Introduction and policy

‘The very stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.’

Mark 12: 10-11

Just as Jesus said that He is ‘the Cornerstone’ on which we should build our whole lives, in the same way, our Cornerstone Values, centred on Christ, provide the firm foundation for all that we do in our academy. Our Cornerstone Values are Love, Virtue and Goodness, Prayer and Service, Radiance, Joy, Wonder, and Excellence.

STB CORNERSTONE VALUES Early Years Foundation Stage

STB CORNERSTONE VALUES Key Stage 1

STB CORNERSTONE VALUES Lower Key Stage 2

STB CORNERSTONE VALUES Upper Key Stage 2

Our Values to Virtues program helps our pupils learn how our CORNERSTONE VALUES can be lived out in their daily lives by practising the CHRISTIAN VIRTUES, helping our children build a strong Christian character which empowers them to strive for excellence and give of their very best in all aspects of their life, and pursue and choose what is good, honourable, and noble, in their thoughts, words and actions in honour and love of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

STB Values to Virtues Program Overview

At St Bernadette’s, we are inspired by the teaching of Christ. In all areas of our lives, we try to demonstrate the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

Catholic Social Teaching is founded in Scripture and includes statements and letters written by Church leaders. It offers wisdom and insights on living the Gospel in today’s world. Jesus tells us to love God and to love our neighbours, especially our sisters and brothers living in poverty.

We use seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching: Human Dignity, Participation, Solidarity, Distributive Justice, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, Promoting Peace, and Stewardship. These principles are threaded throughout our curriculum, including the Religious Education programme, ‘Come and See’, our Values to Virtues curriculum which focuses on a different virtue each term and always ends with an act of Mission, and a programme of Catholic Social Teaching assemblies.

Through this, pupils bring love and care to those both near and far, they recognise that they can make a difference to our world, making it a better place for all. The pupils understand the reasons for their actions, following the example of Jesus and the teachings of the Gospels.

Below are the Progression and Curriculum Maps for the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

Catholic Social Teaching Progression and Curriculum Map: Human Dignity

Catholic Social Teaching Progression and Curriculum Map: Participation

Catholic Social Teaching Progression and Curriculum Map: Solidarity

Catholic Social Teaching Progression and Curriculum Map: Distributive Justice

Catholic Social Teaching Progression and Curriculum Map: Option For The Poor And Vulnerable

Catholic Social Teaching Progression and Curriculum Map: Promoting Peace

Catholic Social Teaching Progression and Curriculum Map: Stewardship

 

STB Catholic Social Teaching Poster

 

CAFOD Visits

In September 2024, our CAFOD representative, Ann Neale, visited our school to lead class workshops about Catholic Social Teaching.

Our Humble Beginnings – Founded On Faith

Our Humble Beginnings – Forged With Hope

Our Humble Beginnings – Formed In Love

The Holy Life Of Saint Bernadette – Visitations From The Queen Of Heaven

At St. Bernadette’s we have four House Teams, each House Team is named after a great Saint and has been given a contributing colour.

Saint Margaret Clitherow

Saint Thomas More

Saint Bernadette Soubirous

Saint Augustine Webster 

Every child, from Reception upwards, is allocated a House Team and children who have siblings in our academy are put into the same House Team.

Throughout the year, the children are awarded merits for many things including; good work in class and for homework, for good behaviour, a positive attitude, collaboration and cooperation, and when a child shows initiative. Each merit is added to a running total for the four house teams. At the end of academy year we hold our annual sports days where the children compete for their house. After this event, scores are combined and the winning house is presented with our House Team Trophy which is adorned with coloured ribbons appropriate for the winning house.

Daily Prayers

At St. Bernadette’s, prayer is an integral part of the daily experience for pupils and staff, with all classes offering prayers a number of times throughout the day. As the children progress through the school they learn a number of traditional Catholic prayers.

STB Academy Prayer

STB Morning Prayer

STB Grace Before Meals

STB Evening Prayer

STB Collective Worship and Prayer Progression

Daily Bible Reading

Each day, members of our Chaplaincy Team have the responsibility of reading the Gospel of the day. We believe that the word of God is an essential part of our daily lives. Children gather in front of the mosaic of St. Bernadette and Our Lady at morning break time or at lunchtime. This is at the heart of our academy, meaning that everyone can join in, as well as reminding us of the importance of having God’s words, and his message, close to our own hearts at all times too. We make sure that we begin each Gospel reading with the sign of the cross and proclaim loudly that this is “The Gospel of the Lord.” Everyone then replies, “Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.” This helps us to feel connected to the Mass as we all know that these words will be said in Mass too. Before the Gospel is read, our Chaplaincy Team members will place the Bible gently on a lectern and ensure that the correct coloured cloth is placed on the lectern to connect us with the time of year and the liturgical season. We enjoy doing this as it reminds us that each day is special in its own unique way.

Spontaneous Prayer

Pupils also have the opportunity for spontaneous prayer. Each class has a prayer tree to which the children can offer their own prayer intentions throughout the day.

Prayer Group

Our Prayer Group meets, as often as we can. We use this as an opportunity to hear God’s voice in our very busy days. It is also a nice time to sit with our friends from other classes and hear about their experiences. We begin each session by setting up a prayer focal area (much like the ones we use for our RE lessons) and then light the candle, which represents Christ’s light for the world.

Prayer Garden

Our Prayer Garden is in the process of being rejuvenated by our dedicated Chaplaincy Team. It is a place for pupils to enjoy prayer, be peaceful and spend time reflecting. The garden is located at the front of the school and contains a stone statue of St. Bernadette. We use the Prayer Garden for Class Celebration of the Word, The Holy Rosary, Prayer Group and quiet personal reflection.

The Holy Rosary

The Church dedicates the months of May and October to Mary, the Mother of God. As part of our commitment to living the faith and fostering an ever more fervent prayer life within our children, during the months of May and October, the Headteacher and other members of staff lead a Rosary Prayer Group. Each day during the week at lunchtime, children gather to pray one decade of the Rosary. Each week one of the four sets of Mysteries are chosen for meditation during the praying of the Rosary, so that by Friday a full five decades of the Rosary have been prayed and a full set of five Mysteries have been meditated upon.

Travelling Crib / Travelling Cross

During Advent, our children have the opportunity to take home one of our Travelling Cribs. Inside, there is a crib with nativity figures, a storybook and a special prayer for the children to share with their families. We do the same during the season of Lent, with the children having the opportunity to take home a Travelling Cross, which tells of Jesus’ journey of suffering – The Stations of the Cross.

Parish Prayer Partner Scheme

This year, a member of the Chaplaincy Team, acting as an Academy Ambassador, helped to launch our new Parish Prayer Partners’ Scheme at St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church – an initiative which was very strongly supported by the Parish Priest. Pupils at the academy and members of the parish signed up to the scheme and were presented with their prayer cards. Throughout the year, pupils and parishioners have committed to pray for one another, and this is another beautiful way of enriching our links with the parish and one which we believe will bring many blessings.

We would like to introduce our Chaplaincy Team for 2024/25.

The children meet regularly and have many key responsibilities which enrich the Catholic Life of our school community. They would like to share some of the very important roles that they undertake, in their own words:

‘It’s really fun to be part of the Team! We get to do fun jobs such as reading the Word of God from the Bible each day to tell people the Good News about Jesus. It’s a great privilege to read Scripture and prayers at school Masses, some of our team have the opportunity to serve on the altar. One of our main responsibilities is to plan, prepare and deliver Celebration of the Word – we start by discussing the theme, we look at what we are going to see, hear, think and do in our celebration; and complete the ways in which will ‘GATHER’, choose ‘The WORD’ and how we will ‘RESPOND’, before deciding on an act of ‘MISSION’. On the day of the celebration, we enjoy setting up the hall – preparing the focal table with the correct liturgical cloth and choosing a selection of religious objects. When visitors come to our school – parents and members of the parish – we enjoy warmly welcoming them. It is really lovely to share these spiritual experiences together. One of our most rewarding roles is to serve those in most need – we get to live and breath our faith by planning fundraisers for a number of charities – in recent years we have supported CAFOD, Samaritans’ Purse, The Forge (a local food bank) and Lindsey Lodge Hospice.’

Since becoming part of the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, we have enjoyed meeting with other schools in our Diocese for Mass (both in person and virtually) and engaging with them as part of the Trust Synod in 2023. We are looking forward to attending this years event in November.

The school is fortunate to have our Lay Chaplain, who visits our school each week. They support the pupils and staff in a number of ways: guiding whole-class planning of the Celebration of the Word; leading a lunchtime Prayer Group; supporting pupils, staff and parents with Collective Worship evaluations; as well as  working on a range of projects, including fundraising initiatives with our Chaplaincy Team and Mini-Vinnie Group.

Our chaplaincy provision is further supported by our Trust Lead Lay Chaplain, Hannah Leech, and our Director of Chaplaincy, Tom Baptist who have provided a range of resources and support, including: Our Trust Chaplaincy website: Be Inspirational.

In November 2018, in his pastoral letter, Bishop Patrick outlined his three-fold vision: Encounter, Discipleship and Missionary Discipleship.

ENCOUNTER:

“I would like to ensure that people of all ages in our parishes, schools, and chaplaincies are helped to discover, or discover more deeply, the importance of a personal encounter with Christ; so that they can become convinced that they are each loved by God and are invited to grow in their relationship with him. In particular, I would like to see the development of times of Eucharistic Adoration in our parishes, schools and chaplaincies.”

Bishop Patrick McKinney invites us to find opportunities to encounter Christ in all that we do and to grow closer to Him through these connections. At. St. Bernadette’s, we work together to spread his message of love and friendship in our school, parish and wider community.

This year, we will continue to journey through the theme of Encounter up to Christmas Eve.

DISCIPLESHIP:

“Because of that personal encounter with Christ, I would like to encourage each of us to hear and respond to his invitation to be his DISCIPLES, to follow him more closely, and to seek to serve him generously in our daily lives.”

A disciple of Christ is to become like Christ in all that we say and do. Being a disciple means we have to take the time to get to know Jesus through prayer, action, reaction and interaction. At St. Bernadette’s, we hear and respond to his invitation to be His disciples through Scripture and readings from the Gospel, through prayer and liturgy, through our words and actions.

We will focus on the theme of Discipleship during the Jubilee Year, beginning on Christmas Eve 2024 and lasting until the Feast of the Epiphany (6th January) 2026. The Jubilee Year 2025 will be a whole year of Discipleship, looking at some of the themes of the Year including care for creation, food poverty, forgiveness, and rest and worship.

MISSIONARY DISCIPLESHIP:

“With a greater recognition of, and openness to, the help, guidance, and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we can all become Missionary Disciples; faith-filled, joyful and outward-looking Christians. At saint Mary’s, we are Missionary Disciples when we bear witness to His love through our service of our brothers and sisters, especially those most in need.”

At. St. Bernadette’s, our pupils and families are always incredibly generous, and we are delighted to be able to support a range of charities throughout the year – locally, nationally and globally. Our school community understands the importance of showing love and support to those who are most in need.

The theme of Missionary Discipleship will be our focus from 7th January 2026 until the end of Ordinary Time (28th November 2026).

The Bishop’s Themes – Early Years Foundation Stage And Key Stage 1 Poster

The Bishop’s Themes – Key Stage 2 Poster

St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church

Our academy is the link primary school for St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church, located on Ashby Road, and serving the Catholic community of the southern half of Scunthorpe. The parish website can be accessed by clicking on the link below:

https://www.stbernadettesashby.org/(opens in new tab)

At St. Bernadette’s we recognise the importance of the links between the academy and our Parish Priest, Canon Matthew Jakes, and with our local parish community. We believe in the importance of working very closely with Canon Matthew and the parish to provide an education for our pupils based on the unchangeable values of the Gospel.

We continually work to create, maintain, and develop links with our parish in a number of ways:

Academy Masses

Throughout the year numerous Masses take place within the academy, as well as at church, and these are always advertised in the parish bulletin. A good number of parishioners attend our academy Masses and it is wonderful to worship together and for our pupils to know that they are part of a wider parish family.

Sacramental Formation

Each year, through a carefully planned programme of formation, academy staff support the parish in preparing a group of children to receive the sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. The pupils also attend numerous parish Masses and practices at church as part of their preparation for these most special of events. At the conclusion of their formation, pupils go on to make their First Confession and First Holy Communion in the parish church in celebration with their own families and the wider parish family.

Parish Prayer Partners’ Scheme

This year, a member of the Chaplaincy Team, acting as an Academy Ambassador, helped to launch our new Parish Prayer Partners’ Scheme at St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church – an initiative which was very strongly supported by the Parish Priest. Pupils at the academy and members of the parish signed up to the scheme and were presented with their prayer cards. Throughout the year, pupils and parishioners have committed to pray for one another, and this is another beautiful way of enriching our links with the parish and one which we believe will bring many blessings.

Academy Events

Important academy events, such as our Christmas Fayre, Christmas Concerts, and our Strawberry Tea are all advertised in the parish bulletin. Members of the parish are very welcome to join us for these events.

Parish Events

Our pupils also represent the academy at a variety of important parish events throughout the year. In recent times, for example, our pupils took part in a special day of celebrations when the holy relics of St. Bernadette of Lourdes visited our parish church. Our pupils were given the great honour of carrying the relics of our patron saint into church, of leading the recitation of the Holy Rosary, and were also involved in various readings during the Mass.

Communication

In an effort to further enhance communication between the academy and the parish, we now have our own dedicated noticeboard within the foyer of St. Bernadette’s Church. The academy’s Mission Statement is displayed, as well as current newsletters, and upcoming academy events.

Governors

A number of governors at the academy are also active members of the parish community. Their dedicated work and expertise within the parish also benefits the academy in numerous ways, and serves to strengthen further the bonds between our academy and the parish.

Charitable Fundraising

Our pupils work hard throughout the year to raise money for a variety of good causes, particularly supporting the poor, the disadvantaged, and those less fortunate than themselves. Every year, for example, through our Harvest Festival activities we fundraise for the local branch of the St. Vincent de Paul Society which is run by members of the parish.

In the months and years ahead we will continue to work closely with Canon Matthew and the parish for the continued benefit of our pupils, families, and parish community, united in love and fellowship as one body in Christ.

First Confession and First Holy Communion

As directed by the diocese, sacramental formation is the responsibility of the local Catholic parish.

Any families who wish their child to undertake the programme of formation to make their First Confession and First Holy Communion should contact the Parish Priest at St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church on Ashby Road for further information.

Parish Priest: Canon Matthew Jakes

Parish telephone number: 01724 844895

Parish website: https://www.stbernadettesashby.org/

The Jubilee Year 2025

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has decided that 2025 will be a year of Jubilee, something which happens every 25 years.The theme is “Pilgrims of Hope”, and it will be a year of hope for a world suffering the impacts of war, the ongoing effects of COVID-19 pandemic, and a climate crisis.

What is a Jubilee?

Taking place every 25 years, a Jubilee year is a tradition that is recognised and respected throughout the world as being a significant part of the history of our faith. Excluding the Extraordinary Year of Mercy in 2015, the last Jubilee year took place in 2000, marking an historic moment as the Church entered into her third millennium.

A Jubilee is a special year of grace, in which the Catholic Church offers the faithful the possibility of asking for a plenary indulgence – a remission of sins for themselves or deceased loved ones. The year begins with the well-known custom of the opening of the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica, following the other three papal basilicas in Rome. The Pope grants permission for Holy Doors to be situated throughout the world for Catholics everywhere to take part in this most special rite.

STB Pope Francis’ Jubilee Letter

STB Pastoral Letter from The Bishop Of Nottingham Jubilee 2025

STB Diocesan Guide To The Jubilee

STB Jubilee Prayer

STB The Jubilee Year Plan at St. Bernadette’s

The Year of Prayer

Pope Francis has dedicated this year, 2024, the year preceding the Jubilee, as the Year of Prayer.

At. St. Bernadette’s, our pupils have engaged with the Diocesan Lord’s Prayer project which invited us to focus on the prayer which Jesus taught us and to pray this in different languages too. Pupils spent time creatively presenting the Our Father in different languages including Polish, Lithuanian, French and Portuguese.

We have enhanced our sacred spaces inside and outside the school for the children to use. Representatives of our Chaplaincy Team created some beautiful artwork linked to The Lord’s Prayer which we have added to our Prayer Stations located around the academy. New prayer trees have been introduced into each classroom, offering pupils the opportunity for spontaneous personal prayer. Our Prayer Garden is in the process of being rejuvenated by our dedicated Chaplaincy Team. It is a place for pupils to enjoy prayer, be peaceful and spend time reflecting.

Our pupils embrace these, and they also enjoy attending prayer groups when they are offered, including the Holy Rosary during the months of October and May.

Trust Synod

In October 2023, St. Bernadette’s sent two pupils and staff representatives to the Trust Synod event, hosted in Lincoln. During the day, those attending focused on the three key elements of the Church that will also be discussed at the Synod in Rome – communion, participation and mission. This provided opportunity to hear individuals’ take on the topics, questions and scriptures that were put before them.

We are looking forward to attending this year’s event in November.

STB Synod Report 2023-24

The God Who Speaks

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales designated 2020 as ‘The God Who Speaks: A Year of the Word’ to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Verbum Domini -Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation on ‘The Word of the Lord’, and the 1600th anniversary of the death of St Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin.

Since 2020, we have been celebrating, living and sharing God’s Word through a range of events, activities and resources. For example, we introduced the daily reading of the Bible – each day, members of our Chaplaincy Team have the responsibility of reading the Gospel of the day. More recently, our Year 5 and 6 pupils have embraced Lectio Divina, literally “Divine Reading,” where they learn to make the reading of Scripture a prayer encounter, a conversation with the living God through his Word.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales has created a website that is dedicated to ‘The God Who Speaks – A Year of the Word.’ This can be found using this link: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/the-god-who-speaks/

What is the Liturgical Year?

The liturgical year is a cycle that keeps repeating itself year after year, but, from a spiritual standpoint, it is always new because it continues to draw us more deeply into our relationship with Christ. The liturgical year celebrates the sacred mysteries of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Below is a brief description of the seasons we celebrate during the liturgical year.

Advent is the First Season

It is a time of waiting for the birth of the Messiah. There are four Sundays in Advent. You’ll notice at Mass that the colours used for vestments and altar cloths during Advent are purple, with pink on the Third Sunday of Advent to symbolise hope. The readings and the music during Advent reflect this spirit of anticipation and longing for the coming of the Lord.

At. St. Bernadette’s, we welcome Canon Matthew, who celebrates our Advent Mass with the whole school. Pupils also have the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We enjoy lighting the candles on the Advent Wreath at each gathering in the hall.

Christmas

Christmas Eve marks the beginning of the Christmas season in the church, which lasts until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord in January. White or gold are the colours used for vestments and altar cloths. The readings, the music and the decorations in the church project joy and a sense of celebration.

At. St. Bernadette’s, the pupils perform a Nativity Play for their parents and our Chaplaincy Team and Choir prepare and perform a Carol Service.

Ordinary Time

Ordinary time follows the Christmas season. It begins on the Monday after the feast of the Baptism of the Lord and ends when Lent begins. A second period of Ordinary Time follows Pentecost and continues until the beginning of Advent. The colour green, a symbol of hope, is used for vestments and altar cloths during Ordinary Time. Throughout Ordinary Time, the story of Jesus’ life and ministry continues to unfold.

The Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes – February 11th

At. St. Bernadette’s, we celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes with a whole school assembly. Each class contributes to this special celebration.

Lent

Lent is the time of year when Christians prepare for Easter. It lasts for 40 days and ends nine days before Easter, on a Friday. During Lent, many Christians fast, or go without regular meals. They do this in memory of Jesus Christ, who fasted for 40 days in the desert. Purple is used for vestments and altar cloths during Lent. The Gloria is omitted during Lent and the word “alleluia” is not said or sung.

At. St. Bernadette’s, we again welcome Canon Matthew, who celebrates our Lent Mass with the whole school. Pupils also have the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. During Lent,  we have a Stations of the Cross liturgy. The whole school have time to reflect on the sacrifice that Jesus made to save us from our sins.

Easter

Easter is the greatest celebration in the Catholic Church because it is the completion of the Holy week that ends with the resurrection of Jesus. Easter celebrates the beginning and foundation of Christianity. Jesus was raised from the dead, and it goes to show that He conquered sin and death.

At. St. Bernadette’s, we enjoy celebrating the Polish tradition of ‘Easter Baskets’ – families bring to church baskets (called in Polish święconka) filled with food to get a special blessing. Baskets usually include eggs as a symbol of rebirth (pisanki – boiled eggs painted in various colors and patterns), bread, salt, sausage, and sometimes other food – chocolate, cake, etc.

Pentecost

On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the twelve disciples of Jesus, the priest will wear red vestments. The music is filled with joyful alleluias.

Through a Celebration of the Word, we gather together as a school community to remember this special day.

What is the Extra-Ordo-Nary?

Extra-Ordo-Nary takes its name from the Diocesan Ordo.

A special resource has been created for schools that works alongside the document to provide a “Word of the week” to anchor liturgical prayers and help connect with the churches seasons and feasts.

STB Extra-Ordo-Nary Word of the Week