Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral Primary School

Children who turn 5 between 1st March 2026 and 29th February 2027 should be registered for primary school during the week commencing Monday 12th January 2026.

Here at Cathedral Primary, registration for our August 2026 intake will take place from Monday 12th to Friday 16th January 2026, from 1.30 – 2.45pm each day. Parents and carers should come to the main entrance and will be directed to the dining hall.

A birth certificate and a current council tax notice must be produced at the time of registration.

Information for parents/carers about registering their child for Primary 1 can be obtained by visiting https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/school-admissions/primary-school-registration-p1

Information on submitting a placing request can be obtained by visiting https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/school-admissions/placing-requests

Information on submitting an early entry request can be obtained by visiting https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/school-admissions/early-entry

Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

(Luke 2: 11, 12)

You only need to glance at our website newsfeed to see what an incredible and exciting term of learning it has been here at Cathedral. As we reach the last day of term, I want to thank all learners and staff for their enthusiasm and hard work; you make Cathedral the very special school it is!

I would also like to extend my thanks to parents and carers, clergy, parishioners, and friends of the school for your ongoing support. It is greatly appreciated.

I wish you all a Blessed Christmas and a very Happy New Year and look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday 5th January 2026.

Cathedral classrooms were transformed into cosy cinemas on Thursday 18th December as learners arrived in their comfiest pyjamas, ready to enjoy one of our favourite Christmas traditions: Movie Duvet Day.

This year’s celebration brought an extra surprise. Inspired by Primary 3/4’s Christmas activities based on The Grinch — from Grinch selfies to “how to steal Christmas” instructions and Wanted posters — Cathedral welcomed a very special visitor: the Grinch himself! Of course, not even he could steal the festive Cathedral spirit!

The atmosphere throughout the day was pure ‘hygge’ — warm, cosy and a perfect end to the term.

After several busy weeks of rehearsals and performances, from the Primary 3–7 Christmas Concert to the Primary 1 & 2 Nativity, Cathedral learners finally had the chance to sit back, relax and BE the audience on Wednesday 17th December.

M & M Productions took to the stage with their lively retelling of Cinderella, packed with pantomime drama, colourful costumes, catchy songs and plenty of laughter (oh yes, it was!). The performance was a well-deserved treat for learners and staff alike.

A special highlight came when Mr Hamill and Miss Cameron made surprise guest appearances, much to the delight of the audience!

What a great end to party day!

Cathedral learners spent the morning of Wednesday 17th December celebrating in style at their year‑group Christmas parties. Dressed in their festive best, the children looked fantastic and threw themselves into the games and dancing with energy and laughter.

A special highlight came when Santa Claus dropped in to surprise our Primary 1 children, bringing smiles all round. Mr Young was delighted to hear that every Cathedral pupil has officially made it onto the nice list!

There ain’t no party like an OLGA party!

Creativity was in abundance across Cathedral’s three Primary 6 classrooms on Tuesday 16th December, as pupils proudly showcased their learning. As part of a learner-led homework task exploring the theme of Christmas, the children produced a wonderful range of imaginative outcomes. These included impressive 3D models, original Christmas games, PowerPoint presentations and even some catchy festive adverts.

The creativity, confidence and enterprise on display were great to see — who knows, perhaps a future Dragon’s Den star is already among us!

Cathedral is delighted to have been allocated free tickets for the Motherwell v St Mirren match at Fir Park Stadium on Saturday 3rd January 2026.

There was a real buzz in school when Motherwell’s mascot, Steelman, paid a special visit on Tuesday 16th December to deliver the tickets. These will now be entered into a prize draw, with winners announced before the end of term.

We are delighted to share Cathedral’s January – June Family Learning programme.

Our first parent workshop will take place on Tuesday 27th January. This session invites Primary 1 parents and carers to join their child in our Play Zone and enjoy some hands-on learning together. With only a few school weeks to go, please make sure to note the date in your diary.

Building on Cathedral’s excellent inspection report, next term’s Family Learning sessions for Primary 3–7 will give parents and carers the chance to learn about the research sitting behind Cathedral’s innovative approaches to teaching and learning and why these methods have such a powerful impact on children’s progress. Mr Young’s presentation will include a comparison with schools in Finland, which is widely recognised as having one of the best education systems in the world.

There will be a series of targeted Family Learning workshops, delivered by our ‘A Team’. These sessions will be by invitation only. The first workshop, for parents and carers of pupils who use the IDL literacy programme, will take place on Wednesday 21st January.

Please click the link below to access our January – June Parental Engagement & Family Learning leaflet:

Jan – June 2026 Family Learning programme

To add some festive excitement to the final days of term, Primary 5b learners took part in an ‘Escape Room’ challenge on Monday 15th December, where they worked together to solve a series of tasks and uncover the location of their hidden Christmas presents.

The adventure began with a written maths equation, which led to a treasure hunt for jigsaw pieces. Once assembled, the pieces revealed the location of the next clue. The children were then challenged to decipher a hidden message using balloons, which they burst to reveal spy pens.

Using the spy pens, the children discovered times tables questions hidden around the classroom. When solved correctly, these revealed the code needed to open a lock box. Inside the lock box was a key, leading to the final challenge: working as a team to find the correct door and, at last, their Christmas presents!

The above photo shows the children proudly wearing their new Christmas socks — a festive reward for their excellent teamwork, perseverance and problem-solving skills!

This Cathedral learner, who is Jewish, was very excited to share a special book with Mr Young on Monday 15th December, a day that fell during Hanukkah celebrations. At home, her family has begun lighting the candles of the menorah each evening and have already enjoyed traditional potato latkes. She explained that these customs are an important part of Jewish faith and tradition, and that she is especially looking forward to the family feast that will bring their Hanukkah celebrations to a close on 22nd December.