St Pius X Catholic Primary School

 On Friday 22nd May 2026, we The Mini Vinnies celebrated World Cultural Diversity Day.  We asked children and parents if they would like to present some interesting facts about their culture and share any traditions,  photos, powerpoints and cultural clothes at our assembly that we held.  We had a lovely time, because everyone got the chance to learn more about so many different cultures.  We could not have done this without the help of some our parents who so kindly gave up their time to come and share their culture with the school in the assembly, Mrs Kenning - Spain, Mrs Prasanna - India, Mrs Stepegeu - Romania and Mrs Tumber who went over and above by arranging for these fabulous parents to come to the school and they put together a powerpoint to present.  Mrs Tumber also brought in clothes for the younger children to try on and musical instruments to play.  We all learnt so much about different cultures, traditions, food and dancing. This was such...

🔥Fire blazing 🔥 smoke billowing 🔥people panicking! Year 2 set the scene today by reenacting the Great Fire of London. First the recalled the main events using relevant vocabulary. Then they wrote key words on their own 'flames.' In the hall, they acted out the embers burning in the bakery before the fire spread across the city. People had to fetch buckets of water from the Thames!  The Mayor was less than helpful, denying them the use of fire-hooks. Samuel Pepys rowed across London to inform the King.  The wind and the wooden houses meant the fire spread quickly! It was chaos! Lots of buildings were damaged. Eventually the wind died down and the fire stopped. Back in class, they wrote a summary of the main events.  Next we will be making comparisons between London then and now, and considering what impact the Great Fire has had on society today.  Well done Year 2!

  Year 6 had a fantastic trip to the Imperial War Museum in Duxford on Wednesday 11th March. The children were incredibly excited to explore the museum and see the enormous historic aircraft and military vehicles up close. It was a brilliant opportunity for them to step outside the classroom and experience history in a real and engaging way. A highlight of the day was a special workshop with two veterans, John and Robert. They shared their personal experiences of serving in the armed forces and spoke thoughtfully about their lives and memories. The children listened brilliantly and asked some excellent questions, making the session both inspiring and memorable for everyone involved. Overall, the trip was a huge success. The pupils represented the school wonderfully and gained a deeper understanding of history through this hands-on experience. It was a truly enjoyable and valuable day of learning that Year 6 will remember for a long time.  

Year 2 have started their new IPC topic - Buildings! They shared their prior learning, bringing together lots of knowledge from science (materials) to geography (famous landmarks around the world). To get them excited, they were tasked with designing their 'Dream Home,' which obviously included giant swimming pools, underground tunnels and walls made from sweets! Today they explored the historical concept of chronology through timelines. Firstly by considering their own personal timeline, ordering significant events in their own lives and then ordering a range of buildings from the past. They needed to look at the materials used and the purpose of each building before placing it on a timeline. This enabled the children to discuss why certain styles and materials were used in the past and how these have changed and modernised. 'Homes didn't have electricity!' Logan 'Now we have washing machines and dishwashers,' Mia 'Old houses used stones and mud, like ...

  Year 6 were given homework to find out how World War Two affected their own families. They were encouraged to bring in any stories, artefacts, or photographs they found interesting. In class, we looked closely at a WW2 helmet, a gas mask, and a piece of wartime-inspired artwork. These items helped spark discussion about life during the war and made history feel more personal and real. Pupils are still welcome to bring in any WW2 artefacts, photos, or family stories to share with the class.

 As part of their World War Two Home Front IPC unit of work, Year 6 pupils took on an exciting hands-on challenge: designing and building their own Anderson shelter using recyclable materials. The project began with careful planning. The children researched what Anderson shelters were used for during the war and discussed why they were so important for keeping families safe during air raids. They then sketched their ideas, thinking carefully about how their shelter would look and how it could be constructed using materials that could be reused or recycled. Once their designs were complete, the children moved on to the building stage. They worked collaboratively, showing great teamwork and problem-solving skills. Recyclable materials formed the main structure, while wood and basic tools were used to add stability and strength to the shelter. Safety was a key focus, and pupils learned how to use tools responsibly and carefully. This practical activity helped bring history to life. No...

  🌴 Year 1 Entry Point: Treasure Island! 🌊🏴‍☠️ Today, Year 1 launched their brand‑new IPC topic Treasure Island , and what an exciting start it was. The classroom was buzzing with curiosity as the children became explorers, detectives, and even pirates for the morning! To begin, the children were invited to guess our new topic using a series of clues. First, they listened carefully to four mysterious sounds and predicted what they might be. Then, they examined three silhouettes of unknown objects, followed by three zoomed‑in images that challenged them to look closely and think creatively. Once everyone had made their predictions, we gathered together to share ideas. The children’s observations were fantastic: Ollie: “I think it is to do with pirates.” Chenai: “I heard waves and seagulls so I think it is to do with the oceans.” Noah: “I think it’s to do with pirates and ships as there was a wheel from a ship and treasure.” Their thoughtful guesses showed just how well the...

 This week, continuing on with our IPC topic we were comparing the two settlements of Skara Brea and Ur. We set up two 'archeological digs' in the hall, one for each city and laid out different evidence and artefacts. We became amateur archeoligst by commparing the two cities and thought about what the different artefacts could mean. We thought that Ur migth have city walls because they had enemies they might need to protect themselves from and that the people of Skara Brea may have used bone for their jewellery because they didn't have any other resources.  After, we wrote up all the thngs we had discovered in our IPC books. 

 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...

 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...

A new half-term, a new IPC topic. Leading up to Christmas, we will be studying the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. To start off our new topic, we're going a little further back though. Our focus for this week is fossil and what they can teach us about our prehistoric world.  On Tuesday, we learned about what fossils are and how they are formed. We then put what we learned into practice by imitating that process with play dough. We went out to find something in nature to represent our organism which dies. We they pressed it into the dough, showing how soil piles on top of ancient organisms and applies pressure to the remains. After, we lifted the up which left behind an imprint (much like what happens when remains decay). We then filled the imprint (like minerals filling in the cavity left by decayed remains) and left it to dry to leave our 'fossils'. "We also learned about fossils in our electricity topic when we did our presentations on energy sources."

This October, Year 5 have been celebrating Black History Month by exploring the incredible achievements and contributions of Black Britons and inspirational figures from around the world. We began by watching the BBC Bitesize videos about Black Britons today, learning about how Black people continue to shape and enrich our society. These stories sparked thoughtful discussions about equality, representation, and the importance of celebrating diversity every day, not just in October. Our class focus this year has been on Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel into space. The children were amazed to learn about her journey — from her childhood dreams of becoming a scientist, to her time as a NASA astronaut aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992. Inspired by Mae’s determination and courage, the children wrote heartfelt letters to Mae Jemison to express what an inspiration she has been to them. In their letters, many pupils shared how Mae’s story has encouraged them to ...

Year 5 has been on a fascinating journey back in time, swapping their modern shoes for ancient Roman sandals to discover the incredible impact of Roman roads on Britain! Our recent lesson explored not just how these engineering marvels changed the landscape, but also how they fundamentally transformed the way people and goods moved around the country. Year 5 investigated the remarkable cross-section of a typical Roman road and discovered a meticulous, layered structure designed for strength and drainage: Foundation: A layer of large, flat stones at the base. Rubble: A layer of smaller stones, broken tiles, and concrete mix. Core: A fine layer of gravel or sand, often mixed with lime to form a cement. Paving Stones: The top layer of smooth, closely fitted stones, often laid in a slightly curved shape (cambered) to allow rainwater to run off into ditches along the sides. The children were fascinated by how much thought went into keeping the roads dry and stable. Using cardboard boxes,...

 All through October, Year 4 have been doing a range of activities to celebrate Black History Month. We've been listening to a range of music from the last 300 years from various black artists during our coming in times. The top shelf of our library corner has all had books all relating to black history and  black authors.  We've also been learning about a range of different figures from history and modern influential people today during our reading comprehensions. We've read about Ignatis Sancho, Queen Nzinga, Malorie Blackman, Mo Farah and Katherine Johnson. Each student choose one of these people to research so that they coud write a biography on their choosen person this week.  These aren't the only people we've looked at. We've particularly focused on the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. We created art works insired by his very unique and emotive artworks. We listened to music to colour our backgrounds as Basquiat was very inspired by the music he listened to. ...

Earlier this month, Year 2 started to learn about an important girl called Ruby Bridges. We listened to a story about how she was brave and courageous, attending a mixed school when usually black children were segregated. 'I am Ruby Bridges' video It made us think about how we welcome new people and that we celebrate everyone's differences. 'Ruby Bridges was really brave.' 'She stood up for what was right and tried to change the law.' 'It doesn't matter what colour your skin is. Everyone is the same inside.' We celebrated by making posters and medals for Ruby!

We've been on a fantastic cross-curricular journey, diving deep into the fascinating world of Ancient Greece. Our project began with a close look at primary sources. We explored a variety of images of real Ancient Greek pots.  We discussed how historians rely on these incredible artifacts—often decorated with scenes of daily life, mythology, and warfare—to piece together a picture of what life was really like thousands of years ago. The children were amazing at analysing the images, discussing questions like: What do the decorations on this pot tell us about the clothes people wore? What activities are they doing? What stories or myths were important to them? Understanding these pots as historical evidence added a whole new layer of meaning to the creative task ahead. Then came the moment everyone was waiting for: getting our hands on the clay! This was a fantastic opportunity for the children to develop their pottery skills. The children learned several important techniques: Prep...

           Today in History, Year 5 took part in a lively debate to decide whether it would have been better to live in Athens or Sparta. The children explored a range of sources to learn about life in each city, carefully choosing evidence to support their ideas and considering how the context of the time might have shaped people’s experiences. Before the debate, they completed a Diamond 9 activity to rank which points were the most important to their arguments, helping them focus on the strongest evidence and ideas. During the debate, they compared the societies, looking at the roles, beliefs, and daily lives of men, women, and children, and examining the cultural, social, and political differences that made Athens and Sparta unique. The class also explored the origins of democracy in Athens and reflected on how these ancient civilisations have influenced the world we live in today. "I think that a good reason to live in Sparta is you were given military...

The Entry Point for our new topic Time Travellers started with Year 2 putting on their detective hats to follow some clues! Children were given some clues, or pieces of evidence that would lead to a 'mystery person.' Their job was to analyse the clues...  What can you see?  What does it tell you? Are there clues missing? Which clue is the most useful? The children discussed their ideas and worked collaboratively to work out who the mystery person was. This was a fun way to introduce historical concepts, such as looking at primary and secondary sources and assessing their reliability. Can you guess? A whistle A baby photo A bicycle A paintbrush The final clue was some Police Tape...

Last week we learned about Pablo Picasso and Annie Leibovitz in our IPC unit. Pablo Picasso was a famous aritst known for his cubism paintings and illustrations. We compared the time Pablo Picasso was alive to when Florence Nightingale was alive on a timeline. Students then had the opportunity to create their own version of a cubism portrait using pencils and pastels! After this, students used chalk to make cubism portraits outside on the playground! "You use 2D shapes to make the different parts of the face" - Hannah "I used a triangle to make the nose" - Ava-Grace "I used circles to make the eyes" - Abel "I used triangles to make the hair on my portrait" - Isla "Portraits means that you're drawing a picture of someone's face" - Mia "You can use lots of different colours in a cubism portrait" - Gianni After this we learned about Annie Leibovitz, a famous portrait photographer. We discussed what made her types of...

This past week students have been learning about Florence Nightingale and her accomplishments as a nurse. She was known as 'The Lady with the Lamp' because she would stay well into the night, after all of the other nurses had gone home, to ensure that her patients were looked after and cared for. Students used air dry clay to make their lamps, making sure they were leaving enough room for a candle in the centre and that there were no cracks. Students then used beads and buttons to make their very own designs! After a couple of days drying outside, the lamps were ready to be painted! To finish off their masterpieces, students placed a candle in the centre of their lamp. Well done year one! "I am using 3 colours of beads to make a pattern" - Uriah "Florence Nightingale made hospitals cleaner" - Gianni "Florence Nightingale was a nurse during the Crimean War" - Nicole "Florence Nightingale was named after the city she was born in" - Leo...