Our Faith

St. Paul’s Catholic Primary School is a vibrant Christian community where the heart of the school is a love for God.

It respects the uniqueness of the individual made in God’s image and loved by him and this is immersed in our RESPECT values of Resilience, Empathy, Self-Awareness, Positivity, Excellence, Communication and Teamwork.

We aim to deliver a high standard of education which challenges all, based on the understanding that the whole person is celebrated and inspired to contribute.

We aim for excellence in the daily life of our school, where together we live, love, learn and celebrate.

In working outwardly, our partnership with parents, our parishes, other schools and the wider                 community, will benefit.

We will endeavour to provide open and supportive communication which fosters effective,    caring relationships between all.

Diocesan Inspection Report

Catholic Life and Mission

Catholic Life and Mission Policy

Spiritual Ambassadors

We have Spiritual Ambassadors who work closely with Mrs Potts to promote opportunities for prayer within school. We take responsibility for helping to set up prayer stations in our prayer room and invite children in at break times to spend time getting closer to God. We give our time to prepare prayer bags for home including the Rosary, Travelling Cribs and Easter Mystery.

We wear our badges with pride and are keen to evaluate our success against the action plan we write each year.

Mini Vinnies

Our Mini Vinnies meet once a week with Mrs Potts. Their motto is 'Turning Concern into Action'.  The Mini Vinnies turn concern into action by 

• tidying up the local community
• serving at the parish Macmillan Coffee morning
• visiting residents in a local care home
• taking part in community events such as St Michael's Tree Festival and St Paul's Crib Celebration
• Supporting other children in school

Please check our Class Dojo school page and see our Catholic Life floor books to see how we contribute to our community.

Faith in Action

Children in Year Six are busy working towards their Faith in Action Pin Award. 

Praying at Home

Children across all age groups including Little Lambs and Nursery enjoy opportunities to engage in family prayer time using resources shared at school. During the months of May and October children in Key Stage Two are invited to pray a decade of the Rosary at home. A retired teacher and parishioner kindly knitted us these special statues of Mary for our prayer bags.

During Advent our younger children enjoy sharing the Travelling Crib prayer resources with their families and during Lent and Easter children have an opportunity to pray using The Easter Mystery bags.

Little Lambs and Nursery children are keen to take Prayer Bear home and share with their older siblings.

Spirituality Days

We begin each year with a whole school day of prayer focusing on our Mission to grow in God's love to be the best we can be and how we can do this by following St. Paul's Paths to live out our RESPECT values. We enjoy exploring how scripture shows us how we can let our lights shine as children of God in the way we behave towards others. 

We also have other whole school spirituality days focusing on themes such as Love, Hope and Prayer.

Celebration of the Word

Prayer and Liturgy Policy

Prayer Spaces

We develop prayer spaces around school to enable us to pray in different ways. During Advent we used areas throughout school to create an Advent Prayer Walk, requiring a long walk to symbolise the journey to Bethlehem.

We have a prayer room, a chapel, and a prayer garden in school which are used for quiet prayer and reflection. Fr Stephen led us in a decade of the Rosary during October in our school chapel. 

Year of Jubilee

The children were invited to begin the Year of Jubiliee through prayer activities. Each month they will take part in further spiritual activities as they walk as pilgrims of hope.

Open the Book

Members of the Open the Book team led whole school worship once a month. The children are very keen to retell messages from the Bible through drama.

Exploring Faith at Lifepath

Lifepath is an exciting interactive and spiritual day for Year 4 pupils that is run on an annual basis at Brinkburn Priory. During the day, pupils are offered a variety of activities to help them learn about the Christian faith that has been practised across these islands for the last 1500 years. They are encouraged to reflect on their own ‘Lifepath’ as they make their way through school and out into the wider world. In 2024 the children were gifted a copy of 'Diary of a Disciple' to continue their faith journey on return to school and home. Ignite visited school in November to lead the children in reflection and prayer.

Experience Harvest

Children in Year 3 were invited to participate in a day of reflection focusing on the fruits of harvest through various art, craft and prayer activities. Members of the Christian churches in Alnwick shared Bible stories and helped the children write prayers of thanks for our local farmers and the crops they grow and harvest. 

The Crowning of Mary

Fr Stephen invites school to join with the parish in planning a celebration of Our Lady during the month of May. The children participate each year and enjoy processing into church behind Our Lady's statue, learning new hymns, leading a decade of the rosary, signing the Hail Mary and sharing liturgical dance with the visiting congregation.

Prayer Stations

We invite all children, governors, parents and parishioners to join us in a day of spirituality each year based around a chosen theme. Themes have included Love and Hope for the World.

The Youth Worker from Ignite and the Alnwick Baptist church leads small groups of children in prayer on a regular basis. Children enjoy craft, singing and drama opportunities to enhance the prayer life of school.

Class Celebration of the Word

Each class have the opportunity to be involved in planning a Mass or collective worship. Parents and parishioners are invited to join in these prayerful experiences.