AN END OF TERM CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we reach the end of this busy autumn term and make our final preparations for Christmas this Advent, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on some of the highlights and achievements from Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School in recent months, and thank you for your continued support in helping to make this a term full of celebration and community spirit.

It has been wonderful to see so many of you at our year group information evenings earlier this year, which have provided a valuable opportunity to meet our team and the chance to work together to ensure your children not only achieve but exceed their potential.

Excellence at Saints Peter and Paul

Speaking of exceeding potential, students across all year groups have been setting even higher standards of excellence and achievement in all areas of school life:

Year 7

We have been delighted to welcome our new Year 7 intake into the Saints Peter and Paul family. They have settled into secondary school life so quickly and beautifully, fully embracing our school values and their new routines. They have immersed themselves in school opportunities, including music, drama and sport, and we are incredibly proud of the way they have approached every challenge with such confidence. We are more than confident that they will be ready to take on their first ASPIRE assessment weeks when they return in the first two weeks of January.

It was this confidence and enthusiasm that led to our Key Stage Three table tennis team winning the U13s category in the Halton Table Tennis Team Tournament alongside our Year 8 students, and they will now represent Cheshire in the Regional Championships. Our Year 7 & 8 Girls Football team also won a Halton Football tournament too. Well done to you all, what a fantastic achievement so early in your school journey. Thank you also for sharing all your ‘out of school’ successes with us, who knew we had so many talented sports stars in our midst?

Year 8

No longer the youngest in school, our Year 8 students continue to flourish both academically and personally. This term, a group of our year 8 ambassadors took part in the Anthony Walker Foundation anti-racism programme, providing them with powerful and meaningful opportunities for reflection, discussion and learning.

Alongside their success in table tennis and football, they have engaged fully in curriculum enrichment activities and demonstrated a renewed maturity and compassion in their approach to school life. Keep up the great work, Year 8 and I wish you all the best of luck in you ASPIRE assessment weeks when you return in in the first two weeks of January.

Year 9

As they enter this all-important Options year, our Year 9 students are showing increasing independence and aspiration around school. They’ve successfully completed their first round of ASPIRE assessments, helping us to set their end of year academic targets, and we are delighted to see the progress they are making towards these targets already.

We are particularly proud of our Year 9 girls, who have been participating in the Girls Get Set programme in preparation for 2025/26, helping to raise confidence, ambition and leadership skills as they move into the next phase of their education.

We’ll be sharing more information about our Options programme for Year 9 very soon, so please keep an eye on your ClassCharts inboxes.

Year 10

Entering their first Key Stage 4 year, Year 10 students have had a term rich with opportunity as they’ve taken their next step in their GCSE studies. Congratulations to you all on completing your first round of mock exams, the Year 10 team have been so proud of how you’ve approached these assessments, which is just wonderful to hear.

As well as assessments, a selection of Year 10 students attended an inspiring event hosted by All About Futures at Liverpool Hope University, which encouraged them to think carefully about future pathways and our top Humanities students also represented the school superbly at the Humanities IQ Olympics at Cronton Sixth Form College, showcasing both their knowledge and teamwork. Thank you to you all for representing our school so brilliantly.

Year 11

This has been a significant and demanding term for our Year 11 students. They have completed their first round of mock examinations and have been meeting further education providers to support their post-16 decision making. They also took part in mock interviews, and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to our Careers’ team and all the interviewers who volunteered their time and expertise to make this experience so valuable for our students.

As we look ahead, I encourage all Year 11 students to attend our after school Elevate revision sessions when we return in January, as they prepare for their next set of mocks beginning Monday 26th January. Please be reminded that when you come back there will be just 79 days left in school before the first GCSE examination and every day really does count!

Opportunity at Saints Peter and Paul

From celebrating Green Careers Week (thank our guest speakers for inspiring our students to think about sustainable futures and emerging career pathways) to marking Anti-Bullying Week with meaningful activities and discussions, and reinforcing our commitment to kindness and respect, across the school, we have enjoyed a broad and enriching range of events, visits and curriculum-enhancing trips, ensuring our students receive a truly rounded educational experience.

STUDENTS ACROSS ALL YEAR GROUPS ATTENDED THE COMMUNITY REMEMBRANCE SERVICE IN VICTORIA PARK

Our Remembrance events were deeply moving, with students representing the school at the community service in Victoria Park, demonstrating maturity and reverence as they honoured those who have served.

And we were delighted to welcome back the Class of 2025 to celebrate their GCSE success at a special presentation evening, an inspiring reminder of what can be achieved through hard work and persistence.

One of our standout achievements this term has been our appointment as a Lead School for the Liverpool City Region’s Sound! Music Hub. This appointment recognises our strong commitment to high-quality music provision and our dedication to supporting the musical development of children and young people across Halton and the wider region, and we are incredibly proud to be playing a central role in shaping music education locally.

Sporting success has also been a real highlight this term, alongside achievements in the arts and our sold-out performances of Xanadu, reflecting the many talents of our students.

Looking ahead to next term, we have an exciting range of enrichment experiences planned for all year groups. These include careers visits and assemblies, inspiring personal development guest speakers, and our much-anticipated annual trips including the Ski trip, the New York adventure, and the Science trip to Amsterdam! We’re really looking forward to 2026.

Catholic Life and Community

This term, our Community Welcome Mass brought us together with our primary colleagues across the parish, strengthening the bonds between all Catholic schools in Widnes, and throughout Advent we hosted our truly beautiful Community Carol Service and saw the return of our Senior Citizens’ Party at the end of November. I am so grateful to all our students and their families for attending and contributing so warmly to each gathering with such generosity and joy.

We’ve also witnessed this generosity in a true example of our students living out the Gospel values in action, through our Reverse Advent Calendar. This December our school community came together in a powerful act of compassion, creating over 60 hampers to support the families in our community who need it most in time for Christmas. and we cannot thank you all enough for your kindness and giving at this time.

I would also like to publicly thank our amazing staff who work tirelessly to teach and instil a love of learning into our young people and who also go the extra mile every day.

Our students and staff will be enjoying a well-deserved rest during the Christmas break time, so if you need to contact us, getting back to you may take longer than usual.

We appreciate your patience and encourage you to visit the school website for further information where possible.

School will re-open again after the Christmas break on Monday 5th January on timetable week 2, and students need to be in lines for 8.40am at the latest.

I thank you warmly for your continued support as we work together to educate and support our children.

May this Christmas bring your families moments of joy, rest and togetherness.

Danielle Scott

Principal

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School