St Pius X Catholic Primary School

 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...

  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...

As a culmination of our English work last term, we recently teamed up in groups to create an epic ‘Explorer Exhibition’ . The goal was to take everything we’ve learned from our class book and bring it to life in a creative, interactive way. The Explorer Exhibition wasn't just about recapping the plot; it was about digging deeper. Each group was tasked with diving into three main areas: The Main Themes: We explored the big ideas hidden within the pages—things like survival, friendship, resilience, and the beauty of discovery. Character Evolution: Characters don’t stay the same, and we tracked how our favorites changed from the very first chapter to the final page. It was fascinating to map out their growth, their struggles, and how the journey transformed them. Key Learning Points: We also looked at the bigger picture, connecting the book to the wider lessons we’ve tackled across the term. To make sure everything ran smoothly, every single member of each group had a specific role...

  🎨 Year 1 Art — Exploring Pastel Techniques to Help Our Earth! This week in Year 1, the children became real artists as they explored a range of exciting pastel techniques . We began by looking closely at how artists use colour and texture to bring pictures to life. The children experimented with: Blending – gently smudging colours together to make soft skies and smooth backgrounds Pointillism – using tiny dots to build up colour and texture Small strokes – perfect for fur, feathers and grassy areas Long strokes – great for waves, trees and bold shapes Layering – adding colours on top of each other to make richer tones Drawing and outlining – keeping shapes clear and confident The classroom was full of colour as the children practised each technique on scrap paper, discovering how different marks can change the mood and feeling of a picture. After exploring these skills, the children applied them to their own “Save Our Earth” and “Protect Our Wildlife” artwork. Using the ...

In science, we have been learning all about materials and changes in  materials.  We have explored making a solution using salt and water and then attemptong to reverse this process using evaporation.  This week, we moved on to exploring irreversible changes. The children explored the different ways materials make irreversible changes for example: Mixing, heating, burning.  We took this opportunity to complete some cooking in class and explored how ingredients for pancakes changes when mixed and then heated.  We began by looking at all the ingredients in their original form - flour, milk and eggs. We then mixed them together and discovered we had already witnessed an irreversible change - we would not be able to separate the mixture now! Some of the class thought of our previous lesson on evaporation and whether this would work with our mixture. This was a key learning moment for us as we discovered that mixing doesn't ALWAYS result in an irreversible change!...

 To conclude our recent topic 'Buildings,' Year 2 have been extremely busy preparing for their class art gallery! They recently finished their Van Gogh inspired paintings and have been learning new skills in order to create a wooden frame for their artwork! The children were shown a demonstration of how to use the hack saw safely to cut their wood. They measured their pieces of wood so they would fit around their painting, decorated them and then used the saw to cut them to size! The children then had a chance to walk around the class gallery to see what everyone had created! Gershlene said ' we might be inspired by someone in our class!' Finally, they gave positive feedback to a classmate, commenting on their artwork, frame or overall finished piece! This reciprocity was lovely to see - well done!!

  In Art Year 2 have been studying ' cityscapes'   and comparing them to the famous 'Starry Night' painting by Van Gogh. We used the Tate kids website ( click here ) to find out more about the artist. Here are some of the cityscapes they looked at: They then looked closer at Van Gogh' s painting, picking out colours, patterns and techniques used by the artist. By zooming in, they could see that the brushstrokes were short like dashes and that there were swirls and dots which made up the bigger picture. They also took note of the colour scheme before applying this to their own experimentation in their sketchbooks using pastels. After this, they used paint , considering how to made different shades of blue, to create their own starry night! It is brilliant to see that every single one is different even though they have been inspired by the same picture! Next the children drew and cut out silhouettes of buildings and trees to place in the foreground. The final (and ...

 Before the Easter break, year 5 embarked on a DT project in which they had to learn to sew!  The children spent time learning some essential skills such as threading the needle, a running stitch and a back stitch. They mastered these difficult steps before designing their own sewing square to complete.   'It was really fun and I enjoyed using the thread to create a running stitch.' - Emanuela  'We learned a cross stitch and a back stitch - we learned to loop it right to left, not under and over.' - Isabella  They were able to use a variety of colours to create their designs and were able to choose the stitch that would match their creations the best!  We were very proud of their resilience and determination while learning this new skill! Well done year 5!

 This week, we have been making our own crosses using clay.  We shared the Easter Story and thought about how people would have felt when Jesus died on Good Friday and resurrected on Easter Sunday. To celebrate Jesus' resurrection, we chose to create and decorate our own crosses.  The children used clay and different tools to create pictures and drawings on top of the crosses.  'It's much harder than play dough'- Henry  'This is Jesus'- Ivy 'Jesus died on the cross and people didn't believe him'- Kathlyn 

 Today was Safer Internet Day and had the focus on using AI and technologies around us.  We started by thinking about what the internet is.  ‘It makes our TV’s and electronics work’ Ethan ‘We have the internet at home’ Elijah ‘No internet means your telly doesn’t work ‘ Idrees Then we discussed why we use technology and which apps we know.  'Snapchat is yellow'- Macie  'I watch YouTube at home'- Logan Finally, we discussed Roo's new friend. She was described as being very smart, magical and powerful! But we didn't expect the friend to be Alexa!  We shared how using these devices can be useful- they can help us to answer questions or play our favourite music. Then we also thought about what they can't do- give us a hug, make dinner and be our friend.  ‘I have an Alexa’-  Logan  'An Alexa doesn’t have any hands' -Quinn ‘I ask my Alexa to play music'- Henry  ‘Alexa is actually not real people’ - Idrees  ‘It’s just a robot’ - Lydia

⚘🐛 ' Live and Let Live' is the IPC topic for Year 2 this Spring half term. It's been the perfect opportunity to see things in action, developing their understanding of life cycles, food chains and how animals adapt to different habitats. This week Year 2 have planted poppy and pansy seeds and will make regular observations in order to track the changes from seed to flower in real-time. Last week the children were enthusiastic and excited to design their own bug hotels ! They used their knowledge of materials and thought about what bugs would want - a safe shelter! This week, using as many natural or recycled materials as possible, they used (and adapted) their plans to make their hotel. It has been brilliant to watch their curiosity and creativity whilst putting many skills into action: decision making - choosing appropriate and available materials resilience and problem-solvin g - finding ways to overcome challenges when things don't go to plan. collaboration - he...

 Yesterday during R.E, we explored the question: How do we know Jesus takes care of everyone? We discussed the Miracle of Jesus and how he fed 5000 people by turning 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread into a feast for everyone.  We each took a piece of bread and thanked Jesus for taking care of us. We thought about what it feels like when we are hungry and how we feel when we get to share mealtimes together, like snack and lunch time.  Then today, it was time for us to make our own bread for all to enjoy.  We began by identifying the ingredients needed to make the bread and the steps of the recipe.  The children had a chance to help add the ingredients, stir, mix and knead before Mrs Hughes in the kitchen baked the rolls for us.  “The yeast looks sour” Jesse Joy  “ It smells like pancakes” Nina “ It’s like playdoh “ Da’Jean  “ It’s so squishy” Gideon “You need to put it in the oven to bake it, the oven is a cooking thing” Brian  “It’s warm” Quinn “...

During our new IPC topic, See Hear! , we have been exploring the fascinating world of light and sound. We learned about light and darkness, as well as how light can be reflected and refracted. As part of this topic, we also discovered how the human eye works and how it helps us to see the world around us. After learning the science behind light, we put our knowledge to the test by designing and creating our own periscopes. By using reflection, we were able to see around corners and over objects, bringing our learning to life in a fun and practical way. This hands-on activity helped us understand how light travels and showed us how science is used in everyday objects. For the second part of our topic, we used Chromebooks to create and present our own presentations about sound. We learned how sound is produced, how it travels, and how it is received by our ears. This helped us develop our research, digital, and presentation skills while deepening our understanding of how we hear the wor...

Today, our budding scientists stepped out of the classroom and into the cosmos to tackle two big questions: How big is the space between us and the Sun? and How do the Earth and Moon actually move? Our first challenge was to understand the staggering distance between the Earth and the Sun. To do this, we took our learning outside to the playground. To make an accurate scale model, we used: A Football: Representing the massive Sun. A 2mm Blue Tac Ball: Representing our tiny Earth. Trundle Wheels: To measure the distance. The children were amazed to find that if the Sun were the size of a football, they had to use their trundle wheels to walk 23 meters away just to place their tiny Blue Tac Earth! Standing that far back and looking at the football really drove home how much "empty space" there is in our solar system. 'It was fun learning about the Earth, sun and moon because we went outside and we compared a football with a 2mm ball of blue tac. The Earth is extremely ...

 The children and staff had a lovely time at our Christmas Bonanza this week. All children took part in a range of activities planned by staff.   

  🎄 Year 1’s Jolly Christmas Postman Winter Adventure Board Game🎄 This week, Year 1 have been busy combining imagination, teamwork, and festive fun to create their very own Jolly Christmas Postman board games ! Inspired by our class story, the children became designers, storytellers, and artists all at once. ✨ Designing the Game Each group worked together to plan out their board game journey. They thought carefully about the Postman’s adventure, deciding which characters he might visit along the way. The children then created colourful paths, twists, and turns to bring their games to life. 📝 Creating Question Cards To make the games interactive, the children wrote their own question cards. These included challenges such as “Which character did the Postman visit first?” and “What was inside his bag?” . Writing these cards gave them a chance to practise comprehension skills while making sure their games were fun to play. 🎨 Decorating in Style Finally, the children decor...