St Pius X Catholic Primary School

Year 3 revisited the use of inverted commas today in their English lesson. We considered when and how to use them correctly to show case direct speech. As a practical reminder, we used macaroni pieces to represent our inverted commas on our whiteboards.  We really enjoyed this activity!  "The speech must start with a capital letter" - Cairo "We can use synonyms for 'said' to make our writing more interesting" - Eva "The punctuation mark has to be inside the speech marks" - Gianni

In today’s history lesson, the children debated whether it would have been better to live in Athens or Sparta. They used a range of sources to find out about life in each city, carefully choosing evidence to support their ideas and considering how the context of the time might have influenced people’s experiences. Through discussion, they compared the societies, exploring the roles, beliefs, and daily lives of men, women, and children, and looked at the cultural, social, and political differences between Athens and Sparta. They also thought about the origins of democracy in Athens and considered how these ancient civilisations have influenced the world today. The debate encouraged the children to analyse evidence, form arguments, and reflect on continuity and change in the past. 'I kept thinking to always believe in myself,' - Eithan 'I had to give one of the main arguments - I felt excited to share my ideas with the whole class.' - Olice 'I was a questioner - I was...

 This week, Year 6 took their English studies from the page straight to the stage! After spending the term immersed in Marcus Sedgwick’s gripping novel Floodland , the children stepped into the shoes of playwrights and actors to bring the story’s high-stakes world to life. Working in small production teams, the pupils selected key chapters from the book—focusing on Zoe’s courage and the stark, sunken landscape of Norwich—and adapted them into original scripts. They carefully considered stage directions, dramatic tension, and how to convey character motives purely through dialogue and expressive performance. The week culminated in a series of powerful classroom performances in front of their peers. From tense confrontations on Eels Island to poignant moments of hope, Year 6 captivated their audience with confident dynamic delivery and impressive theatrical flair. "Adapting Floodland was so exciting because we got to imagine how Zoe actually felt when she was all alone. Performing ...

 Year 3 got creative (and a little messy) this afternoon making their very own Ancient Egyptian amulets! After learning about the mummification process, they used clay to create amulets - special badges of protection wrapped inside the linen layers of the mummy. Designs included: scarab beetles, Udjat (Eye of Horus), and Isis knots. The students had to combine skills including: rolling, shaping, moulding and cutting before fixing the design to a clay base and adding details and patterns. Once the clay has dried, students will paint the amulets to create a brilliant finished product!

Continuing with our circuit lessons, we thought about how useful switches are and how we can use them in everyday life. So we created our own light up cards with simple circuits! Using copper tape, a flat battery and an LED, we created a circuit with a very simple switch. It was tricky at times and it took a couple of goes to get it right, but with some problem solving skills we got there. "It was hard, but when we worked out what was wrong I was so proud."

 Our topic this half term has been 'We are a community', as part of this, we have been learning how to look after ourselves so we can be healthy.  We started the week off by practising and showing how we wash our hands. The children covered their hands in glitter as 'germs' and then demonstrated how to wash their hands to ensure all the germs were gone! Later on, we looked at keeping our teeth clean and had to use toothpaste to clean the dirt off the teeth. We discussed what might happen if we don't brush our teeth regularly.  Ayla- ‘we get toothache’ Thomas -‘if you don’t brush your teeth they will go yellow and fall out and then you will have smelly breath’ Mason- ‘or you might get cavities, they are the germs on your teeth’ Finally, we discussed healthy eating and what foods we could eat to give us energy and keep us feeling full. 

In Science today, Year 6 investigated how changes in the environment can affect the survival of different species. As part of our enquiry, the children carried out a comparative and fair test to explore the survival of the peppered moth. They investigated how changes to the environment during the Industrial Revolution affected moth populations, and considered why some moths were more likely to survive than others. The enquiry gave the children the opportunity to put the theory of evolution by natural selection into practice. They used their observations and results to discuss how environmental changes can give some organisms an advantage, helping them to survive and reproduce. "This is definitely one of the best examples of natural selection because of the change in the environment and how the species was able to adapt." Emil It was a great opportunity for the children to explore evolution through a practical investigation and develop their scientific enquiry skills along the...

    Today Year 3 performed their very own poems to a captive audience! Using the structure of the poem we have been studying - Please Mrs Butler by Allan Ahlberg - the children worked hard on creating their own versions. After editing and making improvements, they paired up and collaborated to perform the poem. They watched this video for inspiration. It was entertaining, so we asked ourselves: why? What had the performer done to make us laugh? They drew upon prior learning about public speaking, sharing ideas such as using gestures, facial expressions, voices, props and costumes. After a bit of practice, they performed their poems! What a brilliant job they did!

Celebrating Faith, Leadership, and Joy: Our Year 5 and Year 6 Mass This week, our school community gathered together for an uplifting Year 5 and Year 6 Mass. It was a wonderful occasion filled with reflection and prayer highlighting the growing maturity and spiritual leadership of our oldest pupils. Leading with Confidence and Grace Taking on key roles throughout the Mass, pupils delivered the readings with clarity ensuring that the Scripture was shared meaningfully with everyone present. Their carefully prepared Bidding Prayers reflected thoughtful reflection on our school values, local community, and the wider world, reminding us all of the power of prayer in our daily lives. Voices Raised in Song A particular highlight of the Mass was the incredible singing. The children sang beautifully, filling the space with energy and genuine enthusiasm. It was inspiring to see every child participating so wholeheartedly, using their gifts to enrich our worship. Role Models for Our School Seeing...

 Our topic this half term has been invasion games. This week, we have been focusing on the skills of chest passing , and running and dodging . First, we participated in a game of 'Cat and Mouse' which involves the cats chasing the mice -using speed, accuracy and team work - to 'attack' and remove their 'tails'! The mice also need to use speed and cunning to escape the cats and keep their tails intact. If their tail is removed, they have to deliver a forfeit of 5 star jumps before re-attaching their tails and fleeing the scene! We have to be very careful to dodge oncoming players in all directions and use the court space effectively.  "When I am a cat, I always keep an eye out to attack a mouse that is already being chased by another cat! They don't see me coming!" - Qmari  We then practised further running and dodging skills by playing a game where we had to "steal" items from our partner in a given time frame and see who had the most it...

  It was a fantastic day of tag rugby for St Pius X, with both our Lower Key Stage 2 and Upper Key Stage 2 teams competing in the Writtle Tournament. Both teams put in some excellent performances throughout the day and finished in an impressive 5th place in their respective competitions. With 28 teams competing, our teams narrowly missed out on medals, but they should be incredibly proud of their achievements. Across both tournaments, our teams lost just three games, showing the fantastic skill, teamwork and determination they have developed. The children worked brilliantly together, supporting one another and showing great sportsmanship throughout the day. Most importantly, everyone had a fantastic time, enjoying plenty of tag rugby and lots of fun in the sunshine. A huge well done to all of our players for representing St Pius X so brilliantly.

  It has been a fantastic week of football for St Pius X, with both our boys’ and girls’ teams putting in brilliant performances at their tournaments. Our boys’ team were crowned champions of the River Chelmer Football Tournament. They were outstanding throughout the competition, showing fantastic teamwork, determination and skill across all six games. Even more impressively, they conceded just two goals in the entire tournament, demonstrating just how strong they were defensively. Their hard work and teamwork paid off as they lifted the trophy and represented St Pius X brilliantly. Our girls’ team also enjoyed a fantastic tournament, finishing in an excellent 3rd place. They saved their best until last, scoring an impressive five goals across their final two games. The girls showed great resilience, teamwork and attacking flair to finish the tournament on such a high. A huge well done to all of our footballers. We are incredibly proud of the way both teams represented St Pius X, s...

  She represented one of our school values, Fairness Urane This week, Year 2 have been learning all about the inspiring life of Rosa Parks and her important role in the fight for equality and fairness.  The children learned about the segregation that existed in America and discovered how Rosa Parks bravely stood up for what she believed was right when she refused to give up her seat on a bus. We discussed how her actions helped to bring about change and inspired many other people to stand up against unfair treatment. The children enjoyed sharing their thoughts and ideas about fairness, equality, courage and respect . They thought carefully about what it means to treat everyone equally and why it is important to speak up when something is unfair.

As a class, we made predictions about 'Mrs Butler' solely based on the poem title ‘Please Mrs Butler'. We realised we had no real facts to go on other than the fact it was likely a woman who was married based on her name! We then made further predictions once we had seen an image of the poem. We discussed how imagery can help us understand and solidify initial ideas!  We then read the poem as a class, analysing the structure and vocabulary of the poem before getting into small groups to perform, focusing on our expression, volume and actions.  It was a beautiful, sunny October day today, so we chose to practise and deliver our performances outside! We discussed the need to project our voices even more due to the space and environmental factors (the wind can make it tricky to hear)! We gave feedback to our friends and noted the strengths of each performance. "I liked the expression that Benjamin used in his performance" - Jorel "Leona shook her finger to say ...

This term, Year 5 has been diving into the fascinating world of living things and their habitats . We have been putting on our scientist hats to investigate one big question: H ow do plants reproduce? We discovered that plants are pretty clever and have two different strategies for reproduction: Sexual Reproduction: This involves pollen traveling from one flower to another (often carried by bees or the wind!) to make seeds. It creates a brand-new plant that is a unique mix of both parent plants. Asexual Reproduction: This happens without seeds, flowers, or pollen. Instead, a single parent plant creates an exact clone of itself using part of its own body—like a stem, runner, or leaf! Hands-On Science: The Spider Plant Experiment We decided to test out asexual reproduction for ourselves using spider plants. Spider plants make this super easy because they grow tiny plantlets (or "spiderettes") on long dangling stems. Here is what we did step-by-step: The Cuttings: We carefu...

Little Seeds, Big Growth!   How can we show our love for God’s Creation? By getting our hands a little muddy and caring for the wonderful world around us, showing gratitude! The children enjoyed planting their own cress pots, carefully planting their tiny seeds and thinking about what they need to grow. We talked about how caring for our plants is one way we can show gratitude for God’s Creation. Since planting their seeds, the children have been fascinated to watch their little cress plants sprout and grow. They have loved checking on their plants and seeing how their care and patience can help something small turn into something green and wonderful! They have developed a greater understanding of how we can look after God’s Creation and have begun to appreciate the time and care needed to help living things thrive.

 This week, Reception have been creating their own autumn potions. They mixed different ingredients together and were pouring, scooping and mixing while sharing their magical potions.  Each day the children had different coloured glitter water to use and spark their imaginations.  “My potion will make magic and I can teleport “ Carter “My potion will turn me into a rainbow” Thomas “I’m helping Thomas and making a potion together. We have mixed the colours together and it made browny grey“ Jesse ‘We are mixing it all up’- Siar ‘Making a magic potion’- Mason ‘It’s going to turn me into King Kong’- George ‘This bowl is huge’- Mason

Our classroom was filled with wonder this week as the children completely planned and led a beautiful class worship to celebrate the release of our butterflies. 🦋 For the past few weeks, the children have been closely watching caterpillars transform into beautiful Monarch butterflies. To mark the special moment of setting them free, they took complete ownership of our collective worship, choosing the scriptures, songs, and reflections themselves. Finding Meaning in Scripture The children chose to focus on Genesis 1:24-25 , the scripture that tells the story of God creating the living creatures of the earth. During the worship, our student readers proudly shared how God made everything and every beast of the earth according to its kind, and how God saw that it was good. They spoke beautifully about how our tiny caterpillars are a perfect part of that big, wonderful creation. Prayers:  ' Thank you God for these beautiful butterflies - they are so perfect and it is amazing how you h...

  We have been writing diary entries   based on a chapter from ‘Matilda.’ We needed to write in the  first person (using I, we) and the past tense, using time conjunctions (first, then, next, finally) to retell the events of Bruce Bogtrotter and the chocolate cake! 'First, Miss Trunchbull called Bruce to the hall. I was terrified!' - Abel 'Dear Diary, something unexpected happened at school today!' - Miriam

  This week in Year 6, our classroom has been full of high energy, big smiles, and fantastic rhythm! As part of our ongoing focus on well-being and self-regulation, we have been exploring new sensory techniques to help us stay calm, focused, and ready to learn. Today, we put those strategies into motion with an exciting sensory dance break. Moving our bodies to rhythmic music isn't just great fun; it’s a brilliant way to release built-up energy, stimulate our senses, and reset our minds after a period of intense concentration. As you can see in the photos above, everyone threw themselves into the movement with total enthusiasm! Taking these sensory breaks gives our brains the exact reset they need to jump back into hard work with fresh focus. The children are already noticing the positive impact these quick regulation activities have on their day. As one pupil shared, "The dance breaks make me feel so energised and happy, and when we sit back down, my head feels much clearer a...

  This week, our whole-school liturgy invited us to reflect on the importance of the Rosary as we prepare for October, the month dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus and our mother too. We listened to why the Rosary is such a special prayer and reflected on how Mary, just as she guided and cared for Jesus, is always there to guide and care for us. We reminded the children that, whenever we face difficulties or need comfort and reassurance, we can always turn to Mary in prayer. Next week, the children are invited to bring their own rosaries to our whole-school liturgy if they wish. Throughout October, we will be learning more about the mysteries of the Rosary and how to pray a decade, helping the children to develop a deeper understanding of this beautiful prayer. After half-term, we are delighted that the ladies from our Immaculate Church will once again be running our Rosary Club in the library on Wednesday lunchtimes. They do a wonderful job of teaching the children how to pray...

The whole school was buzzing with excitement this afternoon as parents and carers joined us for our reading stay and learn.  It was delightful to see so many families taking the time to come and celebrate the joy of reading with us.  The classrooms were full of families sharing stories together and the hall was brimming with all our sibling groups.  At St PiusX, we truly believe that reading for pleasure should be at the heart of our curriculum. Thank you to all the families who come along and continue to support us in achieving this.  ‘It was just great to get to have my mum in school and spend time with her reading.’ - Jacob Year 5 

What an incredible start to our new music topic! Once a week for the next term Year Five will be treated to ukulele lessons, delivered by a real professional musician.  Here is a look at everything we explored in our action-packed first session: 1. Parts of a Ukulele 🎸 Before we could make any music, we had to get to know our instrument! We learned the names of all the important parts, including the body , the neck , the fretboard , the pegs (used for tuning), and, of course, the four strings . 2. Exploring Sound & Pitch 🔊 Once we knew how to hold our ukuleles safely, it was time to make some noise! We experimented with how plucking the strings in different ways changed the sound: Plucking open strings created clear, ringing notes. Pressing down on different frets along the neck changed the length of the string, raising or lowering the pitch. We discovered that holding the strings firmly in different places completely alters the sound—a key trick we’ll need when we start pla...

  Welcome back to a new term! We have lots of exciting activities planned and new topics for the children to explore over the coming weeks. We have been reflecting on forgiveness in our liturgies, and this week’s assembly focused on the message that Jesus is always calling us. We explored the parable of the workers in the vineyard, in which the landowner paid all his workers the same amount, despite some having worked much longer than others. The children were asked to consider whether this was unfair or generous. One child gave a lovely example of a friend having a birthday cake and whether it would be unfair if they didn't give their best friend the biggest slice! This prompted some thoughtful discussion about fairness, generosity and what God wants us to do. We reflected on how God’s love and generosity are available to everyone, regardless of when we turn to Him. Jesus is always calling us, and God is always there, ready to welcome us with love and forgiveness whenever we are r...

Year 3 have consolidated their understanding of counting in 50s by playing a competitive game of tiddlywinks! Many spotted the link with counting in 5s. Working against their partner, the aim was to land on 50 or 100 (preferably 100!) with their counters. After totalling their scores, they saw who the winner was. If it was a draw, they decided how to come to a conclusion - roll again for a tie-breaker, or rock paper scissors! Great work Year 3!

Year 6's science lesson this week was centred all around variation and inheritance, beginning with a thought-provoking question: “What if all humans looked the same?” The children were challenged to consider the plus points, minus points and interesting points or questions that might arise if everyone looked identical. This sparked some brilliant discussion and plenty of creative thinking. Some children suggested that it could have a positive side, as it might reduce certain forms of discrimination based on appearance. However, most of the class agreed that it would be much better if we all looked different. The children recognised that our differences are part of what makes us unique and interesting. Their questions became increasingly thoughtful as the discussion developed. Oscar wondered: “Would we all have the same fingerprints?” This led to another fascinating question from Penelope: “What does that mean if someone has committed a crime?” It was fantastic to see the children m...