Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral Primary School

You only need to scroll through our website newsfeed to see what an INCREDIBLE year it’s been here at Cathedral. Cathedral’s 150th anniversary celebrations have, of course, come to an end with our Time capsule being buried in Cathedral church grounds.

Well done to each and every Cathedral learner for their enthusiasm and hard work throughout the year, as well as to teaching and support staff for going above and beyond to ensure every learner has reached their full potential. Thanks too to parents, carers and parishioners for their ongoing support: it is very much appreciated.

We wish all Cathedral pupils and families a fantastic break over the summer holidays. Have fun, stay safe and see you on Wednesday 12th August!

Mrs Duffy

Cathedral Primary was delighted to welcome Mr Jack Rafferty, Grand Knight of KSC Carfin, Mr Michael Roche from KSC Action and Youth officer and Father John McFadden on Tuesday 23rd June. They visited Cathedral school , where they presented a trophy and certificates to two of our learners who excelled in last term’s Knights of St Columba annual prayer composition competition.  One P7 learner won the overall National prize and £200 for the school.

The Knights’ visit offered a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the children’s talent, creativity and success, and the whole school community took great pride in recognising their achievements.

After 34 remarkable years in teaching — 27 of them devoted to Cathedral Primary School — we bid a fond farewell to our Principal Teacher, Mrs Brenda McCoy, as she retires on Friday 26th June.

Mrs McCoy has been an extraordinary educator whose impact on our school community is immeasurable. Her dedication to excellent teaching, her passion for drama and school shows, her commitment to family learning, and her exceptional leadership in play and learning within our infant department have shaped generations of children and staff alike.

Her creativity, warmth and unwavering professionalism have left a legacy that will continue to inspire long after she steps into her well‑earned next chapter. It is with both great excitement and a heavy heart that we say farewell — grateful for everything she has given, and excited for all that lies ahead for her.

As we celebrate Mrs McCoy’s achievements, please remember to update your wider achievements in your Rose Trainer Platinum Award.

After much deliberation from the panel, Primary 1 learners, Bryan and Waliyah, came third with their performance of ‘Waka waka’ and Primary 7 learner, Kester, second for his powerful performance of an original song and playing on his guitar. However, first place was awarded to Joseph from Primary 3 for his utterly jaw-dropping performance of ‘Nothing holding me back’. Truly outstanding!

Well done to all of our finalists and many congratulations to the three winners of Cathedral’s Got Talent 2026!

Care Inspectorate visited Cathedral Nursery earlier this month and we are delighted to share that inspectors graded all three evaluated areas as ‘Very Good’.

During their two‑days in Cathedral Nursery, inspectors found the following key strengths:

• A strong vision and ethos were positively informing practice and reflected in daily routines.
• Children and families benefited from a service that was developing the use of self-evaluation to identify and act on improvements across the service.
• Children and families were actively involved in evaluating the service. Their ideas and suggestions were valued and used to inform positive change.
• Nurturing and responsive relationships supported children to develop confidence and secure attachments. Staff responded warmly and consistently to children’s emotional needs, promoting a strong sense of wellbeing.
• Families were warmly welcomed into the setting and had opportunities to speak with staff and be part of their child’s learning and play experiences.

We are incredibly proud of our whole Cathedral Nursery team for this achievement. Their dedication, warmth and professionalism shine through every day, and this report reflects the care and commitment they bring to our children and families. We also want to congratulate our wonderful young learners, whose curiosity, enthusiasm and joy in learning help make Cathedral such a special place. This success truly belongs to the entire nursery community.

You can read the full inspection report by clicking on the following link:

Cathedral Nursery inspection report June 2026

To mark the end of their time in Cathedral Primary School, P7 pupils enjoyed an afternoon of fun together at their ‘C in the Park’ music festival on Wednesday 24th June. A live DJ kept the beats going throughout the afternoon and the children had the opportunity to get their face painted, visit the tattoo parlour, grab a drink at the mocktail bar or just chill with their friends. A pizza delivery kept the children’s energy levels up before the event finished with a water fight!

Our brilliant Primary 6 pupils have sent the whole school spinning with excitement thanks to their outstanding STEM achievement. This talented group of young innovators designed and built a fully functioning wind turbine — and not just one that rotates, but one powerful enough to generate electricity and light a bulb.

Working collaboratively, these budding engineers showcased impressive problem‑solving, creativity and resilience. They didn’t stop at construction either. After researching independently, they confidently explained the conversion of wind energy into electrical energy, demonstrating a deep understanding of real‑world science in action.

This is fantastic learner‑led learning at its very best. A huge well done to our P6 team — your curiosity and engineering skills are truly inspiring.

We are incredibly proud to celebrate the amazing achievement of a Cathedral pupil in Primary 4, who recently starred in the BBC iPlayer programme Hamza Loves Animals. She lent her voice to Malaika, the baby rhinoceros — a role she delivered with confidence, charm and real talent.

This is a remarkable accomplishment for such a young learner and absolutely one worthy of a Rose Trainer Achievement. Her creativity and dedication shine brightly and we are thrilled to see her talents recognised on such a big platform.

A huge well done, we couldn’t be prouder.

Every change and improvement we make in Cathedral is ultimately about improving outcomes for our learners, so it’s vitally important pupils are directly involved in the school’s ongoing improvement process. Learners had the opportunity to explore Cathedral’s 2026/27improvement priorities at our whole-school assembly on Thursday 25th June and will help take these forward from August through Smart School Council.

Primary 7 pupils, along with their families and teachers, gathered in Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral on the evening of 22nd June to celebrate their Leavers’ Mass and graduation. The music was led beautifully by Cathedral school choir, accompanied by Mr John Pitcathley on the organ. In his homily, Fr Lamb encouraged the children to do what Jesus asks of them throughout their lives and spoke about the impressive steel time capsule, filled with documents and objects to mark the end of our school’s 150th anniversary celebrations. The time capsule will be buried in the Cathedral grounds this week. 

At the beginning of the graduation ceremony, Mr Young talked about not being afraid, despite the uncertainty of life, and encouraged the children to look to the future with hope and optimism. This was followed by the presentation of graduation bags, which included a certificate and high school tie, before awards for Academic Excellence, Sportsmanship, Citizenship and Wider Achievement were announced.

The House Trophy was then awarded to the captains of this year’s winning House, Scanlan, before the ceremonial handing over of batons to our twelve new House Captains.

Primary 7 rounded off the proceedings with a vibrant and moving performance of ‘The Cathedral Primary School song’.

Cathedral Primary and parish wishes all of this year’s Primary 7 pupils every success as they begin an exciting new chapter in their lives.