News

Friday, 24 May 2013 13:47

Cathedral filled with Music in Spectacular Recital

20 May 2013 - Press Release

Students from Austin Friars St Monica’s School have held their annual Summer Recital at Carlisle Cathedral.

Students from the Senior School took part in the school’s annual Summer Recital which gives individuals the opportunity to perform in the grandeur of the Cathedral. The evening included musical performances from talented pupils across the school and included a mix of classical and contemporary pieces which were performed in front of a large audience.

Throughout the evening different groups performed. These included; ‘Some Strings Attached’, the Saxophone Ensemble, the Guitar Ensemble, the Junior and Senior Choir, the Brass Ensemble and the Swing Band.

The evening was introduced by ‘Some Strings Attached, a group of talented musicians from the Senior School, who gave a ‘Salute to Abba’ performance, playing ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Money, Money, Money’ as well as an arrangement of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.

The Junior and Senior School Choir performed an enthusiastic rendition of ‘Rhythm of Life’ and the Senior Choir alone took to the stage to sing ‘Close to You’ followed by a brilliant rendition of ‘Moon River’.

During the evening the audience were treated to three solo performances from A Level students Amy Hill, Will Low and James Leitch. With guitar in hand, Amy sang a beautiful version of Radiohead’s ‘Fake Plastic Trees’, Will performed ‘When the Saints Come Marching In’ on the tenor saxophone and James nearly lifted the Cathedral roof off with his performance of ‘Hymne d’Actions de Grâces’ on the organ. All three are coming towards the end of their Upper Sixth year and the Summer Recital marks the last musical performance of their school careers. It always brings mixed emotions for the performers.

Mr Charles Hattrell is the Director of Music at the School and helped to bring everything together. He said: “The Summer Recital brings together pupils and staff from the Senior School in a celebration of music. This concert always marks the end of the musical line for the Upper Sixth students and it adds to the special nature of the occasion. It was a splendid evening with some spectacular musical performances.”

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For more details please contact:

Andrew Hullock

Marketing Administrator

Tel: 01228 550 719 email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Notes to editor

Austin Friars St Monica’s School is the independent day school for girls and boys aged 3-18 years in the centre of Carlisle. The School has a strong reputation in Cumbria and South West Scotland for providing an all-round, high quality education that meets the individual needs of each child.

Academic achievement and strong pastoral care are at the heart of what we do. Focusing on a traditional form of education, every pupil at Austin Friars St Monica’s is also encouraged to take part fully in the all-round life of the School with an extensive range of extra curricular activities available.

Once again, public examination results have been exceptionally good this summer. At A level, 61% of grades were either an A or B grade with the overall pass rate once more 100%. At GCSE, a stunning 50.8% of overall grades were either A* or A with more than a third of students recording an outstanding 8 or more top A* or A grades. A School record-breaking 97% of students achieved 5 or more A* - C grades.

If you want further information on what we provide, please go to our website at www.austinfriars.cumbria.sch.uk

Friday, 24 May 2013 13:44

Saint Paul’s Donate the Gift of Water

May 2013 - Press Release

CAFOD, the Catholic Association for Overseas Development, has been benefitting from the fundraising by pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe. The charity works in many countries to tackle poverty, encourage development and fight for global justice.

The pupils worked hard to raise sufficient money to donate water for a family as they thought that having a glass of water or taking a shower were things that we take for granted everyday and that water should be available for everyone. They did some research and found that boreholes can give people around the world drinking water which won’t kill them and clean water to wash in which will keep them safer from infections.

“At Saint Paul’s we firmly believe in engendering in the pupils a sense of social responsibility and a culture of being givers not takers,” explained Mrs Helen Farrar, Head of Languages at Saint Paul’s. “The pupils did a fantastic job with this fundraising; I am very proud of them and impressed with their attitude and enthusiasm.”

“The school actively supports a number of local, national, and international charities,” commented Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “An appreciation and understanding of the ways in which charities help the less fortunate also forms an important part of our curriculum. We encourage our pupils to consider others in need and to help them through giving of both their time and effort.”

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Notes for Editors

1.The 2012 GCSE results for Saint Paul’s Catholic High School were its best ever with 90% of pupils achieving 5 A* - Cs. 59% of pupils gained 5 A*-C plus English and Maths. This is the eighth year in succession that the school has improved its GCSE pass rate.

2.Saint Paul’s received congratulations from the Rt Hon David Laws MP Minister of State for Schools when they were recognised as one of the 100 most improved schools in the country in 2012.

3.At the last Ofsted inspection of the school in March 2010 the following comments were made by the inspectors: “Good teaching enables students to make good progress and achieve well. Relationships between teachers and students are strong. They result in good behaviour.”

The report stated that the school is “enabling students to learn effectively and make good progress. Attainment is rising rapidly as a result. Achievement for all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with English as an additional language, is good.”

4.The Ofsted report is reinforced by the preceding inspection of the school by the Diocese of Shrewsbury under the guidance of the Bishop of Shrewsbury. The Diocese report stated “Saint Paul’s is a good Catholic school. The Head and Senior Leadership Team have a clear vision ….. an outstanding feature of the school is the pastoral care of students and the support of staff.”

5.Saint Paul’s was the first school in Manchester to be awarded Engineering College status.

6.The work of Saint Paul’s drama teacher, Ms Ellie Brookes, was recognised with her winning the much coveted North West Teacher of the Year Award. Also Head of Humanities at Saint Paul’s, Ms Ursula Gallagher, gained third place in the Outstanding New Teacher of the Year category of the Northern Area Teacher of the Year.

7.Lively approaches to teaching maintain vigour and ensure that firm foundations are established for higher level work. The school has a modern approach to learning supported by a programme of constant refurbishment and development of its facilities and resources. Saint Paul’s is currently undergoing a total rebuild with the new school buildings due to open in November.

8.The aims of the school are to:

•Teach and foster a Christian perspective in all that it does

•Provide teaching of the highest calibre

•Promote excellence in all areas

•Develop the ability, talents and character of each pupil, enabling them to make their own unique contribution to school life

•Encourage boys to play their part in helping the community run smoothly and effectively, by taking on responsibility and leadership

More information about Saint Paul’s Catholic High School can be found at www.st-paulshigh.net or contact Jane McAuliffe-Hall (Marketing and Publicity Manager) at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on 0161 437 5841.

Friday, 24 May 2013 13:39

Learning Chinese at Saint Paul’s

April 2013- Press Release

Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently extended their language teaching to include Chinese. They are being taught by the school’s resident Chinese teacher, Mr Yantong Li, from Beijing.

The Year 7 and 8 pupils are not only learning Mandarin Chinese but they are also discovering traditional Chinese cultural activities such as Knot making, Origami and Tai Chi.

Mr Li is here as a cultural envoy to exchange ideas on teaching and breakdown cultural barriers between China and Britain. He was here last year and did a lot of work with the Saint Paul’s feeder primary schools so a lot of the children he is teaching already have a little knowledge of Chinese.

The school has developed a partnership with the Beijing Huimin School which is where Mr Li has come from. Both schools are benefitting through the sharing of expertise and practice, as well as providing opportunities for students and teachers to experience vastly different cultures.

“The subject opens pupils' eyes to the biggest country in the world, it hones general language skills and engages them, especially the boys who relate to the visual and spatial aspects of the language,” explained Mrs Helen Farrar, Head of Modern Languages at Saint Paul’s. “The children are enjoying it as it is something very different to the language lessons they are use to and it can be a subject in which pupils who struggle with other languages do well.”

Mrs Farrar added: “The subject is engaging the pupils, they love learning about the culture and it is very motivating. The whole programme has clearly given many pupils a feeling of confidence and achievement.”

“The partnership has been an excellent opportunity to continue to develop and strengthen our links with China,” said Saint Paul’s Head Teacher, Mr Wiktor Daron. “Working with the Beijing Huimin School has allowed us to enrich our curriculum and support language awareness and learning; and to provide professional development opportunities for staff.”