Can't see images? View the web version.  
 
email-header-logo-left.png
 
  Summer Newsletter - July 2023  
  Message from Mr Humphreys, Headteacher  
 

The summer terms have been full of events and celebrations as we have recognised students’ effort, personal progress and achievement from the year. Our end of year house assemblies along with our house celebration evenings were wonderful occasions of well deserved recognition. Our students of the year stand tall and proud as wonderful role models within our community and they remind us all that a young person’s journey is personal, and at St Katherine’s we emphasise the values young people stand for alongside their individual character attributes. The warmth of reception that each and every student received was a proud moment for me and reflected a great sense of community and appreciation. 

Our Culture Day celebrated the wonderful diversity we have in our school. It was great to see students across the year groups talk, dance and celebrate their heritage and nationality. Families joined in the evening celebrations and the day was enjoyed by everyone - this diversity, coupled with our belief in equality, is what makes our community special, creating a stronger sense of belonging within the wider school community. 

A group of young people have been taking part in the Dame Kelly Holmes Foundation work at St Katherine’s which was established by Mrs Slater two years ago. Recently a group of students got a wonderful surprise at their workshop with a visit from the Princess of Wales. They discussed some of their challenges together, the importance of mental health and how they have overcome obstacles they have encountered growing up. The programme has been a huge success and students have been inspired working alongside some of our Team GB Olympians. 

In early July we welcomed Year 6 students from over 50 primary schools who will be joining us in September. It was great to see their enthusiasm during their two day induction and the warm welcome they received from our current students. The Year 6 students experienced a full range of lessons and grew in confidence in their new surroundings which will help them hit the ground running in September. We ended the induction with an evening BBQ for the students and their parents and carers who enjoyed locally sourced food. 

The weather was determined to spoil our Sports Day but thankfully, our PE team were one step ahead with our PLAN B! The atmosphere was carnival like with impromptu face painting, music and running commentary provided by Mr Thomas for the last time. The races came thick and fast to stay on track and the noise levels were unbearable!  Stephenson scooped the prize again, a fitting tribute to Mr Thomas who leaves us after a loyal 17 years service to St Katherine’s and our families. We wish Mr Thomas the very best in his new school and role and I think we will all remember the competitive spirit of Mr Thomas.  The question is, will Stephenson House continue to enjoy success? The House leaders have plans…….

Huge congratulations to our Year 10 mountaineers who made it to the top of Mount Toukbal in Morocco successfully and arrived back at St Katherine’s at 4am the morning of 28th July!  More stories to follow.

As another busy year draws to a close, a restful summer is most welcome for us all. A huge thank you to all our families for your support and understanding throughout the year and we look forward to our new science labs, PE changing rooms and much more in September. 

Finally, a number of kind messages have arrived this week from parents/carers expressing their sincere gratitude to the work of colleagues within the school and the positive impact they have had on their child(ren). Thank you for taking the time to share your gratitude which means so much to colleagues when they read the messages.

Happy summer.

Justin Humphreys, Headteacher

 
  News from the Library Resource Centre  
 

Accelerated Reader House Competition

Quizzing for Accelerated Reader contributes to the overall House competition, and congratulations go to Stephenson, for quizzing the greatest number of books again this year!

Waterstone book fair.jpg

Waterstones bookfair

It really was such a treat to welcome back the two day Waterstones bookfair! Mary, a children's and young persons book expert from the Cribbs Causeway shop, brought a fantastic range of titles for our students to take a look at and purchase if they wished. The emphasis on this event is to give students access to a wide variety of titles to help inspire future reading, and it certainly achieved that with a real buzz at break times. The fair always sparks lots of excited book conversations, and we're looking forward to next year already!

carnegiemedals_logo.jpg

Carnegie Book Award Shadowing Group

Our amazing group of shadowers really did pull out all the stops to read their way through this year's shortlist of seven titles. There was a huge variety once again, and our group results were unusually close, but our St Kath's favourite was 'I Must Betray You', by Ruta Sepetys - which also ended up winning the overall Shadower's Choice award. The Yoto Carnegies medal winner was 'The Blue Book of Nebo' by Manon Steffan Ros, which many of our students also rated highly. Taking part in this award is a very intense undertaking for our students, but as always I am so impressed by their incredible self-motivation and perception. All seven shortlisted titles are available from the school library, as well as your local public library for some excellent summer reading!

Reading books.jpg

Accelerated Reader - celebrating success

Congratulations to our Accelerated Reader millionaires:

  • Elsa Fiedor, 7T2 
  • Otto Baddeley, 7Y 
  • Erin Whitfield, 7T1 
  • Omar Culusow, 7S2
  • Charlie Carkeek, 7Y
  • Marla Green, 7S1
  • Amelia Allen, 8Y2
  • Charlotte Lee, 8P1
  • Scarlett Rowswell, 8Y2
  • Eleana Antonio, 8T

This brings our total number of reading Millionaires this year to a brilliant 33 across years 7 and 8. We celebrated this fantastic achievement with a pizza party in the library. Keep up your reading over the summer everyone!

Books image.jpg

Summer reading

We know that students who read through the summer holidays come back to school in September ready to pick up their learning again straight away. As a great bonus, reading is a powerful, relaxing activity that can help improve our sleep and develop our empathy. Remember you have free access to a fantastic range of books and audiobooks, completely free of charge through your local public library.

 
D of E.png
  D of E expedition to Cheddar Gorge  
 

Recently St Katherine's school students have been completing their Duke of Edinburgh expedition on the Mendip Hills. As part of the award, students must plan and complete a self-sufficient expedition over two days with one night of camping. The weekend started in glorious sunshine in Burrington Combe then headed over Black Down.

The students then walked down by the impressive Black Rock and up onto the top of Cheddar Gorge to take in the stunning views. They then crossed over beautiful fields, tangled with curious cows before setting up camp in the picturesque village of Priddy. The next day, the students started early crossing over rolling hills into the valley of Velvet Bottom, passing through stunning woodlands filled with wild flowers, before finishing on top of Beacon Batch.

The weather could not have been better, with glorious sunshine through most of the weekend. Students really enjoyed the time away with their friends, the challenge of the whole walk and the experience of being in the natural environment. The beautiful Mendip Hills were on display over the weekend, and looked amazing. 

For many, this was the first experience of covering long distances and being entirely self-sufficient. Students showed remarkable resilience, able to find smiles and laughter even when the going was tough. All students should be very, very proud of their efforts, not just this weekend but across the whole of the year, where many students have completed all three other sections of the award. 

Over 90 students were involved. The students represented themselves and the school incredibly well! A huge thank you is owed to all the staff who supported the expedition, either camping or manning checkpoints. Staff give up lots of family time to support the expeditions and help them to run smoothly and I am very grateful for their help and time. 

If any year 9 students wish to continue progressing through the scheme - first step is to complete the Bronze sections they have been working on, before starting Silver next year! Year 8 will have the opportunity to start their Duke of Edinburgh Award from September.

Mr Hodgson, Outdoor Education/ Duke of Edinburgh Lead

 
 
Peer listeners.jpg

Thank you to our amazing Peer Listeners

Just over a year ago we launched a peer listening service in school, training sixth formers in listening skills to provide support and a listening ear to students in the lower years. Four incredible sixth formers - Amalie Chapman, Tilly Hardwell, Evie Harris and Phoebe Durrant - ran this service and are now stepping down to concentrate on their final exams.

Amalie, Tilly, Phoebe and Evie have been committed to providing support to students, giving up their own time and showing such maturity, proactiveness and genuine care for others. They have been with the service from the very beginning and have been pivotal in getting it going and providing feedback on how to grow it further. 

Their dedication has made a positive and enduring impact to the lives of others, which is something they should feel incredibly proud of.

We cannot thank them enough for being such impressive assets to our school. They are leaving behind them a wonderful and lasting legacy!

Leigh Fenton, Student Counsellor

Scarlett Newby.png

Scarlett enjoys work experience

Scarlett Newby, Y12, really enjoyed her recent work experience at Matter. Libby Davis, Operations Manager, said "we couldn't be happier to have Scarlett with us. Just like a true Matter superstar, she jumped right into the thick of things and got involved in all different areas of our daily HQ operations!"

Here’s what Scarlett had to say about her week at Matter: “I have enjoyed my week at Matter so much. This week I have been introduced and welcomed to every element of the company, this has really helped me gain knowledge on how innovative companies operate and has given me an insight into what I would like to do in my future.

I was taught how to use CAD design and got to print my final design in the 3D printer, my design is now being used in the workshop. Through this task I was taught valuable skills such as CAD design and workshop skills by the engineering team at Matter which will help me in my product design A level course.

In the future I hope to study environmental science at university. This week gave me inspiration for the kind of company which I would love to work for in the future which are driven towards a good cause and have positive impact on the environment. I want to thank everyone at Matter for this opportunity as I loved it!”

Yoga.JPG

Thank you Debbie!

On behalf of the Sixth Form we would like to take this opportunity to thank Debbie Richards and her sponsors Jonty Giles and Matthew Roberts from Red Robin Solutions Ltd and Matthew Olivers. With their support we have been able to offer sixth form students the opportunity to practise yoga at some particularly challenging times this year. The students have gained a huge amount from this enrichment option and it has been the most fantastic addition to our ever-developing co-curricular programme for our sixth form cohort. Student Mohammed Warsame commented 'The course was so helpful, it enabled me to focus and take time for my mental health'. Other students, who had never practised the art before, have continued yoga independently as they have found the experience so rewarding.

Debbie has been a huge asset to the sixth form team this year as she also returned early in term five to deliver some much needed wellness strategies to year 13 just before they started their exams.

Mrs Weatherson, Deputy Head of Sixth Form

DofE certificate.jpg

DofE volunteering success

Every year the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme publishes the social value of the volunteering that goes on in DofE.

St Katherine's has been sent social certificates for the volunteering hours completed by our students and the financial value they are equivalent to:

April 2019 to March 2020: 220 hours, £960
April 2020 to March 2021: 52 hours, £236 (impact of Covid 19)
April 2021 to March 2022 was 728 hours, £3363.36

THIS YEAR IS is 1118 hours and £5377!!!!!!!!

Huge well done to the students for their dedication and hard work and thanks to Mr Hodgson and our staff who support St Katherine's School's participation in the DofE scheme.

 
 
 
Trust concert.jpg
 

Trust concert in Bristol Cathedral

On 26th April students from all the CST schools came together for a joint concert in Bristol Cathedral. The amazing venue coupled with the fantastic performances meant that the audience were in for a treat!

The programme featured music from a diverse range of composers from Andrew McCrorie-Shand (composer of the Teletubbies theme!) to Duke Ellington, a famous jazz musician who contributed to over one thousand compositions. We also heard music from Irving Mills alongside pieces by Bill Withers and Dmitiri Shostakovich. 

St Katherine’s School choir performed Take These Wings by Don Besig featuring a beautiful clarinet solo by Mavis Tsang in Y9 and accompanied by Mr Kendall on piano. The piece sounded wonderful in the Cathedral acoustic and it was very well received by the audience. 

Our singers also participated in several joint items; It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Aint Got That Swing, Lean On Me (featuring audience participation!) and the finale: I Am The Earth. 

It was wonderful to have St Katherine’s musicians featured in the CST Camerata orchestra and especially to see some trailblazers musicians progressing rapidly and performing alongside students with much more experience. 

A huge well done to all of our performers; we are really proud of you all. 

Miss Adams, Head of Music

 
 
Dance Festival 2.jpg
 

North Somerset Dance Festival

Sixth Form students wowed for one final time at this year’s North Somerset Dance Festival which takes place annually at the Weston Playhouse. Hetty Cleaver, India Sydenham, Isobel Taylor and Daisy Money created two exceptional performances to bring their Year 13 to an almighty close. An upbeat, happy go lucky dance from the West End musical Hairspray ‘Nicest kids in town’ which got everyone up on their feet and to close the show, the students created an emotional megamix of songs from every festival, concert and musical they have been involved in throughout their time at St Katherine’s.

As always they were impeccable, supporting the festival organisers with donations during the interval and supporting primary school children by cheering loudly and offering advice. I am so incredibly proud of these four young women. Seeing them grow in lessons and as young people on their educational journey from year 7-13 has been an honour and a privilege. They are an asset to our school and phenomenal role models to the younger year groups demonstrating kindness, humour, resilience, determination and most of passion. I want to wish you four the best of luck for your new ventures and thank you for the memories. 

Mrs Collins, Head of Performing Arts

 
 
MHW.jfif
  Mental Health Awareness Week 2023  
 

15 May 2023 marked the start of Mental Health Awareness week and students used tutor time and assemblies to talk about mental health and wellbeing, the focus of this year's MHAW is anxiety.

School can be a source of anxiety for some students. During exam season we were all focussed on making sure Year 11 and Year 13 students were in the best place possible, both in terms of their academic preparedness but also in their mindset and resilience.

We are fortunate at St Katherine's School to have an outstanding school counsellor - Leigh Fenton, who not only supports students individually and through targeted group work but also provides staff with relevant bespoke training as well as giving students self help resources that they can use at any time. During Mental Health Awareness Week, we provided students with the opportunity to explore how anxiety affects them. It is important that we all recognise that anxiety is a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes it can get out of control and then can become a mental health problem. Lots of things can lead to feelings of anxiety, including exam pressures, relationships, starting a new school or other big life events. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems we can face but anxiety can be made easier to manage. Focusing on anxiety for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week aimed to increase our awareness, empathy and understanding by providing information on the things that can help prevent anxiety from becoming a problem. 

If students are worried about their own mental health and wellbeing or if anyone is worried about another member of our school community, it is our responsibility to tell someone. There are a number of ways you can tell someone. You can speak to any member of staff at school. Everyone at St Katherine's School has had training so that they know what to do when someone shares something with them. You can also speak to one of our trained student Peer Listeners who can support students with friendships, bullying, anxiety and a range of other problems that young people face. Their training means they know that they need to pass on any concerns they have when they feel someone is not ok. Finally, anyone can complete the Tell Someone form on our school website which can be submitted anonymously.

Students and staff have access to a wide range of resources to support mental health and wellbeing. One of the resources available is this leaflet that provides strategies for dealing with anxiety and includes some sources of support.

By giving space for open and honest conversations about mental health and wellbeing we are aiming to remove any stigma that surrounds mental health and support students to develop resilience and good self care habits that allow them to take responsibility for themselves whilst being well informed so that they can spot warning signs in themselves and others.

Mrs Crocker, Senior Lead for Mental Health

 
 
 
Ten Tors.jpeg
 

They've done it again!

Zach Brennan and Christopher Rogers of 10P1 completed the Ten Tors Challenge again this year. Not content with doing 35 miles, this year as an experiment to allow younger repeat walkers to push themselves, they were invited by the Explorer Scouts to enter the 45 mile challenge.

The Ten Tors Challenge is an event run by the Army to encourage young people to follow an allocated route on Dartmoor visiting 10 Tors (hill - checkpoints) covering 35, 45 or 55 miles. The teams of 6 have 34 hours (they do sleep overnight!) to navigate the route, unsupported. They carry their personal kit, tents, food and water in rucksacks (that most of us would struggle to carry to a car) and trudge across the varied terrain of Dartmoor, trying not to get lost.

This is not an easy challenge and Christopher and Zach have spent six months training alongside their teammates from their Kilkenny Explorer Scout group. Training included multiple weekends walking not only on Dartmoor but in the Forest of Dean and South Wales. Tents were pitched and meals cooked over small gas stoves in all weathers.  

The team disappeared off in the mist at 7am on Saturday 29 April, determined to push as far as they could on the Saturday, they completed 35 miles walking until midnight in increasingly foggy conditions. After pitching their tents by head torch light only they were up again at 6am Sunday morning to complete the last few checkpoints. At 2.12pm the boys strode across the finish line, in the pouring rain, completing the full 45 miles (they actually walked over 50 with the minor detours as fog is difficult to navigate in!) with big smiles on their faces.

Zach, Christopher and their team mates walked over 10 miles further this year and in two hours less than their 35 mile challenge of 2022. An amazing achievement and a fantastic example of good training, great teamwork and strong mental attitude - well done boys!

They were even interviewed by the Army social media team part way through their first day.

Mrs Rogers, proud parent!

 
 
DKH Princess of wales.jpg
 

Exciting opportunities with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust

St Katherine’s pupils have been lucky enough to work with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust again this year. We were chosen to be a pilot school for athlete mentors to visit the school and run group mentoring projects with students in order to help them to improve confidence, communication and resilience whilst working on a social action project of their choice. 

As part of the On Track to Achieve programme, we invited olympic trampolinist, Laura Gallagher, to work with our young people twice culminating in taking pupils to Axis trampoline park where they were taught a trampolining routine. We also recently hosted paralympian swimmer, Liz Johnson, who supported sixteen girls with a group mentoring project and led discussions on subjects of interest to them. 

In May we were unexpectedly asked to meet some very special guests in Bath. This was an incredible opportunity resulting in global media coverage. The St Katherine’s pupils did us extremely proud with their interest, engagement and pertinent questions for Dame Kelly Holmes and the Princess of Wales. Little did Deputy Head of House, Ms Nattress and SENDCO, Mrs Slater know that this would result in a bit of fame for a day and St Katherine’s trending on Twitter.

In July the pupils came up with the idea of arranging a trip to Weston Super Mare and the Trust helped to make this happen for the girls. We had a wonderful day out on Weston Pier and we truly pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone by riding the Weston Wheel. Many of the girls had never done anything like this before and felt first hand how resilient it makes them feel when you ‘do something every day that scares you’.

Mrs Slater, SENDCO

 
 
Oxford sixth form trip.png
  Sixth Form Update  
 

As another unforgettably, exhausting year in the Sixth Form draws to a close, we have been trying to take a moment to reflect on everything that both Year 12 and Year 13 have achieved and how they have grown over these past months.

But amongst the intense focus of the A Level season, there have been some moments of real joy. Firstly, the incredible RAG week, which has been detailed elsewhere in this letter - a real testament to the vision, creativity and commitment of our Sixth Form Leaders who created countless smiles and raised a significant sum for good causes. 

Also detailed elsewhere in the newsletter is our Year 12 trip to Oxford University - another source of great pride which helped raise aspirations and broaden horizons.  

Our farewell events for Year 13 were joyous celebrations of, in many cases, seven years of St Katherine’s education, and they were full of equal parts laughter and tears. As ever, Mrs Weatherson’s video - comprised of sincere farewells from staff, slightly embarrassing childhood photos and snippets of memories - brought the house down, and continues to get even longer and more epic each year. With awards and speeches (and some ill-advised water pistols), this remarkable year group were given a final day to remember. 

This was followed promptly by our Leavers’ Party, a slightly more glam affair in Clifton, where the dancefloor was never empty and students told stories and sang at the top of their lungs until the early hours (well, around midnight anyway). It’s difficult to put into words how much we’re going to miss them. 

While Year 13 were being sent on their way, there was no let-up for Year 12. A week of hugely enriching Work Experience saw students scattered around estate agents, architects, sport academies, electricians, universities … we could go on. This was swiftly followed by an intensive two-week period of mock exams, with the whole year group showing exceptional application and resilience throughout the period. If that wasn’t enough, a group of students also made time to embark on an overnight residential trip to Cambridge University, meaning several individuals have now visited both Oxbridge locations this year.

And as a breathless term brings an end to a breathless year, I want to offer my sincere thanks to two truly exceptional members of the tutor team who will be leaving St Katherine’s this year. Mr Bates and Mrs Lee are two incredibly valued colleagues who have offered support, kindness and guidance to countless students as part of the Sixth Form team and will be so, so missed. We wish them all the best in their new roles, and thank them for everything they have done - their legacy as exemplary tutors and all round brilliant people won’t be forgotten.

Have a great summer everyone. If anyone’s looking for me, I’ll be in Wales. 

Mr Davies, Head of Sixth Form

 
  House Birthdays  
 
Stephenson birthday.png

Stephenson House

6th May was Paul Stephenson’s 86th birthday as well as the 60th anniversary of the Bristol Bus Boycott.

To mark this at St Katherine’s we enjoyed the following activities: 

  • Music and balloons at the top of school to welcome students and staff as they arrived.
  • Bus tickets were given to students who represented a RED value (Respect, Equality or Determination) these were exchanged for a hot chocolate at break time in the canteen.
  • Miss Nattress designed a beautiful Bristol bus photo booth - students and staff had great fun taking selfies.  
  • Stephenson Quiz was run as part of the house competition for which students earned house points.
  • Mr Thomas and Stephenson House Leaders talked in assemblies about Paul Stephenson and why he is important to our school community.

Mr Thomas, Head of Stephenson House

Turing birthday.JPG

Turing House

In June the whole school joined Turing House in recognising and celebrating Alan Turing and his contributions to our world today and his link to Pride Month.  

  • Tutor groups enjoyed the tradition battleship competition to celebrate Turing's birthday. 
  • We held a House Competition, combining the close link to Alan Turing and Pride Month, students designed a poster celebrating Pride and its association with Alan Turing
  • Tutor groups discussed what it means to have equality and wrote their own definition of equality.
  • Whole school virtual assembly celebrating Alan Turing

Mrs Price, Head of Turing House

Yousafzai Birthday.jpg

Yousafzai House

On 13th July we celebrated Malala Yousafzai's birthday!

Students were greeted at the top gate with yellow balloons and the Malala selfie diamond. Staff and students enjoyed being snapped, especially Mrs Crocker with her yellow, on-brand, sunglasses!

Each member of teaching staff gave out a diamond to students who really impressed them during the day. Students could trade their diamond in at the end of the day.

Students completed a thank you card to show their gratitude for their education that they can freely and safely receive.

In tutor time and assemblies students were reminded how privileged they are to receive an education and staff across St Katherine's reflected on the privileged position we are in to be able to educate young people!

Miss Andrews, Head of Yousafzai House

Pankhurst Birthday.jpg

Pankhurst House

It was with great pleasure that we celebrated Emmeline Pankhurst's Birthday again this year. We started the celebrations with the customary balloons and music at the school gates on Monday, where it is fair to say Mr Murdoch, Head of Pankhurst House, had a bit more energy than some of our students who nonetheless appreciated my (bad) dancing!

On Tuesday and Wednesday students learned about Emmeline Pankhurst and her achievements. In particular we emphasised the fact that without the right to vote women were powerless to effect change and with the vote their voices were heard. Tutor groups in each house then competed against each other in a quiz which tested their knowledge of democracy and voting, there was a prize of a box of chocolates for the winning tutor group.

The final activity saw tutor groups debate whether or not 16 year olds should have the vote in the UK before having the opportunity to cast a vote in a ballot booth set up in the middle of the school. There was an overwhelming majority of students who voted in favour of 16 year olds having the vote.

In a twist to the voting process those students with blue eyes were ineligible to vote which was a nod to Jane Elliot's classic experiment on prejudice and discrimination in the 1960s. It's fair to say that not letting children with blue eyes vote caused some annoyance and confusion amongst those excluded which was an excellent opportunity to reflect on how many women would have felt prior to universal suffrage in 1928.

It was lovely to watch the penny drop with some students as that learning became clear. Equally heartening were the lengths that some blue eyed children went to to get past the prejudice and cast a vote. Pankhurst would have been proud!

Mr Murchoch, Head of Pankhurst House

 
Culture day.png
  St Katherine's Culture Day  
 

Tuesday, 25th April, 2023: a day with a legacy for years to come. At a time when many of us are feeling the pinch of the increased cost of living, the misery of a seemingly never-ending winter chill and the increasingly resonant impacts of the Covid pandemic, a chance to create joy and delight in the beauty of our diverse school community was whole-heartedly embraced.

As ever, our passionate students, determined to make a difference to the educational experiences of their peers, worked tirelessly to create and curate an event that enabled our diverse student body to celebrate their heritage. Sixth Form Equity, Diversity and Inclusion leaders, Danielle and Tacie, crafted a vision for a fashion show to recognise and celebrate the fabulous range of cultural heritage in our community. With the expertise of Head Student, Jessica Stanley - Bristol’s number one pageant queen - and her catwalk experience, we were able to support students to stalk the catwalk with pride.

Over fourteen nationalities were represented, with more than fifty students wearing their cultural clothing with visible joy. As one parent, lucky enough to witness the show commented: “Staff and audience were clearly moved and thrilled to see the students take the space and I have rarely seen a group of teenagers be so supportive of each other in a public event.” This is one reason why this event embodied our school values: at St Katherine’s, we strive to ensure that all of our young people feel included, recognised and have a sense of belonging.

In the after-school show, families were invited to parade with their children and we were privileged to appreciate the dance abilities of Mrs Hussein, Mrs Gyimah-Sarpong and our very own Mrs Gill. As one audience member wrote afterwards: “A magic had happened that made both children and parents feel proud and want to be visible.”

Headteacher, Mr Humphreys, was equally moved by the experience he shared along with the year 7 students in the afternoon - “a wonderful experience for our students to come together across the year groups and remind us all of the importance of our individual nationality, culture and heritage - this event has clearly created another important annual event within our rich school calendar”. 

Mrs Gill, Deputy Head of House and DEI Champion, summed up the success of this inaugural event when she said: “My heart burst with pride.”

Ms Jefferson

 
 
IMG_8194.JPG

RAG Week

Term 5 saw the spectacular return of Sixth Form RAG week, and what a success it was. Thanks to the tireless work and invention of our Sixth Form Leadership team, every day features an exciting and colourful event to engage the school community and raise funds for well-deserving causes. Highlights included ‘Soak a Sixth Former’, the Sixth Form Netball Match (featuring guest star Mr Humphreys), the Teacher Pledges, and numerous bake sales and sweet sales. The final total was an extraordinary £850, which will be split between two charities, as well as contributing towards the Sixth Form Prom. A huge thank you to everyone who supported. 

Mr Davies, Head of Sixth Form

Oxford trip.png

Sixth Formers visit the University of Oxford

On a gloriously sunny day in May, 30 Year 12 students were invited for a packed day at Oxford University, courtesy of our linked college, Exeter College. It was a remarkable opportunity which saw students given a crash course in Oxbridge applications, take in everything from samurai swords to tyrannosaurs at the Natural History and Pitt Rivers museum, take part in an undergraduate-level seminar, and enjoy a well-earned lunch in the grand old Exeter dining room, under the watchful gaze of portraits of monarchs, bishops and fellows. Students returned energised and enthused by what they’d sampled and eager to begin their university application process, which launched at the end of Term 5. Huge thanks to our friends at Exeter College for their support in arranging the trip - we’ll see you next year. 

Mr Davies, Head of Sixth Form

Chemistry.png

Year 10 chemists visit the University of Bristol

Four Year 10 students had the opportunity to go to the University of Bristol Chemistry labs to synthesise aspirin for the Salters' festival of chemistry day. Students got to use some organic chemistry equipment and techniques such as filtration under reduced pressure and reflux and all of them managed to synthesise some pure product which they then tested using infra-red spectroscopy to test its purity. All of the students had a great time and came away with some chemistry themed goodies including a mug full of molymods!

Mr Hake, Second in Science  

Cambridge trip.png

HE+ Trip to Cambridge University

As part of HE+, an outreach programme from the University of Cambridge, 7 Year 12 students made the trip to one of the world's most prestigious universities for an overnight residential at Trinity Hall. Activities included workshops on the application and interview process for elite universities, as well as subject taster sessions from world class academics. There was also plenty of opportunity for tours of the broad and varied colleges and subject faculties of Cambridge, as well as exploring the historic markets and labyrinthine alleyways of this rich and unique town. Students returned tired but enthused and full of aspiration. Thank you to Cambridge University for this incredible opportunity - we'll see you next year! 

Folly Farm.JPG

Year 9 visit Folly Farm

On Monday 26th June and Tuesday 27th June the whole of Year 9 had the opportunity to go to Folly Farm to do an ecology required practical on sampling in different environments. Students were able to go into three different environments to take samples of the organisms that were present there - woodland areas for plants, pond dipping for a variety of organisms and meadow sweeping for invertebrates. Using quadrats, students measured the percentage abundance of different plants at a variety of light intensities and humidities and identified these with the help of the identification charts.

The sweeping for invertebrates brought some exciting finds invertebrates as well as some interesting reactions to the insects/arachnids that were found. Some of the notable finds were a Drinker moth caterpillar, a crab spider and many green capsids amongst many others! Walking into the long grass, students chose their position and took large sweeps of the grass to try and capture as many ‘bugs’ as they possibly could to have a closer look at - only letting off the occasional scream when these flew away!

The favourite area of the day for both sides of the year group was the pond dipping. Students managed to catch a huge variety of organisms including dragonfly nymphs, caddisfly larvae, whirligig beetles, different species of snails, various other nymphs and larvae and a huge number of newts!

Students thoroughly enjoyed identifying these organisms and were very keen to see the newts up close with a varied reaction to these - mainly excitement. Everyone had a great time and thankfully the weather mostly stayed fine. The students represented the school excellently and the tutors from Folly Farm were very impressed with some of the answers to questions and the behaviour of students. Overall a great experience with students learning a huge amount about an important GCSE Biology topic! 

HSC UWE trip.jpg

Health and Social Care trip to UWE

The Year 12 Health and Social class visited the UWE Glenside Campus to experience their widening participation day. The students attended a variety of workshops encompassing the breadth of the health care courses on offer at UWE as well as attending a session from the UWE student ambassadors about life at university

Students were amazed at the health professions facilities used to teach the skills needed. We visited simulation suites- these mimic a real setting enabling you to practice what you learn before going into a real hospital on work placement- for a modified flat for Occupational Therapy, a ward for adult nursing and a delivery suite for midwifery where a computerised manakin gave birth!  We also learnt about dilemmas faced by social workers in their job roles and factors they take into account when making them and put communication skills both non verbal and verbal into action in a session with mental health and learning difficulties nursing lecturers.

The day provided a great insight into allied health professions, university life and application process as well as supporting and applying the learning from the Level 3 Health and Social care course in the sixth form.

Ms Wilsher, Head of Health and Social Care

 
  Headteacher commendations  
 
 
 

Key Stage 3

Year 7: Maddison Lovett, Phoebe Walker-Norweg, Lara James-Neale, Leo Richardson, Ryan Taylor, Elsie Caton, Eve Ward, Victor Furdal, Elsa Fiedor, Otto Baddeley, Erin Whitfield, Jacob Huey, Kyran Gillard-O'Donell, Emily Brosa, Will Stephenson, Charlie Carkeek, Omar Culusow and Marla Green

Year 8: Harvey Bambury, Shay Melias, Kayleb Perkins, Kameron Bragg, Faria Azim, Kieran Lyne, Seb Hutchins-Davis, Noah Roberts, Harry Brown, Olly Peppard, Amelia Allen, Charlotte Lee, Scarlett Rowswell, Eleana Antonio, Jess Britton and Edie Seville.

Year 9: Archie Morris, Lola Bevan-Pertucco, Joel Kambu, Laurie Gisborne, Maya James, Sam Andrews, Zai Hulton, Ella Bartovsky and Cerys Voisey.

 
 
 

Key Stage 4 and 5

Year 10: Caitlin Donovan, Kione Dracott, Oliver Hecker, Emily Sell, Oliver Jackson, Oscar Pearson, Sabira Caraye, Christopher Rogers, Chloe Memmel, Bess Stevens, Mae Kingston and Olive Pearson.

Year 11: James Drury and Ellie Baker.

Sixth Form: Liam Osborne, Scarlett Newby, Waide Watson, Elanor Tuckwell, Ellie-Mai Herbert and Ahmed Hassan.

 
 
House Championship July.png
  House Championship  
 

Stephenson House do the Double Again!

It is with great pleasure that we are able to announce that Stephenson House have retained the House Championship and the Sporting Cup this academic year. The result of this year's House Championship was announced to invited guests in the lecture theatre on the last Monday of term and live streamed into tutor groups so that everyone in our community was able to hear the announcement at the same time.

In reflecting on our year together we are reminded that We are St Katherine's. It is the people in our community that make it such an incredible place to work and learn and that together we have achieved a great deal to be proud of. As we gathered together to find out who had won this year, we were able to take a moment to remember our highlights of this year which included most recently an incredible sports day where students worked together and supported each other to represent their House. 

The race to be House Champions this year has been incredibly close for much of the year and right until the last minute it looked possible that Turing House might deprive Stephenson of a second victory in a row. Turing won the term six ethos competition which focussed on praise points and this meant that they were further able to close the gap. In the end however, with a win in Sports Day meant that Stephenson's lead was unassailable.

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the work of the Heads of House in supporting all of our students this year and helping to make St Katherine's School all that it is. A special thank you must go to Mr Thomas who is leaving St Katherine's School this year after 17 years of service to our school community. He will be greatly missed and the success of Stephenson House this year is a fantastic way for him to end his time with us. 

Mrs Crocker, Assistant Headteacher

 
Pankhurst.png
  Pankhurst House Update  
 

We were delighted to celebrate our successes at the end of a demanding year that saw lots of hard work and effort from a large number of Pankhurst’s students. We came up short in the final ethos competition in term 6 which rewards the house with the best praise/negative proportion, we rightly finished fourth in this competition and this reflects our overall position in the House Championship this year.

While we are naturally disappointed not to finish higher there are nonetheless many positives to take from this year. Over the course of the academic year 7P finished top of year 7 for praise/negative proportion and 8P1 finished top of year 8. It was a pleasure to watch them compete with each over the course of the year with 7P holding on to win Tutor Group of the year. Mrs Brooke and Miss Robinson should be proud of their efforts and I look forward to seeing who will claim this mantle next year. Seb Hutchins-Davies deserves a special mention for finishing as the top praise earner in the school for the second year running. He gained a stunning 1033 praise points. Five of the top ten praise earners in the school were from Pankhurst House with Alexa Barnard, Victor Furdal, Solomon Shilton and Jessica Britton joining Seb. They should all be really proud of their efforts.

Further to this we celebrated other victories in the House Championship including winning the following: European Day of Languages Bake Off, Accelerated Reader competition winners in terms one and two, Pumpkin Carving Competition, Christmas Decoration Competition, the Reading Log Competition in term four and the cube competition.

We also showed a bit of character in terms four and five where we finished second in the Ethos Competition around punctuality in term four and first in Ethos Competition in term five which was based on attendance. Having finished fourth in the same competitions at the start of the year it was gratifying to improve on this with some hard work and effort. 

Also showing lots of hard work and effort were Daniel Stokes, Mavis Tsang and Solomon Shilton who have all achieved their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh awards. This is no mean achievement and I hope they go on to complete the Silver Award next year

One of our targets for the last few years has been to improve our standing in the school Sports Day. This year, while still finishing fourth, it is fair to say we did that. There were lots of individual and team victories representing some fantastic efforts and the gap between us and the other houses is closing. We finished four points off fourth with our highest ever total in Sports Day and were only 28 points off second. The weather meant that I didn’t get to see all of the year groups compete indoors but I was delighted to watch our year 8 students who finished top of their year group and I was also pleased to be able to watch our year 10 compete in their last ever Sports Day. A special mention goes to the year 10 boys relay team who backed up their victory form last year and also to Isobelle Bennett, Anna Petrie and Supriya Kaur for their excellent attitude and competitive nature. Our supporters were unflagging in their energy with a special mention going to Clawnton Wetshi, Preston Stabb, Janson Reeves and Owen Bell for the energy they brought to the day.

In Pankhurst House we award a ‘goodfooter’ award each week to the students in the tutor groups that we think have put their best foot forward that week and there have been some worthy winners over the course of the year. At the end of term 6 each tutor group nominates two people for the goodfooter of the year award representing an outstanding contribution to the group and the House. This year the awards went to: 7P - Iris Jackson and Victor Furdal; 8P1 - Jess Britton and Shay Melias; 8P2 - Julia Howard and Alicia McPherson; 9P - Millie Stratton and Ben Anderson; 10P1 - Jenna Scott and Isobelle Bennett; 10P2 - Joe Gigg and Anna Petrie. Well done all!

Next year will be even better I am sure and I am looking forward to returning in September to go again with a new set of year 7 students and the experience of this year to build upon.

Mr Murdoch, Head of Pankhurst House

 
Stephenson.png
  Stephenson House Update  
 

What can I say!!! Back to back double winners and treble winners all in one year.

I am so proud of Stephenson House, its students and teachers who have worked hard to achieve our goals of being back to back winners. This has been built on the back of our phrase ‘the power of we’ which has been about working together and pulling in the right direction.

Sports day the indoor version was a joy to be a part of and I was so impressed with the determination on display as well as the fun that our students were having. A particular shout out to Year 7 and Year 9 who won their respective sports days and were very impressive. I would also like to say a big thank you to Year 10 who despite some struggles over the years getting teams out stood up and gave it their very best in their last sports day. Maisy Mogg shone in year 10 with some gutsy performances and she should rightly be proud.

It was great to see Stephenson House finishing in a close second behind Turing in the behaviour ratio and there have been great improvements in this area. It was also a pleasure to see us win the accelerated reader competition for the whole academic year. Stephenson House works hard with its students to encourage a love of reading and I believe we have set the bar high for this in our school community.

The start of the term was an opportunity to celebrate the best of the best in our house celebration evening. It was a lovely evening where we had the opportunity to reflect and celebrate with students for their attainment and approach to learning for each subject. We then awarded students with house colours for outstanding commitment to the house. Below are the 10 students who were awarded house colours for Stephenson House:

  • Vanessa Gerbenes, 11S1
  • Bethany Niemczyk, 9S2
  • Angel Chinn, 11S2
  • Shannon Barker, 9S1
  • Evelyn Staley, 9S2
  • Oliver Hecker, 10S
  • Abdulrahaim Yusuf, 10S
  • Jack Taylor, 9S2
  • Joseph Crawford, 11S1
  • Coby Barbosa, 11S1

The final award of the evening was the student of the year which was awarded to Charlie Topp in 11S1. He was given this prestigious award because he:

  • Is a dedicated and hard working student- exemplified by his approach to his GCSEs
  • Is a role model for all students in our house and with the wider school.
  • Is a brilliant student leader who has contributed so much over the past five years, particularly on the sports field.
  • Has an exemplary behaviour record.
  • Is fiercely competitive and has represented both Stephenson House and the wider school community superbly over the past five years.
  • He lives and breathes our RED values.

It has been an incredible last five years since the inception of the house system and we have seen Stephenson House grow. The students have been inspired by Paul Stephenson and his work and our RED values of Respect, Equality and Determination run through the life blood of our house. Students are really passionate about the house and this was evident when we were rewarded with our second house championship in a row. I am really proud of all of the students in Stephenson House and it has been great to see the development of the house and its ethos.

Finally this brings a close to my 17 years at St Katherine’s school and I would like to thank parents/carers, students, former students as well as colleagues for your support in my time here. I wish Mr Court the best in his role as Head of Stephenson and I look forward to hearing of their continued success. I will have fond memories of St Katherine’s and I wish you all well for the future.

Mr Thomas, Head of Stephenson House 

 
Turing.png
  Turing House Update  
 

What a final term we have had at St Katherine’s and especially Turing House. The examination season has seen the Y11 students make that final push in revision and application of their knowledge in exam conditions.

The flip side to the strain and stress of the exam period is the Y11 Celebration Day and Prom. It was lovely to share the enjoyment and sense of accomplishment of the Y11 Turing House Students. With all of the girls looking so elegant and the boys dapper, it was a wonderful occasion. Their friendship, behaviour and conduct at both events was a credit to them and Turing House. I hope that they all achieve the success that they deserve as the results day approaches at the end of the summer.

It is now up to the current Year 10 to take up the mantle and continue into Year 11 in the same positive way that our leavers have displayed. The first steps have already been taken in this process with the mock exams. This was an ideal opportunity to gain experience, improve on exam techniques and identify gaps in knowledge. Turing House are very proud of the way they conducted themselves and stepped up to the challenge. 

It is also important (and customary) to share with you the other significant successes of Turing students. Once again students have represented the core values of Turing in every respect and I am really proud of their achievements.  The students below have been awarded Magnificent Termly Turing by their tutor. These students have consistently demonstrated one or more of the core values of Turing (Unity, Acceptance and Determination) and sustained this over the whole of Term 6. Their attitude and behaviour are an example to all students in Turing House and the school community. Well done to:

  • 7T1: Lucas Farley - Lucas is a very enthusiastic and positive member of the tutor group. He has been our house rep for the year and has done a fabulous job. Lucas' attitude this term has seen him receive only praise points. Excellent work Lucas!
  • 7T2: Phoebe Walker-Norweg - Phoebe has given her all this year and is always willing to ask for help when she needs it. She has become a confident and organised student who always tries her best!
  • 8T: Mabel Challice - Mabel has been a very positive member of 8T this year. She has shown remarkable resilience and friendship to others in the group and stepped up during sports week events when the group needed her to. She always has a positive attitude to learning and arrives to tutor with a smile on her face.
  • 9T1: Grace Jenkins - Congratulations to Grace for receiving 9T1's final Magnificent Termly Turing award! She truly deserves the recognition for her hard work and dedication to Turing House. Her kind and grateful attitude towards both staff and peers shows her exemplary character, and her active participation in house competitions and taking on roles as a young leader in sport demonstrates her commitment to the community. Grace embodies the values of Turing House, which are essential qualities for fostering a positive and supportive environment. Her efforts and achievements are commendable and undoubtedly inspiring to others in the house
  • 9T2: Eva Stojalowski - Eva is dedicated and committed to her studies, consistently displaying incredible preparation and presenting herself in an exemplary manner. . She has shown resilience and adaptability.
  • 10T1: Fern has made such a positive impact on the tutor group this year. She is kind, supportive and not afraid to speak her mind; these qualities make her a role model for other students. Fern has made so much progress this year in terms of her attitude and behaviour. I am so proud of the person she has become!

One of our favourite moments was the Turing Celebration Evening. Parents, students, staff and myself were so proud to experience teaching staff's acknowledgement of students' hard work and dedication to their learning by receiving awards for Academic Attainment and Approach to Learning. House colours recognise exceptional commitment and contribution of Turing students to the house. These students lead others, exemplify our vales of DETERMINATION, ACCEPTANCE and UNITY in all that they do. This year the prestigious award went to: Faria Azim, Noah Roberts, William Juchau-Nash,  Liam Davies, Lucas Whitfield, Daisy Finlan, Caitlin Donovan, Evie Roberts, George Wilkinson, Hannah Lange and Leo Oakman. Our student of the year went to Hope Roberts who radiates our Turing Values. Hope has been a model student since joining in the school in Year 7 and is an incredible blessing to Turing House and St Katherine’s. One of Hope’s teachers said of her, ‘I have never taught anyone as caring, motivated and polite… who strives for the best all the time.’ Well done and congratulations Hope! 

Following the massive success of the Celebration Evening, the focus in this term has moved to Sports Day, Super Stars and the Inter-house rounders/ softball competition. It has been fantastic to witness the incredible efforts and athletic prowess made by Turing House students at these competitions. Special recognition needs to go to the following teams and individuals:

  • Sports Day: All Turing athletes who represented the house in both track and field events, helping Turing house come a credible second place with 732; only 33 points behind the Sports Day Champions, Stephenson.
  • Super Stars: In three of the four year groups, Turing took first place in both boys’ and girls’ competitions. A special mention to the following Turing students who were crowned over all Super Stars for their year group; Oscar Warrren and Hannah Davies (7T2), Buddy Estcourt and Manon Herzog (9T2) and Riley Bristol (10T).
  • Summer Sports:  It was Turing girls who led the way in the rounders competitions with years 7, 9 and 10 taking first place.

Across Turing house there is a real commitment to study, maintaining good attendance levels, teamwork and commitment in all aspects of House activity. And it was this positive attitude that helped Turing house win the final House Ethos Competition of 2022/23; Behaviour Ratio.

Despite the incredible success of Turing house during term six across all house competitions, we left it a little late, resulting in the overall House Championship 2023 going to Stephenson House. Congratulations to Mr Thomas and Stephenson House! A fitting farewell to Mr Thomas who starts his new role at a nearby school. I am sure you will join me in wishing Mr Thomas all the best.

We would also like to extend our gratitude to our remarkable House Leaders, Teagan Davidson and Hope Roberts. They have been exceptional role models and a source of inspiration for their fellow house members. Their leadership has set a high standard for our newly appointed House Leaders for the upcoming academic year. Congratulations and good luck to Roary Gallagher, Evie Roberts and George Wilkinson.  

Once again I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the amazing Tutor Team who work tirelessly to support all of the members of Turing House and House. It is also with sadness that Turing House says farewell to an outstanding and pivotal member of the Turing Tutor Team, Mrs Robinson, who is leaving us for new adventures. I have really appreciated her support and commitment to the house and 11T1 over the past four years and we wish her all the best as she starts her new chapter.

I also want to thank students, and parents/guardians all for your continued support and involvement in Turing House and St Katherine's community. Together, we have witnessed the growth and achievements of our students and I am confident that they will continue to thrive in the coming years. I hope you all have a well-earned and relaxing summer break. I can’t wait to see you all again in September.

Mrs Price, Head of Turing House

 
Yousafzai - Theeban Mahesan & Mae Kingston.png
  Yousafzai House Update  
 

How has this year come to an end already?! The house championship results were announced and overall Yousafzai came third which is not bad at all but slightly lower than where we would have hoped to come. A massive congratulations to Mr Thomas and Stephenson House for the win of not only the house championships but also the sports cup.

We thoroughly enjoyed sports day, even in the wet weather! It was a fantastic event where we really came together as a house and stepped up where we needed to. A huge shout out to 9Y who showed the best display of comradery and cheering each other on - this made me so, so proud. Ameilia O’Reily incredibly joined 800m one lap in and did the 200m as well Liam Hacker led year 10 brilliantly and again was the biggest cheerleader. Year 10 came first for their year group - a brilliant achievement. The day was fantastic - and it made me super, super proud to be Head of Yousafzai House. We have had a great term for sports coming first in the summer sports as well which was rounders and softball. The sports competition has ended so so close, Yousafzai came second, only 10 points behind Stephenson. This has given us a good boost for next year! 

One of our favourite moments was the Yousafzai Celebration Evening. All of us there were bursting with pride for all our award winners who truly value their education and live and breathe the house values of aspiration, determination and friendship. House colours were awarded to those who go above and beyond for the house - whether that is part of the house council, sports leadership or just being the epitome of Yousafzai values. They were awarded to: Sam Jones, Dan Hewett, Morgan Marsh, Naomi Burr, Oli Jackson, Poppy Warner, Mae Kingston, Theeban Mahesan, Alfred Gisborne and Oscar Foerster. Our student of the year went to James Drury who has been on the most incredible journey at St Katherine’s and is a true Yousafzai student. It is difficult to comprehend St Katherine’s without him - hugely well deserved! Well done James! 

This term we also celebrated Malala Yousafzai’s Birthday. We began our celebrations at the top of school with music and selfies in a big diamond. During tutor time we took the time to reflect on our gratitude for our education and wrote a thank you card to someone who has helped us in our education. Each member of teaching staff was given a diamond to give to a student who really treasured their education in a particular lesson. Diamonds were traded in for a prize at the end of the day. It was a brilliant day and just being reminded of how fortunate we are to be able to go to school freely and safely each day and how much we should make the most of it! 

We said our official goodbye to year 11 students with a great assembly reflecting on the last five years. There have been some incredible moments with them and the final incredible moment was seeing them all arrive at prom; suited and booted! 11Y - we will miss you so much! They have been a sensational tutor group - steady, constant and always trying their best. A big thank you to Mr Darlison for the way he has led and guided them for the last few years. Whilst we said goodbye to year 11, we said hello to our new year 7 students. Two new tutor groups for Yousafzai House, have been briefed on our Yousafzai ethos and we look forward to seeing their enthusiasm and contribution in September. 

Coming second in sports and third in house championship means that there is a lot of potential for next year. There are some key things we need to focus on - we managed to improve our reading for this year and we need to continue to do this next year, attendance and more praise points. We need someone representing Yousafzai for every competition next year, we can do this! 

A big thank you to the amazing Yousafzai tutor team who care so well for our students and a big thank you to parents and carers for your ongoing support for Yousafzai House. And the biggest thank you to each Yousafzai student who makes Yousafzai what it is! 

Enjoy a well earned restful summer - with hopefully some sun - and I look forward to seeing you all in September.

Shine bright! 

Miss Andrews, Head of Yousafzai House

 
Stephenson sport.jpg
  PE and Sport News  
 

Term 5 was a busy one with a slow and wet start to summer activities!

  • Our U15 girls have been taking part in the Bristol Bears Community Foundation Project Rugby summer league with early fixtures at Gordano RFC and Broadplain RFC. It has been great to get so many girls involved in rugby and to attend events that are designed to help players transition to clubs. At the time of writing, two girls from Year 10 have been chosen to represent Bristol Bears and attend the Premiership Rugby Final this coming weekend to celebrate the success of Project Rugby.
  • Our leaders have been busy helping out with events for local primary schools. This term we have hosted a Primary 'Run for Fun' event and some of our girls from Year 9 helped to run the FA and Barclays' Let Girls Play Biggest Ever Football Session where they refereed matches and ran some fun drills and practices for the young footballers.
  • Despite the wet start to the term, girls and boys have been busy in rounders and cricket action with the back end of the term proving to be something of an intense fixture programme with all of the early weather related cancellations. Our U15 girls are still involved in the Somerset Cricket Foundation competitions whilst our U13 and U15 boys have still got cup fixtures to contest. It has been great to get back out playing summer sports and the recent sunshine has been an added bonus!
  • We've also managed to squeeze in some rearranged sporting action from term 4 with the Year 7 boys taking on Hans Price on the football pitch, the Year 7 girls contesting their annual hockey tournament and our sixth form boys travelling to Winscombe FC for a friendly against Sidcot.
  • Early May saw our girls and boys teams competing in the first round of the English Schools Athletics Track and Field Cup. Our students love track and field and it has been great to see our students back running, throwing and jumping their hearts out. Along with athletics comes school records and milestones which always serve as great motivation for students. Special mention to our junior boys who won their first round and now travel to Exeter after half term for the regional finals. 
  • Right back at the start of term six our junior boys athletics team travelled down to Exeter to contest the regional B finals. After a busy day of competition with all of the athletes giving their all, the boys were eventually crowned champions! To qualify for a B final as a mainstream state school is a big achievement but to win it is something really special. Huge congratulations to this team of talented young athletes.
  • The athletics success continued at the start of term six with St Katherine's enjoying more success at the annual North Somerset Schools Championships which were held at Clevedon School. Across the eight competitions, St Katherine's achieved three gold medals, two silver medals and a bronze medal. These Championships were a great way to end the outdoor athletics season and it was lovely to see lots of the athletes who have been training hard all season get their opportunity to represent the school. 
  • Leadership has been big business once more this term with our young leaders supporting North Somerset Primary Schools for their Year 5 and 6 quadkids event. It was great to see our local primary school Crockerne doing so well with our leaders supporting all of the visiting competitors brilliantly. We also supported a new event this year in the form of a CST Primary Sports Day which was hosted and organised by Headley Park Primary. Our leaders did a fantastic job of helping lots of Year 5 students enjoy their Sports Day. Finally, at the end of June, we hosted what has become an annual event in the form of the Commonwealth Games Legacy Festival. Students from primary and secondary schools across North Somerset visited our site to enjoy workshops in laser run, short mat bowls, rowing, skipping, cornhole, Molkky and much more. A special group of leaders volunteered their time on what could have been an INSET day for them which just showcases their determination and commitment. Huge thanks as always to the NSSPEA for organising this event and for all of their ongoing support.
  • Girls and boys have also been busy this term in friendly rounders and cricket action with lots more students representing the school and lots of excellent performances. There have been tournaments and friendly fixtures aplenty despite some of the action towards the end of term falling foul of the wet weather!
  • We just had time at the end of term to take our young short mat bowlers down to the Bristol Indoor Bowls Centre to experience a national standard multi-million pound lottery funded facility which is just on our doorstep! A group of youngsters have been busy all year long training and playing this new school sport and have enjoyed some brilliant opportunities. This recent trip was just the latest in what will hopefully be a string of playing opportunities which will continue into the future. It was great to see our students playing some excellent short mat bowls and really impressing our hosts. We are really grateful to the group of volunteers who gave up their time to come and support this experience and to Shane German at the NSSPEA for driving this fantastic initiative.
  • Last but by no means least there was the small matter of Sports Week to navigate! We had everything during the week ... rain, house softball, house rounders, house athletics, SK Superstars, climbing, axe throwing, volleyball, orienteering, tennis, the Excell Cup, after school multi-sports and of course our annual Sports Day for which we had to put our 'very wet weather' plan into operation. Even the deluge outside couldn't dampen spirits in the sportshall where we finally crowned Stephenson as Sports Day winners and winners of the overall House Sport Competition. A great way for Mr Thomas to sign off on his tenure as Stephenson house leader.
  • Huge thanks and a big well done to all of the students who have played their part in PE and school sport. We are already looking forward to next year where we will start by celebrating with some of our brightest and best at our annual Sports Awards Evening. 
  • As always, more details will follow in our term six edition of the PE and Sport newsletter alongside a Sports Week Special Edition. If you haven't already, get yourself signed up for the newsletter by following this link

Mr Cook, Head of PE

 
  Term 1 dates for your diary  
 
  • 17 August: A Level results day
  • 24 August: GCSE results day
  • 01 & 04 September: INSET days
  • 05 September: TERM BEGINS for Years 7, 11, 12 and 13
  • 05 September: Year 7 Virtual parent/ carer information evening, 6-7pm
  • 06 September: TERM BEGINS for Year 8, 9 and 10
  • 14 September: Sports awards evening
  • 20 September: Sixth Form visit to the Royal Mint, Cardiff
  • 20 September: Years 8-11 Virtual Parent/ Carer Information Evening, 6-7pm
  • 28 September: School Open Evening - Early finish, buses leave 12.30
  • 28 September: School Open Evening, 4-8pm
  • 29 September: INSET day
  • 04 October: Year 7 Parent/ Carer meet the tutor, 6-7pm
  • 05-07 October: Gold DofE Expedition
  • 20 October: END OF TERM
 
  Keep in touch  
 

There isn’t enough space here to showcase the huge variety of student experiences and achievements this term. Keep up to date by visiting the ‘News and Events’ section on the school website, check the school Facebook page or follow us on Twitter (@stkathsschool)