Our school community gathered for a well attended Prayer, Song and Soup Service led beautifully by Year 4, reflecting on Matthew’s Gospel reading of the Transfiguration. The children sang with such sincerity and grace that they truly set the tone for a thoughtful and inspiring service. Through everyone’s generosity, we raised £40 towards our Lenten appeal in support of CAFOD, living out the message of hope and transformation at the heart of the season.

This half term Year 1 has been focusing on how to write a non-chronological report. We were so impressed that the children were able to recall exactly what a non-chronological report needs and explain why each part is important. We could not believe our eyes when an Emperor penguin visited our class. She had come to check out all our amazing writing. Our visitor was so impressed with our effort and enthusiasm!

Year 6 recently spent a special day at St Mary’s, taking part in a variety of activities focused on reflection, unity, and creativity. The visit also gave pupils the opportunity to spend time alongside other local feeder schools, helping them gain a real sense of what a typical day at secondary school might feel like as they begin preparing for the important transition to high school. Throughout the morning, pupils participated in sessions that explored themes of prayer, comm

Recently, we welcomed our Year 6 parents into school for a SATs Parent Workshop, designed to give families a clearer understanding of the assessments pupils will complete in May. During the session, parents had the opportunity to work alongside their children, completing a range of tasks similar to those pupils experience in the SATs tests. This hands-on approach helped demonstrate both the type of questions and the length of the assessments, allowing parents to see first-han

Year 6 recently visited SafetyWorks, an interactive safety centre in Newcastle that helps young people learn how to stay safe in everyday situations. The visit provided a valuable opportunity for pupils to explore real-life scenarios and understand how to respond to potential dangers in a safe and controlled environment. Throughout the afternoon, pupils took part in a range of hands-on safety workshops led by experienced professionals. Using realistic environments, the centre

To celebrate Shrove Tuesday, children in Early Years made delicious pancakes in school. They decorated them with their favourite toppings and even enjoyed a pancake race too, making good use of the pancakes that Mrs Sore dropped on the kitchen floor!

Our Early Years classroom has been filled with excitement as we celebrated Lunar New Year together. The children were eager to learn about this special festival and the traditions that make it so meaningful for many families around the world. We began by listening to the traditional story of the great animal race, where the animals hurried across the river to earn their place in the zodiac. The children loved discovering how each animal earned its year and were especially exc

Year 5 had a fantastic trip to Beamish Museum recently. This trip brought our Industrial Revolution History unit to life and we experienced lots of aspects of Victorian life. The children took part in a workshop where they had to approach different businesses and persuade them to donate money to improve conditions in the workhouses. They visited the solicitors, a shop owner, a maid and a free mason to tell them how awful the conditions were in the workhouses and how a donatio

Our Year 6 Prayer, Song and Soup service was a calm and reflective time of worship, sharing a clear message about the meaning of Lent. The children led with confidence and respect, guiding everyone into quiet reflection and prayer. Sharing soup together reminded us of the importance of community, gratitude, and showing kindness throughout our Lenten journey.

The annual KS2 Careers Week took place just before the February half term and, as always, it was a highlight of the school calendar. During the week, St Stephen’s pupils stepped away from their usual timetable each afternoon to hear from a range of professionals and visit local workplaces. In an ever-evolving world of work, we feel it is vital to introduce children to a variety of career pathways from an early age, helping to spark ideas and inspire future ambitions. The purp

This week in Creative Prayer focused especially on praying for those in need. Using prayer pebbles, the children were able to pause, reflect and hold individuals or situations in their thoughts as they prayed. The simple act of choosing and holding a pebble helped everyone slow down and connect more meaningfully with their intentions. The children engaged beautifully, showing thoughtfulness and care throughout. Our prayer leaders guided the time with real reverence, creating

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this term's Christmas themed Stay and Play sessions. The children in Nursery and Reception had so much fun, painting their salt dough tree decorations, writing and posting letters to Santa and creating individually designed, hand printed wrapping paper. They practised lots of important skills, but more importantly had fun with their grown ups in school.

The Christmas disco was a lively and joyful celebration, filled with colourful lights, upbeat music, and plenty of excitement. The children thoroughly enjoyed the event, laughing, cheering, and dancing with big smiles on their faces. They had the chance to show off their best dance moves, from energetic spins to creative freestyle steps, as they danced alongside their friends. The atmosphere was warm and cheerful, making it a memorable occasion that truly captured the spirit

KS1 had the most amazing day out at the Rising Sun where they went to visit Santa’s Grotto! It felt like we were transported to the North Pole! Both year 1 and year 2 were lucky enough to meet Santa and ask lots of different questions about Christmas. Santa said his favourite snacks were warm mince pies! They were trusted to hold Santa’s very important keys that let him into the houses and they also sang some carols with his jingle bells. They all sat around a crackling fire,

This year, the children have enjoyed a wonderful range of festive Christmas activities filled with fun, creativity, and celebration. We began December with our Christmas performance, where every child took part with great enthusiasm. They sang beautifully, joined in with the actions, and looked absolutely fabulous in their costumes. The performance featured all the traditional Nativity characters, along with animals and shining stars, as well as some cheeky elves, Santa, and

On Tuesday 9th December, Key Stage 2 pupils showcased their wonderful Christmas Carol Service at St. Aidan’s church. Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 worked incredibly hard, alongside their teachers, to put together a truly moving service. This special service was deliberately simple and straightforward, keeping the focus on the true meaning of Christmas. The children’s singing and acting was so impressive and I’m sure you’ll all agree that it was a beautiful, poignant evening where we all

Santa visited St Stephen’s in the last week of term with a gift for every St Stephen’s pupil. Early Years enjoyed a very special visit from Santa, who spent time reading us a festive story and handing out presents. We then shared a lovely breakfast together, making it a truly magical and memorable experience for everyone. After his time in Early Years, Santa tried to visit as many pupils as he could and checking he had the nice and naughty lists up to date! We can’t wait to s

On the 2 nd and 3 rd of December, Year 3 took part in their first overnight residential trip to the YHA at the Sill. One of the reasons we arranged this trip for December was to celebrate the festive period of Advent. Whilst at the Sill, the children took part in a beautiful Celebration of the Word whereby we reflected on the Word of God by sharing our thoughts on how to enjoy a peaceful Christmas. We discussed that whilst Advent is a time for preparation, it is also a good

Our recent Advent Celebration of the Word services were truly meaningful events, reminding us of the true spirit of Christmas as we journey through this festive season. Led beautifully by KS2, the services were filled with reverence and respect for the Gospel, with children sharing key messages to guide us through this time of preparation. Thanks to the generosity of all who attended and supported their children, we raised a grand total of £226.93 , which will go towards buil

St Stephen’s Choir recently had the wonderful opportunity to perform as part of Side By Side’s Friendship Week , held in celebration of Anti-Bullying Week. The event featured a series of songs centered around the theme of friendship, and our talented children truly wowed their audience. One of the highlights of the afternoon was their powerful rendition of “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” , which quite literally took the roof off the church! The energy and enthusiasm displayed by t