St Pius X Catholic Primary School

 In our first full week back, we've had several practical lessons. To start with, we reminded ourselves of the different word classes in English. We sorted different words into adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs and pronouns. Pronouns were the trickiest, but we thought about which words we  could replace with a name and managed to sort them.  In Maths, we've started the year with place value. Number lines can really help us with everything from adding and subtracting to counting fractions. They're so useful! We went into the hall and made human number lines. We counted up, down and filled in the missing numbers. On Friday afternoon, we introduced our geography topic: the Orkney Islands. To start, we looked at OS maps of the islands and identified different features on the map. We found roads, town and beaches and what they look like on a map. The class was also fascinated to find out how people navigated roads before the invention of sat-nav.  "I know that proper pron...

Year 1 have had a brilliant first week in school. We have been working on building our routines, exploring our new learning spaces and working with our friends again!  It has been lovely to see the children playing so well together and being so enthusiastic about their return to school! This year will be incredibly fun for our Year 1 class and we have already begun our learning!  This week, Year 1 used their existing learning from Reception in their maths lesson: counting a specific amount from a larger group . To make sure no numbers were skipped or counted twice, we practiced 1:1 correspondence . This simply means touching or moving exactly one object every time you say one number word aloud. When children count quickly, their mouths often move faster than their hands! We practiced slowing down into a steady rhythm. For the very first time, the children worked with a maths partner ! Working in pairs helped them practice taking turns, checking each other's work, and talking...

 What an amazing first week at school for our group 1 children! They have all settled in so well and have loved exploring the different areas inside and outside our classroom.  The children have been learning where their belongings go and have been enjoying their first school dinners.  During lunchtime, the children have demonstrated great manners, saying thank you for their lunch and asking for help to cut up their food.  We are very excited to have more friends join us next week and can't wait to show them around!

Year 6 have been busy conducting a scientific enquiry to learn more about variation and adaptation. Using the enquiry type pattern seeking , the children investigated how different types of bird beaks are suited to collecting different food sources. To simulate bird feeding, the children used a range of utensils as different types of beaks and attempted to collect a variety of food. This hands-on investigation allowed them to explore the wide variety of beak types found within bird populations and consider how beak shape is related to the food available in an environment. Penelope noticed that “different types of beaks were better at picking up different types of feed.” Emanuela summed up the challenge perfectly: “It was almost impossible to pick up some types of food if you didn't have the right beak!” Through their pattern-seeking enquiry , the children developed a deeper understanding of how variation in physical features can help animals adapt to their environment and giv...

Year 3 have been excited to start learning about the Ancient Egyptians! After locating Egypt and the River Nile on a world map, they were given replica artefacts to explore. Becoming historians, they looked closely at each artefact, considering it's material, shape and size. Then they asked questions to discover more... What was it used for? Who did it belong to? What was it made out of? What does this show us about life in Ancient Egypt? *photos to follow soon!

Today's science was an exciting (and sometimes frustrating) exploration into why we need light to be able to see things! 5 mystery boxes were passed around. Children were tasked to look through the tiny hole to see what object was inside. They made observations and guessed. Then they opened the box partly, letting some light in. Their second observation was noted before the object was revealed!

This week in Year 5, our young mathematicians rolled up their sleeves and dove into the realm of millions using place value charts and colored counters. The mission was simple on paper: look at a giant target number and build it accurately on a place value grid using counters. However, simple tasks often reveal deep mathematical thinking—or illuminate sneaky misconceptions waiting to be unpacked. One of the most revealing moments came when the class tackled the number 12,307 . Instinctively, several children headed straight for the "1,000" column and carefully counted out twelve individual thousand counters. Watching their hands work, you could see the literal translation happening in their heads: I need 12 thousands, so I pick up 12 thousands. Then came the inevitable pause. “ Wait... this column is getting really full.” “Can we put 12 in one column?” The class realised that ten of those 1000  counters didn't need to crowd the thousands column—they could be traded in f...

Bringing Geography to Life: Year 6’s Forest School Biome Adventure This week, our Year 6 geographers traded their classroom desks for the great outdoors! As part of our geography topic on world biomes, the children headed into Forest School to build their very own miniature ecosystems using natural materials found right under their feet. Working in teams, the pupils explored how climate, flora, and fauna interact by designing distinct biome models - ranging from lush tropical rainforests using moss and thick ferns to arid deserts crafted from sand, stones, and dry twigs. The hands-on session gave everyone a chance to put their classroom learning into practice while enjoying the fresh air and collaborative teamwork. "I didn't realise how tricky it is for plants to survive in the desert until we tried to build one using only dry materials," - Penelope  "It really made me think about how water changes everything." - Oscar We are incredibly proud of how creative, th...

  As we come to the end of another successful school year, I would like to say a huge well done to all of our amazing children for their hard work, determination and enthusiasm throughout the year. You have all achieved so much and should be incredibly proud of yourselves. I would also like to thank our wonderful staff for their dedication, care and commitment, and our parents and carers for your continued support and partnership. Your encouragement at home and your trust in us make such a difference, and together we have created another successful and memorable year for our children. Today, we came together for our End of Year Celebration Assembly, and what a wonderful way it was to finish the year! Seeing the whole school singing and dancing together to "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" by Shakira, was a truly joyful moment and a perfect reflection of the happiness, togetherness and sense of community that makes our school so special! There have been so many memorable mom...

We are delighted to congratulate our PE Lead, Mr Cook , on receiving the Kim Yates Award from the Chelmsford Sports Partnership . This prestigious award recognises an outstanding contribution to sport and Physical Education, and is a wonderful reflection of Mr Cook's dedication and commitment to our school community. Since taking on the role of PE Lead, Mr Cook has worked tirelessly to develop and expand the sporting opportunities available to our pupils. Through his enthusiasm, hard work and passion for sport, he has encouraged more children than ever to get involved, try new activities and represent the school with pride. His commitment has helped to create a positive sporting culture where every pupil is encouraged to achieve their personal best. We would also like to say a huge congratulations and thank you to all of our pupils who represent St Pius X at sporting events throughout the year. Their teamwork, determination, resilience and excellent sportsmanship make us incredib...

 Year 2 have been putting their puzzle and problem-solving skills to the test by trying out some Tangram puzzles! This ancient Chinese puzzle traditionally consists of 7 shapes which are then rotated to make different shapes.  We tried out some together, making a cat, a rocket and a plane! Then they had a go at making a variety of animals, including whales, cows, squirrels and camels!

 After winning their league to qualify for the Small Schools Final, the St Pius X football team took on Danbury Park in a hard-fought match on a very hot day. The teams were evenly matched in the first half, going into the break level at 1-1, but despite a tremendous effort, St Pius X were eventually beaten 6-2 by a very strong opposition. Goalkeeper Joe made a number of outstanding saves to keep the team in the game, and every player showed fantastic determination, teamwork and resilience throughout. Finishing as runners-up and receiving silver medals is a wonderful achievement, and everyone at St Pius X is incredibly proud of the team's success.

 Congratulations to our St Pius X tennis teams on an excellent series of performances this term! The team were crowned champions at a Tennis Tournament after competing against other schools within our Trust. They then went on to achieve an impressive third-place finish at a larger tournament held at Oaklands Park, competing against schools from across the region. The pupils showed great teamwork, determination and sportsmanship throughout both competitions, making the whole school proud. Well done to everyone involved on these fantastic achievements!

 Today, we made our own ice cream to help with the heat and as an end of year treat.  We used our phonics skills to read the ingredients and instructions.  We had to use double cream, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. First we had to whisk the double cream until it made strong peaks. The children all showed each other what a peak looks like using their hands.  “ It's making bubbles” Quinn “ It looks like milk” Lydia “It looks a little bit thicker” Jesse-Joy Then we had to fold in the condensed milk, which bought up lots of discussion around what folding meant; we knew we couldn't fold like a blanket so how did we do it?  Finally, we added the vanilla and poured the mixture into freezable containers. 3 containers were topped with oreo and 2 we left plain.  “The vanilla will make it sweet” Valentina “It looks beautiful and so fresh!” Takundanashe “It’s starting to look like ice cream” Ivy “You fold rather than mix as its keeps it solid” Nina Finge...

  Exploring Aboriginal Art and Culture This week, Year 1 took part in a wonderful cross‑curricular art lesson inspired by the Aboriginal peoples of Australia . The children were fascinated as we learned about who the Aboriginal peoples are , how they lived , and why storytelling and artwork are so important in their culture . We began by exploring traditional Aboriginal symbols and looking closely at examples of dot‑style artwork . The children loved discovering how these symbols were used to share stories about animals, journeys, families, and the land. They were especially interested in how Aboriginal artists use colour, pattern, and dots to represent the world around them. After our discussion, the children moved into their art activity. Using watercolours , they carefully painted an Australian animal in an Aboriginal style — thinking about patterns, dots, and earthy colours. Once dry, they cut out their artwork , mounted it on black card , and decorated the background using t...

Our classroom was transformed into a stage this week as the children took a deep dive into the powerful world of war poetry. Tied closely to our current reading of Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse , this unit has allowed the children to explore how poets use rhythm, imagery, and structure to capture complex history and deep emotions. After choosing a poignant stanza or an entire poem, they took on the challenge of learning it completely off by heart. To bring these verses to life, we recapped our core public speaking skills. The children didn't just read the words; they performed them. We focused heavily on three key elements of powerful delivery: The Power of Voice: Modulating tone, pace, and volume to mirror the changing mood of the poems. Purposeful Gesture: Using hand and body movements to emphasize key imagery without distracting the audience. Commanding the Speaking Space: Learning how to move confidently within a physical space to mark transitions or shift the emotional focus...

Last week Year 2 ventured off to Chelmsford Stadium for the Mini Games - a brilliant morning of athletics activities alongside other local schools. They had a fun time participating in lots of different stations, from javelin to cup-stacking! Well done Year 2!

Thank you to all the family and friends who attended our annual Exhibition Afternoon. The children have all been working hard to create 'sculptures' to exhibit. There was an amazing variety - paper sculptures, clay, recycled materials, wire figures..... what a wonderful example of the creativity of our students! Thank you for also visiting your child's classroom to see some of the brilliant work they have been doing in class. We appreciate your ongoing support and the children love to share their achievements with you!

  Year 1 Art Week – Sculpture & Aboriginal Art Focus During Art Week, Year 1 have been busy exploring art through sculpture and painting , taking inspiration from Australia and its rich artistic traditions. The children began the week by learning about different types of sculptures and how artists use shape, texture and form to bring ideas to life. They then created their very own Australian animal clay sculptures , carefully shaping kangaroos, koalas, wombats and more. The children loved experimenting with clay tools, smoothing, carving and adding details to make their animals look as realistic as possible. Later in the week, the children learned about Aboriginal dot painting , looking closely at traditional patterns, symbols and colours. They created beautiful dot‑style backgrounds to accompany their clay sculptures, thinking carefully about colour choices and repeating patterns. These paintings were designed to sit alongside their sculptures in our Art Week Exhibition. The f...

 For fieldwork week this year, Reception class were exploring the speed, distance and direction of bubbles in the wind. They first learnt the different compass directions and used this learning to explore the direction that the bubbles travelled.  We used the compass in the playground to help us see which way they travelled. Some went fast, some went slow. Some bubbles flew straight up into the sky and others floated slowly into the trees. 'It went to the side'- Esther 'The wind has gone now and the bubbles went to the floor'- Elijah 'They went straight up and not that far'- Valentina 'They went fast'- Ivy  'Some went a long way and some didn't'- Clare  Some of the children knew about the directions on a compass and what they are used for.  'I have a toy compass, it tells you the ways'- Nina  'I know west and east'- Jesse-Joy 'I know South America is south'- Ethan 'A compass is a round object and it helps you with ...

  The energy in the hall today was absolutely electric as our school community came together for an unforgettable talent contest, all in support of CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development). From jaw-dropping musical performances and hilarious comedy routines to spectacular dance acts, our local stars truly brought their A-game to the stage.  Thanks to the incredible generosity of everyone who bought a ticket, we raised vital funds that will go directly toward CAFOD’s global mission to fight poverty, confront global injustice, and provide urgent disaster relief. A massive congratulations and thank you to our brave contestants! 

This afternoon, our Year 6 pupils enjoyed a fantastic transition visit from the inspiring students of the St John Payne Catholic School SVP Society . The visitors gave an insightful talk about secondary school life and the community work of the SVP, before opening the floor to a brilliant Q&A session that helped ease those big-school jitters.    To round off a wonderful afternoon, the students and Year 6 children teamed up for a lively round of board games, sharing plenty of laughs, mentorship, and friendly competition!