Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral Primary School

I have observed living things in the environment over time and I am becoming aware of how they depend on each other. SCN 0-01a

I have explored numbers understanding that they represent quantities and I can use them to count, create sequences, and describe order. MNU 0-02a

Our young learners have been fully embracing the changing season as they explore the wonders of autumn through a variety of engaging, hands-on experiences.

Using natural resources gathered during their outdoor adventures, the children have been developing their observation and early numeracy skills both inside and outside the nursery. Local walks have provided valuable opportunities to notice changes in the weather and environment, sparking thoughtful discussions and imaginative ideas.

One highlight has been the creation of autumn leaf monsters using materials collected during morning outings. This playful activity encouraged children to express their creativity while developing fine motor skills and imaginative thinking.

Throughout their learning, children have been sharing their thoughts and ideas with one another, learning how to listen respectfully and value each other’s opinions. It has been wonderful to see so many of our learners expressing a sense of feeling valued and included within their key groups. A strong sense of belonging is continuing to grow across the setting.

In the creative area, there has been great excitement as children explored different textures and materials through art. Painting proved especially popular — with some choosing to use their hands, making it not only a fun activity but also a rich sensory experience.

What a fantastic start to our autumn learning journey, full of curiosity, creativity, and connection.

During their time in Cathedral’s Investigation & Innovation Hub week beginning 6th October, Primary 6 learners were set the challenge of inventing something ‘useful’. This group of inventors came up with a super sweet idea… a lollipop vending machine!  After using their research skills, and following several failed attempts and design improvements, their machine finally worked.  Eureka!

Following the publication of Cathedral’s inspection report, teaching staff came together during the week beginning 6th October for a reflection and planning workshop focused on how we build on Cathedral’s success and sustain excellence in the years ahead. The session concluded with a powerful moment of personal commitment when each member of staff was invited to record one specific action they will take to sustain excellence. These pledges are now proudly displayed in the staffroom — a daily reminder of our collective drive to keep Cathedral thriving. Commitments include:

‘Continue to build positive, nurturing relationships with all children in my class.’ 

‘Continue to engage with the latest research and welcome visitors from other schools into my classroom.’

‘Continue to look outwards and keep up to date with new initiatives.’

‘Continue to work collaboratively with my colleagues and share good practice.’

‘Write a case study on Active8 for the Centre for Teaching Excellence.’

A Family Learning workshop for parents and carers whose first language is not English took place on Wednesday 8th October. Mrs Leitch, our cluster EAL teacher, modelled some activities to support their child’s learning of English at home and provided parents and carers with a pack to take away with them.

Principal Teacher, Mrs McCoy, gave a brief reminder of Cathedral’s approach to teaching phonics, showed participants some videos from the Read Write Inc. Phonics virtual classroom, along with instructions on how to access these at home, and then provided parents and carers with a phonics information booklet in their own language. Booklets distributed this year included Igbo, just one of the many languages spoken in Cathedral’s vibrant and diverse school community.

Clare Adamson, Member of the Scottish Parliament for Motherwell and Wishaw, has written to Cathedral Primary to congratulate learners and staff on the school’s outstanding inspection report. The letter, which can be read via the link below, closes with Ms Adamson saying:

“Your school is a shining example of what can be accomplished when ambition, collaboration and care are at the heart of education.”

Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral

Cathedral’s Investigation & Innovation Hub family learning sessions continued on Tuesday 7th October. Each session began with a presentation from Mr Young on how activities within the hub fit naturally into Cathedral’s overall Active8 approach. Mr Young went on to explain the importance of Cathedral Primary helping learners develop skills for life and work in the 21st Century, including creativity, collaboration, adaptability and persistence/grit.

Following the presentation, parents and carers worked alongside their child to get a feel for the types of exciting, open-ended projects which take place in the hub.

You can read more about Cathedral’s Investigation & Innovation Hub my clicking on the link below:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/nl/olga/investigation-innovation-hub/

HM Inspectors from Education Scotland visited Cathedral Primary School in May 2025 and the inspection report was finally published on Tuesday 7th October. It is rare for a school to receive even one ‘excellent’ grade, but Cathedral achieved an outstanding three ‘excellents’ and one ‘very good’, placing it amongst Scotland’s very top schools. You can read the full Summarised Inspection Findings for Cathedral Primary School via the link below:

https://education.gov.scot/media/0w5n1fyr/our-lady-of-good-aid-cathedral-ps-sif-071025.pdf

A video celebrating Cathedral Primary School’s outstanding inspection can be viewed by clicking on the link below:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGwbuAxWrA/PpyaqO751Z0-OPwDIvof0A/watch

During their five days in Cathedral Primary School, the inspection team found the following strengths:

• The headteacher’s outstanding leadership of the school. He has a very strong, clear vision for the work of the school which is shared fully by all staff and children. Supported very ably by senior leaders, he has supported and challenged all staff in the primary school to develop a relentless focus on achieving the best outcomes for all children. Senior leaders lead all staff very successfully to develop an outstanding culture of leadership by all. The whole school community are proud to be fully involved in leading high-quality school change and improvement.
• Children in the school are highly articulate and extremely enthusiastic learners. They behave exceptionally well and are very proud to be part of the school community. They are empowered to lead their own learning as they enthusiastically explore and extend areas of their learning each day. Children have a very strong understanding of their own wellbeing and how to support the wellbeing of others.
• There is consistently high-quality learning, teaching and assessment across the school. All teachers have embedded highly effective, bespoke approaches to learning and teaching across the primary school. They provide a broad, balanced curriculum which meets the needs of all children very well. All children are highly motivated and engage very effectively in a wide range of well-planned, inspiring rich learning experiences and activities. All children engage fully in a bespoke, progressive achievement framework which supports them to develop skills for life, learning and work very well as they progress through the school. This is leading to positive outcomes for all children.
• In the primary school, all staff have a relentless focus on closing gaps in children’s learning, raising attainment and achieving the best possible outcomes for all children. Teachers and support staff provide high-quality targeted support for children who require additional help or challenge with their learning. All children experience learning which meets their needs and challenges them to extend their knowledge. This leads to all children being fully engaged and motivated in their learning.

In the nursery, inspectors found practitioners who share kind, encouraging interactions with children. Practitioners use a range of questions to help children develop their understanding of what they are learning. As a result, almost all children engage well in learning as they play indoors and outside. Our nursery video can be viewed via the link below:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGw3xfP2fY/w700OUc8iBpv_57a8gE5wg/watch

With the arrival of the colder weather and darker nights, Cathedral’s Play Zone has has been filled with lots of engaging activities and resources linked to autumn and the farm. Mr Young came across these two Primary 2 learners enjoying some autumn-themed finger painting on Monday 6th October before he took a wander to see what the rest of Primary 2a were up to. Activities included creating autumn farm landscapes in the loose parts area, cooking a hearty stew with harvest vegetables, a fun farm animal puppet show and some independent writing with the help of a farm word-bank. One pair of learners were even carefully selecting autumnal coloured bricks to create a Lego fallen leaves collage. How creative!

I am developing a sense of size and amount of by observing, exploring, using and communicating with others about things in the world around me. MNU 0-01a

I am able to show awareness of the tasks required to look after a baby. HWB 0-51a

This week, our young learners have been comparing the size of objects in different ways using the vocabulary small, medium and large. They have continued to identify numbers around them and some learners have been able to match numbers to the corresponding quantities.

Our young learners have been finding out about different ways to keep themselves healthy and have had fun being active with ‘Jumpstart Johnny’. The children have began to observe and describe the changes that happen to their bodies when they are active such as their hearts beating faster and then slowing down when they rest.

As a few of our learners have recently welcomed new babies into their family and this had led to discussions about how we care for them. In our tuff tray, we created a bubble bath experience and some of our learners took the time to carefully dry and dress their baby doll.

Our current Cathedral Pupil Parliament theme is Our health & wellbeing, with a specific focus on refurbishing the space used by our school counsellor. At their recent Class Council meetings, pupils across the school were asked: ‘What changes could we make to the Visiting Services room to make it a more homely space for counselling and quiet meetings?’. Given that our school counsellor is originally from Denmark, the children were asked to consider what might give the room ‘hygge’.

Our Pupil Parliament action board, which helps Cathedral continually drive forward change and improvement, has now been updated and our two Cabinet Secretaries for Health will lead and oversee the current priority over the coming weeks. They have already agreed on the colour of the walls, contacted the painter and ordered furniture and lighting from Ikea. Watch this space to see the transformation!

You can find out more about Cathedral Pupil Parliament by clicking on the link below:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/nl/olga/smart-school-council/