St Pius X Catholic Primary School

 This week, the children have loved consolidating and extending their learning through our continuous provision. The children used small world characters from the Nativity Story to act out the Birth of Jesus. We used lentils and porridge oats to make the desert and used sticks and houses as the stable and path for Mary and Joseph. Everyone loved the multi-sensory element and were able to show a good understanding of the Nativity Story through their play.  "You're having a baby, Mary"- Quinn (while holding the angel) "Let's go to the stable"- Jessica 

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  This week  in Year 1 we explored a very special question: “What do angels do in the stories about Jesus?” We began by looking closely at the Christmas story . The children listened carefully to how angels were sent from God to speak to Mary, bringing her the important message that she would have a very special baby. We talked about how angels are messengers, and how they bring words of hope, love, and joy. After hearing the story, we thought about what we could learn from angels . The children shared ideas about the kinds of messages angels might give to people today Anishka - "Say sorry when you make a mistake." Emilia - "Try your best everyday" Freddie - "Help your friends when they need it" To make our learning hands‑on, we created our own angels using paper plates, pipe cleaners, and shiny gold stars. The classroom was full of creativity as each child designed their angel with care. Once the angels were finished, we wrote a short message that an ang...

 Year 2 have been exploring the forces of gravity and air resistance in science. We discussed ideas prompted by these questions: Why do our feet stay on the ground? Why don't we float in the air? If I drop two objects that are the same size, which will reach the floor first? Why? What makes things slow down when they are travelling in the air? We also looked at pictures of different flying things (helicopters, parachutes, flying squirrels) and discussed the 'odd one out' to practise our reasoning skills. ' We stay on the ground because of gravity. ' Logan ' It wasn't fair because Gianni dropped the paper from lower down - you were higher up. That's not fair! ' Eva In order to understand how air resistance slows things down, we made paper helicopters of different sizes and compared how quickly they fell to the ground. We worked scientifically to make predictions, explain our thinking and test out our ideas. We also tried to make sure our test was f...

Our fantastic Year 5 class enjoyed a special, extra-curricular excursion to the glorious Everyman Cinema to catch an exclusive viewing of the highly anticipated Paddington in Peru! The comfy sofas and armchairs made everyone feel right at home, instantly elevating the experience from a simple cinema trip to a truly cosy event. Extracurricular trips like this are incredibly valuable for several reasons: Building Bonds: Sharing a fun experience helps strengthen the friendships and sense of community within the Year 5 class. Developing Independence: Navigating a public space and following instructions in a new environment helps to build their confidence and independence. Appreciating the Arts: It allows the children to appreciate the creative arts in a modern, engaging setting. Our Year 5 students were an absolute credit to the school. Their excellent behaviour and enthusiasm made the day a joy for all the accompanying staff. They listened beautifully, walked sensibly, and most importa...

 Yesterday, the Year 4s were transported thousands of years to the Stone Age. We had an exciting day in which we learned all about the different developments in human pre-history. First we looked at early art, both in the form of sculptures and paintings. We carved acient figures into soap and created our own cave wall to paint onto.  The class also tried its hand at weaving. It was tricky at times, but the class showed excellent resilience and kept going. We also learned about some of the first pots, coil pots, where the sides are built through a series of coils and then smoothed down. This was one of the class' favourite activities of the day. Next we moved to the beginning of the Bronze Age and looked at the first writing system: cuneiform. This was createdin  Mesopotamia. We made clay tablets and then wrote our intials in cuneiform.  We then looked at the first coins made in Turkey how they were made, why and what images  they had on them.  What a fun d...

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 Our topic this half term is celebrations and this week we have been learning about birthdays, so of course to end the week, we had to make cupcakes!  We discussed what a recipe book is and read out the ingredients to ensure we were mixing the correct ingredients at the right time. The children were also guessing what would be in the cake, lots of us wanted chocolate cake! "The butter looks sticky"- Quinn  "I've made loads of cakes at home"- Logan  "It looks like ice cream". Macie-Grace The children took it in turns to add the ingredients and use the hand mixer. Part of the recipe stated to gradually add the eggs, so we discussed what that meant. We also used flaxseed as a substitute for eggs.  "The vanilla smells like porridge, its nice"- Idrees "It looks like icing"- Da'Jean We asked the class to estimate how many cakes the mixture would make. Between 5 and 32 were the guesses, although we had some extreme guesses of 1 hundred...

 Year 4's building strange new worlds in their English this half term. While 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" the stdents are thinking about creating their own worlds to set their stories in. This week, Year 4's have been creating dioramas. Using a range of materials (from pipe cleaners to paper and sparkles) they have been designing and creating their own strange new worlds to set their stories in. They had to carefully think about which material to use for their designs and how to create 3D shapes. It was amazing to see them all proud of their work and seeing some amazing designs. The next day, they used post-it notes to create a plan of their own setting description. Writing on them descriptions throgh the five senses, expanded noun phrases, similes, metaphors and wow vocabulary. Now that the world's are created, we are looking forward to creating our epic tales of adventure.

 This morning our lovely Year 3 children from St Pius X had a very special trip to Blessed Sacrament Church,  where we attended a Mass with  Father Paul . During the Mass, the children listened carefully to the readings and prayers. They especially enjoyed responding during the service and taking time to reflect. The children showed wonderful respect throughout the visit and asked some thoughtful questions afterwards. It was a lovely opportunity for Year 3 to deepen their understanding of our faith and experience Catholic worship in a meaningful way. A big thank you to Father Paul and everyone at Blessed Sacrament Church for welcoming us so warmly. It was a peaceful and memorable day for all of us. I liked hearing all about Jesus Blessed

 Year 3 had an amazing day out at Saffron Walden Museum where they travelled back in time to learn all about Ancient Egypt . As soon as we arrived, we were surrounded by fascinating artefacts including real Egyptian objects. We learned how the Egyptians lived, what they wore, and why they believed in life after death. The children were especially excited to discover how mummification worked and why it was such an important process. One of the highlights of the day was a hands-on mummification activity . Using bandages, the children followed the steps of the ancient Egyptians and pretended to turn Amayah into a mummy ! Amayah was very brave and everyone took it very seriously, carefully wrapping her up just like they would have done thousands of years ago. It was such a fun and memorable way to bring history to life. A huge thank you to the museum staff for making our visit so exciting and interactive. Year 3 came back full of knowledge and enthusiasm – and we’re sure some futur...

This week in Year 1 has been full of excitement, curiosity, and a little bit of mischief! Our focus has been on the much-loved story The Naughty Bus by Jan and Jerry Oke, and the children have truly brought the book to life in our classroom. 📖 Introducing the Naughty Bus We began the week by listening to the story together. The children were captivated by the adventures of the cheeky red bus and enjoyed talking about what we already know about buses. Why do we use them? Where do they take us? How do they help people in everyday life? This sparked wonderful discussions about journeys, transport, and the important role buses play in our community. 🕵️‍♂️ A Crime Scene in the Classroom! The next day, the children arrived to find something very unusual… chaos had struck! Chairs were overturned, books were scattered, and a mysterious trail of clues led across the classroom. A crime scene was set up, and our young detectives got straight to work. After gathering evidence and piecing togeth...

Yesterday, we were delighted to welcome Bishop Alan to our school, accompanied by Fr Paul. It was a wonderful opportunity for our whole community to share the fantastic work taking place across all year groups. During their visit, the Bishop and Fr Paul spent time in every class, speaking to the children and looking through their RE books. The children were eager to share their learning and explain the variety of creative activities they have been enjoying. These activities are helping them to grow not only in knowledge, but also in faith and in their personal relationship with God. As a school, we are proud to be using the Religious Education Directory to plan meaningful and engaging lessons that support the children in applying their learning to their everyday lives. It was encouraging to see how confidently the children spoke about their work and how deeply they are thinking about their faith. A small group of KS2 pupils were also chosen to have tea and cupcakes with the Bishop—a v...

Year 2 have been exploring the amazing world of maps! We used google earth to look at our local area, then zoomed out to see how Chelmsford fits into the geography of England, then Europe, then the world! It sparked great conversations about places we had visited, or where we had family living. 'My family are from Norway and Ghana,' Leona. 'It's really hot in Iran,' Arsha We used this to plan our route to Broomfield Road where we conducted a traffic survey. This put our maths skills to the test as we tried to use tally marks to collect our data about what types of transport we could see. 'I've seen loads of cars!' Michael. 'We cross the tallies because we are counting in fives,' Mia Next week we will look at our data to see what the most popular modes of transport were, and why!

What a fantastic time Year 5 has been having at Forest School! Our recent sessions have been packed with fun, hands-on learning, and, most importantly, the development of our key learning powers. We saw fantastic examples of reciprocity and resourcefulness as the children tackled ambitious building projects. The natural environment became a limitless construction site! Bleu told us all about their amazing creation: "Me Vinnie and Alfie built a kingdom out of ropes, wood, bricks and tarpaulin. We also were roleplaying and Vinnie was king." Working together to design, gather materials, and construct a shelter requires incredible teamwork, communication, and creative problem-solving—the very definition of reciprocity! A core part of Forest School is learning to use tools safely and respectfully. The children were incredibly focused when being taught how to use a hand drill. Patricia shared her brilliant resourceful project: "We made necklaces out of conkers - we used string...

We are pleased to share some wonderful news! Thanks to the generosity of Morrisons , our school has received a fantastic collection of free toys to enhance our lunchtime provision.  We are grateful to Morrisons for their support and for helping us make our school a happier place for everyone. Acts of kindness like this make a real difference and show our children the importance of community and generosity . Thank you, Morrisons, for helping us make playtime even more special!

We are delighted to reach out to our school community with an opportunity to support our children and enhance their play and learning experiences. As part of our ongoing efforts to provide engaging activities for all pupils, we are kindly requesting donations of unwanted toys, bikes, scooters, and outdoor play equipment . Items that would be especially appreciated include: Construction and imaginative play sets , such as LEGO, Playmobil, and similar building kits Board games and educational toys suitable for a range of ages Outdoor activity equipment , including scooters, bikes, balls, skipping ropes, and garden games All donated items will be used to enrich playtime, support group activities, and encourage active outdoor play . Please ensure that all items are in good, safe, and clean condition . Donations can be dropped off by the Year 6 classroom entrance , where Year 6 pupils will be on hand to receive them. Your generosity will help create a vibrant, fun, and stimu...

 Today Year 4 took part in an exciting hot seat activity as part of our Religious Education learning. We've been learning about John the Baptist this week and reflecting on how he prepared the way for Jesus. Several brave volunteers stepped into the role of John the Baptist , while the rest of the class became curious reporters eager to find out more about his life, his mission, and his message. Some fo the amazing questions asked include: “Why did you want to baptise Jesus?",  “How did you know Jesus was coming?”and   “Why did you go into the desert?”. Their thoughtful questions brought the story of John the Baptist to life, helping them understand his role in preparing the way for Jesus. It also led to us thinking how we can prepare for Jesus in our own lives.

 This week, Year 3 took part in a thoughtful and meaningful activity as they learned about the importance of Remembrance Day. As part of our discussions about courage, gratitude and honouring those who served, the children created their very own poppies. We began by talking about why we wear poppies and what they represent. The children shared their ideas about peace, kindness and remembering people who helped keep others safe. It was wonderful to hear them speak with such sensitivity and understanding. They were then able to wear their beautiful poppies during the two minute silence to remember our fallen heroes. It is important that we remember these special people Amayah

 On Tuesday, our Year 1 children took part in a very special art activity to mark Remembrance Day . This was a wonderful opportunity not only to be creative, but also to learn about the importance of Armistice Day and why we take time to remember. The children began by carefully sticking a poppy template onto sticky back plastic, placing a soldier silhouette in the centre. Around this, they layered pieces of red and green tissue paper , building up the colours of the poppy flower. The finished pieces were then displayed on our classroom windows. With the light shining through from outside, the poppies glowed beautifully, casting striking silhouettes that captured the spirit of remembrance. Alongside the art activity, the children learned about Armistice Day — why we celebrate it, and how we show respect and gratitude to those who gave their lives for us. We talked about the significance of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance, and how small acts like wearing a poppy or taking p...

 This week in PE, we have been building our gross motor skills by exploring how to control different parts of our bodies in order to balance a bean bag.  We balanced the bean bags on our heads, shoulders, hands and stomachs (while crab walking). The children worked very hard during the crab walking station as they had to balance the bag on their stomachs while also holding their bodies up from the floor and walking along! They loved the challenge!  'This ones easy on my hands'- Quinn 'I can jump and keep it on my head'- Archie 

Today Year 2 had a carousel of Maths questions to solve! They had to draw on prior learning and apply their understanding to different questions. This was in order to 'revise' and consolidate our learning so far! It was great to see discussions about how they could solve the questions, if there was more than one answer and if they could apply their knowledge! Well done!

Today, we marked  Remembrance Day  as our  Head Girl and Head Boy represented St Pius X Catholic Primary School at the War Memorial on Church Green in Broomfield . They joined members of the community to honour and remember those who have sacrificed their lives for peace and freedom by laying down a poppy wreath. It was a poignant service , providing a time for reflection, remembrance, and prayer . Both pupils represented our school beautifully, truly embodying our school values of peace, integrity and service.                    Ella shared, “I felt proud to be a representative of St Pius X and our school values.” Joe reflected, “It was special to dedicate our time to remember those who have fallen.” Their words capture the reverence and gratitude felt during the ceremony - a reminder of the importance of remembering and praying for peace in our world. Lord, we remember all who have given their lives in the struggle ...

 We've had a fantastic day exploring nature and art at Hyde Hall today! We had good weather which meant we could explore outside and appreciate all the autumnal colours! The children participated with enthusiasm in lots of activities including: - using magnifying glasses to explore things from nature, - collecting fallen leaves and petals on a nature trail around the gardens, - working collaboratively to create a nature mandala with their findings, inspired by artists such as Richard Shilling who use colours, patterns and spirals, - making wax resist pictures - using leaves, poppy heads and sticks to print onto clay, - leaf rubbings, - planting cress seeds... What a fun day! Well done Year 2!