Catholic Life & Mission

‘Pupils at St Joseph’s are exceptional ambassadors living out their SHINE mission, in their learning and as a prayer community.’

 Section 48 Inspection 2024.

Our St Joseph’s Vision:

Shining in the light of Christ to be the best that we can be.

Our mission is to provide a Catholic education that enables our St Joseph's family to shine in the light of Christ as beacons of Hope for the World.

Let us Shine!

At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School:

• all children grow in the love of God to see the best in themselves and others
• all children receive the very best education regardless of race, background or socio-economic status
• strong partnerships enable all stakeholders to work together for the greater good of the children
• the community sees the face of God in every child
• expectations are high and the potential of all is seen and developed

Prayer and Liturgy:

• Children and staff meet daily for prayer and liturgy, either as a whole school or key stage.
• Children look forward to the weekly chapel sessions, which give them the opportunity to reflect and be more intimately involved in the liturgy and prayers.
• Children regularly evaluate and suggest ideas for improvement.

Chaplaincy Team:

The Chaplaincy team play a vital role in the Spiritual life of the school. Helping the school to be a community of faith and encouraging the pupils to live their faith, developing good relationships within and beyond the school community.

The team:

• Help to prepare weekly Gospel Preparation assemblies and ‘Saints Day’ celebrations.
• Organise various charity fund-raising events.
• Provide the weekly ‘Thought for the Week’ which is posted in each classroom.
• Suggest ideas for RE resources.
• Help to lead assemblies.
• Work with other Chaplaincy Teams.
• Promote Bible stories.
• Create termly Chaplaincy newsletters for the children and staff.

‘There are plentiful opportunities for all pupils to feel they can make a difference through leadership groups such as pupil parliament, eco-warriors as well as a much-valued chaplaincy team who actively seek to contribute towards its mission through whole school community projects.’

Section 48 Inspection 2024. 

Links to the Parish

St Joseph’s School and the Parish Church of Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception work closely together to support the children and families:

• Every month Sunday mass is led by a group of children from the school, who will do the readings, bidding prayers, offertory etc.
• Key events such as Harvest, Christmas and Easter are celebrated in the Parish Church
• Children visit the church, where Father Terry will give them guided tours
• The school supports the Parish in running the First Holy Communion programme

Inclusion:

At St Joseph’s we believe that everyone is equally important and are proud of our record of inclusion.

• Pupils demonstrate the school’s vision, ‘shine’, in all that they do. Pupils are polite, kind and friendly. They understand the importance of inclusion and make sure that pupils who join the school are warmly welcomed into the St Joseph’s family.
• Adults are aspirational for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• They (Leaders) are relentless in their efforts to secure the support that pupils and their families need.

Ofsted, December 2022 on the school’s ethos of inclusion.

Religious Education:

Religious Education at St Joseph’s respects and promotes each child’s innate capacity for wonder, awe, reverence and spirituality. Our Religious Education curriculum leads our children to aspire not to have more, but to be more.

Children are taught about God’s life: they learn about their Christian responsibilities: children are provided with experiences of church, Catholic and Christian traditions, as well as being taught to be respectful and understanding of people and tradition from other faith back grounds.

Through Religious Education our children learn about their unique place within the home, school and parish community.

Partnerships:

Life at St Joseph’s Catholic School is enhanced through work with our key partners:

• Parents
• PTA
• The local community
• The Parish Church
• The Emmaus Partnership
• Dauntsey’s School and many others

Community Links:

‘There is a growing and lived sense of community, evident in the culture of welcome and quality of relationships with families, parish and the local community.’

Section 48 Inspection, 2024.

Children from the school take part in many local events and support the local community in a variety of ways. 

This year, as part of the Diocesan ‘Year of St Francis’, each House Team has met together and decided on a Community outreach so that we can help our Local and Global Community. The charities chosen reflect the virtue of the House Saint.

This means that EVERY pupil in our school can MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

St Thomas Aquinas are raising money for Wiltshire Air Ambulance

St Bernadette are raising money for 'Make a Wish'

St Teresa are raising money for Devizes Opendoors (Homeless Charity)

St Francis are raising money for Caenhill Country Centre (a farm project)