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, been a major highlight and have included the distribution of commemorative medals, the installation of a beautiful stained glass window, an uplifting Mass in the cathedral and a fascinating exhibition on the school’s history.

Cathedral Primary’s inspection from HMIe in May was highly positive and the report, which will be published after the summer holidays, will be one our whole school community will be very proud of.

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 Thursday 14th August!

Following Zac Gunn’s funeral on Thursday 26th June, the candle lit by his classmates during the last week of term was placed in the Lady Chapel of Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral. Throughout these coming weeks, we ask for the continued prayers of the school, parish and wider community for Zac and for his family, particularly his parents, Gordon and Ashley, and big brother, Jacob.

Eternal rest grant unto Zac, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May Zac’s soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.

We know how important it is to get diary dates out as early as possible to allow parents and carers to book time off work for various school events. Cathedral’s 2025/26 diary dates have now been confirmed and can be accessed via the link below:

Dates for your diary 2025-26

Inspired by an idea placed in the suggestions box, Smart School Council rounded off the year by organising a whole-school talent contest. Following class and year-group auditions, the ‘Cathedral’s Got Talent’ final took place on Tuesday 24th June. An array of fantastic acts took to the stage including dance routines, Irish flute and gymnastics.

After much deliberation from the panel, Primary 3 learner, Louisa, came third with her performance of ‘Pink Pony Club’ and Primary 5 learner, Fearne, second for her powerful performance of ‘This girl is on fire’ by Alicia Keys. However, first place was awarded to Michael from Primary 5b for his utterly jaw-dropping performance of ‘Oh, the things you can think’ from The Cat in the Hat which involved speaking, singing, acting, dancing and lots of direct interaction with the audience. Truly outstanding!

Well done to all of our finalists and many congratulations to the three winners of Cathedral’s Got Talent 2025!

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 23rd 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!

Cathedral school community gathered together with Fr Lamb on Monday 23rd June to give thanks for the life of Zac Gunn, who passed away on 9th June. Each class brought forward a candle which was lit to symbolise the light which shone out of Zac throughout his short life. Some of Zac’s classmates spoke about what they admired about him including ‘Zac was cool’ and ‘Zac was a determined fighter’.

Primary 2a’s candle, along with Zac’s photograph, will be placed at the front of the church at his funeral on Thursday 27th as a reminder of the particularly special bond Zac had with his classmates.

Cathedral school community gives thanks to God for the light and the joy Zac brought into each of our lives.

Primary 1 learners took to the stage on Friday 20th June for their Learning Showcase, all about people who help us. Dentists, teachers, paramedics, police officers, fire fighters, road crossing patrol, builders and even HMIe (complete with giant magnifying glasses!) made an appearance during the humorous and energetic performance. The children spoke out with huge confidence and had the audience’s feet tapping along to the catchy songs, complete with actions.

What an amazing and fun journey the children have been on in their learning since they started school way back in August… they’re definitely ready for the new challenges of Primary 2!

This Primary 3 learner planted a sunflower seed in school for Mother’s Day. Once home, her grandfather helped her re-pot it and, together, they have tended the plant ever since. As you can see, their care and patience have paid off as they now have the most stunning sunflower which almost reaches the ceiling. Well done green-fingered duo!

Primary 7 pupils, along with their families and teachers, gathered in Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral on the evening of 19th 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 assured them that they will always find a warm welcome at the cathedral.

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 Circle of Life’.

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.

It’s been another exciting year here at Cathedral and our 2024/25 Improvement Plan has helped our school and nursery community drive forward change to improve outcomes for our learners. Cathedral’s Annual Improvement Report can be accessed via the link at the bottom of this post.

Here are a few highlights of Cathedral’s improvement journey during our 150th anniversary year:

• As of 19th June, Cathedral’s overall pupil attendance was 93.78%, above both the local authority and national average.
• Staff have continued to work together to further develop Cathedral’s Active8 approach to learning, teaching and assessment, providing pupils with the highest quality learning spaces, experiences and interactions. This continues to result in highly engaged learners across the school who are attaining and achieving to their full potential.
• Cathedral has had a dedicated focus on our Catholic ethos this year, with teachers working together to make Religious Education lessons more engaging and regular opportunities for pupils and staff to grow in their faith.
• We have continued to give learners opportunities to develop their computing skills and use digital technology across the curriculum.
• The National Schools Singing Programme, funded by Motherwell Diocese, continues to give our Primary 4 learners weekly access to high-quality music lessons. Cathedral school choir has continued to go from strength to strength.
• To ensure we are outward looking, Cathedral has worked in partnership with St Andrew’s Primary, Falkirk, and St Mary’s Primary, Bo’ness as part of this year’s improvement journey.
• Our ‘Attainment Team’ has continued to deliver a range of targeted interventions, supporting high levels of attainment in literacy and numeracy across the school and helping Cathedral Primary continue to make positive headway in closing the poverty-related attainment gap.
• Cathedral achieved its third Gold Sports Award in March.
• And, of course, although we are unable to give specific details, Cathedral Primary had a very successful inspection in May 2025. We look forward to the report being published after the summer holidays!

Cathedral’s 2024/25 Annual Improvement Report, which provides detailed information on the school’s improvement journey over the past twelve months, can be accessed via the link below:

Cathedral Primary School AIR June 2025 – Copy (1)