Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral Primary School

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.

This week at Cathedral Nursery has been filled with rich, hands‑on experiences that supported children’s learning and development across a wide range of areas.

In our home and snack area, the children explored the full process of bread making. They mixed ingredients, kneaded dough, and observed how its texture and appearance changed over time. This sparked wonderful conversations about smell, texture, and transformation, while also strengthening fine motor skills and encouraging independence.

Our numeracy experiences focused on counting with bricks. The children practised counting in ones and began using cardinal numbers to understand “how many” items they had. This practical, visual approach helped build confidence with early mathematical concepts through meaningful play.

Outdoors, we continued developing our understanding of the natural world by planting tomato and lettuce plants. The children learned what plants need to grow—water, sunlight, and care—and are excited to observe changes over time as they take responsibility for nurturing their seedlings.

We also made the most of our outdoor space with water play. Children explored pouring, measuring, and experimenting with different containers, supporting sensory development, problem‑solving, and cooperative play.

In our creative area, we held a wonderful art talent show where children proudly shared their creations. This was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate individuality and build confidence. Alongside this, the children used play dough to create their own plants, developing creativity and strengthening fine motor skills through shaping and modelling.

A very special highlight of the week was celebrating our incredible pre‑schoolers during their graduation. They truly made us proud. It was a joyful moment to recognise all they have achieved, and we are delighted to see the confident, capable learners they have become.

It has been a fantastic week full of creativity, exploration, and achievement. Well done to all of our children for their enthusiasm, curiosity, and engagement.

The rainy weather did not dampen spirits at this year’s Cathedral Sports. Pupils competed in their houses and headed to the pitch for the traditional races, including three‑legged, sack, egg‑and‑spoon and sprints.

Well done to all Cathedral learners for their enthusiastic participation and congratulations to this year’s medal winners. The House Cup will be awarded to the winning house at Primary 7 Graduation.

Pupils took to the pitch for a fantastic afternoon of football and what a brilliant event it turned out to be. Players from upper school classes had the chance to step onto the field, enjoy sportsmanship and represent their year group with pride. The World Cup themed tournament was filled with energy, teamwork and plenty of memorable moments.

Our coaches were especially impressed by the pupils’ attitude, talent and sportsmanship throughout the day. They commented on how well the children supported one another, played fairly and demonstrated real enthusiasm for the game. It was clear that the spirit of the event mattered just as much as the final scores.

We are very proud of every player and the committed coaches Mr McDermott, Mr Neville and Mr Oosterbosch who took part and helped make the tournament such a success.

As part of their current topic on the human body, Primary 6 pupils spent a fascinating day at Surgeons’ Hall Museum in Edinburgh on Thursday 18th June. The children learned about advances in surgery over the years, many of which were unimaginable to patients a mere hundred years ago. Our young learners also explored the science of pathology, which involves examining surgically removed organs and tissues with the aim of finding cures for diseases.

Surgeons’ Hall Museum is perhaps not a common destination for a primary school trip but it certainly proved to be a day of rich learning for Primary 6 and one which has no doubt inspired some pupils to consider a future career in medicine.

On Wednesday 17th June, Members of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service visited the school to help pupils learn about how to stay safe in the event of a fire.

The children from Primary 6 and 7 explored how to deal with an emergency, including when and how to call 999 and learned the importance of staying calm and acting quickly. They also practised the essential Stop, Drop and Roll technique, which can help prevent serious injury if clothing ever catches fire.

This visit supported our commitment to Developing the Young Workforce by giving pupils the chance to meet real firefighters, ask questions about their roles and learn about the skills and responsibilities involved in keeping communities safe. Many pupils left the session feeling inspired and talking about how they might like to become firefighters in the future.

We are grateful to the team from Motherwell Fire Station for providing such an engaging and informative learning experience.

Developing the Young Workforce |

Following their class topic last term on The Scottish Wars of Independence, Primary 5 pupils enjoyed a fascinating visit to Stirling Castle on Wednesday 17th June. The children had a guided tour of the historic castle which included encounters with people dressed in medieval costume, providing lots of interesting facts. The children were also able to view Bannockburn, the sight of the famous 1314 battle, from the castle walls.

What a great way for the children to reinforce the learning they did in school.

Primary 4 pupils enjoyed a fascinating trip to New Lanark on Tuesday 16th June. As well as the opportunity to explore the former 18th Century cotton mill village on the banks of the Clyde (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the children had three different workshops.

During the course of the day, the children were transported back in time to a Victorian classroom. Dressed as  Victorian pupils, the children practised cursive handwriting and completed arithmetic questions using an abacus.

The ‘Annie McLeod Experience’ was a huge hit with the children. They were taken on a fascinating journey of discovery by the ghost of mill worker Annie McLeod who told her story of life in New Lanark in 1820.The children also enjoyed a guided tour to see how the the villagers of New Lanark lived. They saw an 1820s Millworkers’ House and found out that often ten or more people lived in one room!

What a very different world it was back in the Victorian era!

What an incredible achievement from one of our P2 young learners. This determined pupil completed a full 5k walk to raise awareness and support for diabetes, showing resilience and compassion. Even more impressively, she raised £600 for charity, making a real difference to others in need.

We are so proud of her accomplishment — a shining example of kindness, community spirit and perseverance. This is certainly an achievement worthy of recognition for the Rose Trainer Award and a moment she should feel truly proud of.

Rose Trainer Achievement Award