passion of Christ with a very reflective service on the last afternoon of the spring term.  Not this year though.  However, we did get to mark Ash Wednesday in school (as this can often fall in the spring half term), and when we return Easter will still be fresh in pupils’ minds for a whole school worship on the morning of Tuesday 22 April.  So, for now I wish you all an enjoyable holiday when it arrives at the end of next week, and also wish you a very happy celebration of Easter when it comes in late April.

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher

This week at St Peter’s saw the pupils of Reception Year host their first Celebration of the Word (Liturgy) in school.  Of course, this is not the first time they have welcomed families into school, as Year R put on incredible Nativity plays in December.  Fr James joined the pupils in class before the Celebration of the Word, and was present in the hall when lots of parents, carers, grandparents and little brothers as sisters joined in a worship based upon how to meet the challenges of Lent.  Fr James showed us pictures he took in the desert on a recent stop-over in the Middle East, helping the children to understand how Jesus made space to hear God’s voice before starting his ministry.

All 60 pupils in Year R were wonderful in leading the celebration through prayer, and singing two wonderful praise songs with actions thrown in, showing off to their families just how far they have come in their first six months at St Peter’s.

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher

Please help St Peter’s Catholic Primary School support the local Stella Maris Easter Egg Appeal by donating Easter Egg treats to seafarers in our local ports over Easter.

Stella Maris, the Catholic charity that supports Seafarers, is planning to give chocolate treats to crew aboard ships in ports along the south coast over Easter. There will be many hundreds of seafarers passing through our ports and far away from home this Easter. It can be a very lonely time for them. The Port Chaplains are asking for any chocolate Easter Egg donations. Please give your gifts to your class teacher or the school office by Friday 28th March 2025. The Southampton, Fawley and Portsmouth Port Chaplains will deliver your treats to the ships.

Thank you for any generous donations you are able to offer.

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher

This week, 8 pupils from St Peter’s were hosted by students from Oaklands Catholic School for training in how to become Catholic Social Teaching (CST) Ambassadors.  This was very much a student-led initiative, the first in a number of sessions to be run with the aim of deepening students’ knowledge of CST and consider how it can be lived out in practical ways. The session also looked at leadership skills, where the Oaklands students coached the St Peter’s pupils on how they can guide their school peers in worship and practical acts centred on CST.

Our thanks go to the Oaklands staff who facilitated this session, Mrs Newbiggin and Mrs Semple, and of course to the Oaklands Student CST Leaders.

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher