Parents' Newsletter

I am delighted to share that our school has been shortlisted for a second consecutive year for the Tes school awards! This is a huge achievement and is testament to the continued hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and wider school community. We look forward to the awards ceremony on 21st June, and will share any news with you shortly after the event.

We are in the middle of exam season and Year 11 and 13 students have been phenomenal in terms of focus and dedication. In order to support our students further with their revision, we continue to provide drop down sessions for each subject alongside half term and Saturday revision classes throughout this period.

The Year 10 Drama students have also performed their first practical exam for GCSE of which they should be very proud. Well done to all! AP2 assessment week will be fast approaching once we return back to school after half term (week commencing 24th June) and for some students, this will be the first time they have sat exams at Cardinal Pole. The pastoral support we provide is second to none, with mentors, counsellors, Pastoral Support Managers and Heads of Year all available to support your child with any concerns they may have.

During Mental Health Awareness Week (week commencing 13th May) our students spent time considering the impact of mindfulness on their mental health and the things they can do to assist with this, such as gardening, exercise, reading, listening to music, talking to friends.

As always, I thank you for your continued support and enjoy the Bank Holiday relaxing yourself!

Yours in service,

Adam Hall

Headteacher

Cardinal Pole Catholic School is thrilled to share our second consecutive shortlisting for the prestigious Tes Schools Awards 2024, reaffirming our position as a beacon of excellence in education. We have been recognised in the category of Secondary School of the Year, a testament to its unwavering commitment upholding the school’s SOAR values of Service, Opportunity, Aspiration, and Reward.

The Tes Schools Awards, often dubbed the 'Oscars of education,' honour the best schools and teachers across the United Kingdom, celebrating innovation, dedication, and outstanding achievement in the field of education.

Selected by a panel of expert judges, including school leaders and education professionals, the shortlisted schools and teachers represent the pinnacle of educational excellence across 21 award categories, spanning early years settings, primary, and secondary education.

The winners of the Tes Schools Awards 2024 will be announced at a prestigious gala awards night on June 21 at the Grosvenor Hotel, Park Lane, London. This event provides an opportunity to celebrate the exceptional achievements of schools and educators from across the country, inspiring excellence and innovation in education.

6th Form Commissioning Service

The newly elected 6th Form Student Leadership Team were prayed over and blessed through a commissioning service to prepare their hearts to enter a year of service. We also gave thanks for the outgoing teams’ service. It was a wonderful celebration shared by staff and parents! We look forward to seeing all the ways God will work through them in the next year!

Year 9 Ignite Festival

To dive deeper into their Christian faith 20 students in Year 9 went to a two day Christian camping festival with Ms Loughney and Mr Stewart to encounter the living God. They met other teenagers from all over East Anglia and heard powerful talks, deep prayer, times of Adoration and praise and worship.

Year 8 ‘Love your enemies’ Retreat

Year 8 went to a local venue this half term to deepen their understanding of what it means to love your enemy and find out why this is so important to Jesus in our Christian life.

Spoken Word Scripture Club

Azael in Year 8 performed a spoken word he wrote during the newly formed ‘Spoken Word Scripture’ club, the piece was based on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives and Azael performed it to all the year groups in assembly this week. Come Holy Spirit!

A message from our Chaplain, Kimberley Fernandes-

This is the time of the year the Church celebrates the Holy Spirit being sent to the disciples to guild, strengthen and inspire them to proclaim the faith to all mankind. Let us all have a Pentecost experience that gives us the ability to share the gospel with all who meet us inside and outside the school!

Prayer

Come Holy Spirit come!

Breathe into me, Holy Spirit,

that my thoughts may all be holy.

Move in me, Holy Spirit,

that my work, too, may be holy.

Attract my heart, Holy Spirit,

that I may love only what is holy.

Strengthen me, Holy Spirit,

that I may defend all that is holy.

Protect me, Holy Spirit,

that I may always be holy.

Enter the hearts of all those that learn and teach at Cardinal Pole.

Amen

The RE Department has been spending time this year preparing for some very exciting changes to our curriculum for Key Stage 3. In January last year the Catholic Education Service launched the new Religious Education Curriculum (RED) – a document that sets out a new curriculum to be taught at all Catholic schools across Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 during RE lessons. The aim of this document is to ensure more consistency and unity in what is being delivered in RE lessons across England and Wales. At Cardinal Pole, the changes will be coming into place from September 2024.

The introduction of the new RED will give our students an opportunity to explore new areas of religious education. Topics we will be studying across these three years are wide-ranging – from the fundamentals of what it means to be a Christian, to exploring the relationship between science and religion.

As a Department we have been working to put together new resources for our students and thinking about how we can help our students to really enjoy their RE lessons. We are excited to discuss moral dilemmas, different religious beliefs and what it means to be a Catholic. We cannot wait to see our students writing passionately, presenting their ideas to their classmates and making beautiful pieces of artwork during their RE lessons and at home. We look forward to sharing these with you soon!

We were lucky to have Microsoft visit the school. This visit was highly beneficial for all of the students involved and the day included great talks and workshops that had a range of themes! We discussed topics such as: being a woman in STEM; careers in tech; the importance of representation; and how students can achieve their goals. There was even time for a quick game of table tennis!

After 7 years at Cardinal Pole Catholic School I can confidently say that staff do all they can to accommodate the needs of their students. I was a little concerned that this network of support I had become accustomed to would disappear as I began my Sixth Form journey, and that I'd be thrust into independence. However, as I get ready to graduate I can say that I've never felt more supported in my studies than in Sixth Form. I can feel the growth I've made, thanks to my teachers, and they've gone above and beyond to make my transition into higher education as smooth as possible, alleviating me of much of my anxiety about my future.

Throughout the week, students took part in various activities to highlight the importance of mental health and tools that can help us to improve our wellbeing. We looked at the importance of working out, journalling, talking to someone and doing something kind to show our appreciation, such as planting and giving flowers of gratitude to our teachers!

Please click on the image below to watch on Instagram!

We have launched our 'Cardinal Pole Connect' campaign to celebrate and connect with our incredible Alumni.

If you are a former student, please fill in the Google form and be the first to know about our growing alumni community & networking events in 2024.

Looking for something to do this half term? There are lots of activities in our borough to keep you busy.

Young Hackney’s adventure playgrounds, Shoreditch and Hackney Marsh, will be open for fun and exciting play activities during term time for children aged 6 – 15 (up to 18 with SEND).

Adventure playgrounds are open:

• Tuesday to Friday 3.30pm – 7.30pm.
• Saturday 11am – 4pm.

At the Forest Road Youth Club, there are games, multisport and arts and crafts sessions for students between the ages of 13 - 19.

Click the link to view their timetable.

Website: https://www.cardinalpole.co.uk/
Location: 205 Morning Ln, London E9 6LG, UK
Phone: 020 8985 5150