Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust: Updates from their Schools December 2023

St Charles Catholic Primary School, Spennymoor: St Charles’ is 150!

In November, the students and staff at St Charles’ celebrated the school’s 150th birthday. The original school was opened in 1873 because of the rapidly increasing generation of the parish. The 1870 Education Act together with population increases in the area prompted religious bodies to provide the necessary educational facilities for the young. By the early 1870’s there were approximately 500 students in the parish and so the provision of a Catholic School was essential. Records show that in 1873, the 513 students were divided into only five classes! Our celebrations took place with the students and staff, both past and present, celebrating a special Mass with Father Anthony on All Saints Day, followed by further celebrations for the Feast Day of St Charles of Borromeo a few days later.

St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool: STEM project

St Cuthbert’s, Hartlepool have taken part in a STEM project with a local construction firm enabling children to be inspired at a young age to pursue careers in construction – especially females! Lisa Molloy, Construction and Commercial Manager at Tees Valley-based Seymour Civil Engineering, visited St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School to promote a career in industry. It all comes as part of a push to upskill the region’s workforce and bridge the skills gap as game-changing major projects are developed over the next 15 to 20 years.

Promoting construction to primary school youngsters, parents and teachers was at the heart of the visit, which focussed on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Year 6 got the chance to hear what Lisa did for a living, learn more about construction, and plan and build a costed project as part of an exercise.

Lisa said: “The construction industry currently faces an unprecedented skills shortage which is only predicted to become worse. Molly in Construction is aimed specifically at primary school students to inform students, parents and teachers about the great careers in construction available to all.”

Year 6 students looked at a range of careers for all skill levels and had the chance to work in teams to build bridges to hold a particular weight. They had a rewarding day which provided further aspiration, a better understanding of the range of careers available to them in Hartlepool and a desire to achieve goals set.

St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School, Stockton: Arlo Allotment Project

A group of KS2 are enjoying participating in the ‘Arlo Allotment’ Project which is run by the Corner House Youth Project. This exciting initiative aims to connect students with the natural outdoor environment, through working on the allotment and through creative workshops. The weekly sessions follow different topics each week with an ongoing emphasis on supporting students with their social and emotional development.