Community

We are part of our Community.

Parish

At St John’s Catholic Primary School, we take pride in our strong connections with the local parish. We maintain regular contact with Father Tristan Cranfield, the Priest, who visits our school frequently and celebrates Mass at St John the Evangelist Church in Horsham town centre.

Our school benefits from outreach from the deanery Catholic secondary school, St Wilfrid’s, which many of our students eventually attend. The Priest and Deacon from St John’s celebrate Mass and liturgies at the school and contribute to the religious education of our pupils.

When appropriate, the children visit the church to enhance their religious education. While the school supports families in preparing for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion, the actual preparation is conducted by the Parish, rather than the school.

For further information about St John the Evangelist Church in Horsham please follow the link below.

St Johns Horsham – Click here

West Horsham Schools Network

Link info update

Friends of St Johns

The St. John’s Catholic Primary School is proudly supported by The Friends of St. John’s, a dedicated group of volunteer parents who organise fundraising events throughout the school year. Their efforts help provide our students with better learning opportunities and enrich their classroom experiences.

The funds raised by this group are used to purchase equipment and ensure the best possible experiences for our children. This includes funding learning aids such as IT equipment, including laptops. Additionally, The Friends of St. John’s organize enjoyable events for the children, such as Sponsored Skips, Discos, Film Nights, Christmas Fairs, and Summer Fetes.

Fundraising event by Year 3 for Mary’s Meals. They raised £500 pounds

Year 5 raised funds for Water Aid- they raised over £500

Year 1s Jumpathon which raised £800 pounds for Mission Together.

Year 2 Fundrasing efforts for our link school in Kenya. They raised over £1000 with a sponsored running of laps. There is a picture of the children presenting the Parish Priest from Kenya with a cheque.

EAL/Young Interpreters

St John’s Catholic Primary School is proud to have Mrs. Sophie Curtis, our dedicated language teacher. Mrs Curtis is responsible for teaching languages through various activities and events throughout the year.

Young Interpreters

At St. John’s, we have many bilingual children. In Key Stage 2 (KS2), bilingual students have the opportunity to become Young Interpreters. They receive training from Mrs. Curtis and provide additional support to our English as an Additional Language (EAL) children and their families. The Young Interpreters are paired with KS1 EAL children, assisting them with reading once a week.

Year 3 International Link with Arunside Primary School

Every summer, we host an International Morning for Year 3 classes from both schools, alternating between the two locations. During this event, EAL (English as an Additional Language) students lead activities for small groups, such as teaching numbers in their native languages. Additionally, the children learn songs and dances from different countries to celebrate the rich diversity of languages and cultures present in both schools.

International Link with St Wilfrid’s Catholic Secondary School, Crawley

We are proud of our strong partnership with St Wilfrid’s Catholic Secondary in Crawley. Each summer term, their EAL students visit us to run a KS2 Languages Festival, allowing our children to learn about the languages and cultures of other countries.

End of Year International Festival

We always round the year off with an International Festival to celebrate our diverse cultures. Children spend the day immersing themselves in a variety of celebratory activities including food tastings, performances, music and dance from various cultures.

International Storytelling Day

Each year we hold a Storytelling Day where the children hear a familiar story (e.g. The Gingerbread Man) told in different languages. The storytellers are EAL parents and children (Young Interpreters).

Fairtrade Fortnight

Every year during Fairtrade Fortnight, the Fairtrade Class Reps help Mrs Curtis to lead Assemblies, and organize a Fairtrade Bake Sale to fundraise for Fairtrade. Each class learns about Fairtrade through different activities. This highlights to children and parents the need to support Fairtrade by buying Fairtrade products.

Centre Actif Bilingue (Link School in France)

Year 6 children write to French penpals at our link school (Centre Actif Bilingue) in Fontainebleau, just outside Paris. This means they use their French for real! In the Autumn term, Year 6 send letters written in French to introduce themselves, and their French penpals write back. We then send Christmas cards in French, and the French children send New Year cards. We also exchange Easter cards. You can see examples of their letters here, and also a link to the French school’s website: Ecole Cab

St Benedicts Catholic Primary School Kenya

At our Storytelling Day and at our Nativity performances, we collect donations for our link school in Kenya. This highlights to our children the difference between the schools, and their need for basic, essential supplies.