Parents' Newsletter

As we draw towards the end of another half term at Cardinal Pole Catholic School, I am once again filled with pride at the energy, resilience, and spirit demonstrated across our school community.

This has been a particularly focused period for our Year 11 and Year 13 students, who are now well into their GCSE and A Level examinations. We are incredibly proud of how they have approached this challenging time — with maturity, determination, and a clear commitment to doing their very best. Early signs are very encouraging, and we know that their hard work, alongside the dedication of our staff, will continue to bear fruit in the weeks ahead.

Beyond the examination halls, our students have continued to engage with the wider life of the school — from sporting successes and enrichment opportunities to moments of leadership, creativity, and service that reflect the values we hold dear.

It has also been a pleasure to welcome so many parents and carers into school over the past few weeks. Your support and encouragement remain a vital part of our shared mission to help every student flourish.

As we head into the half-term break, I encourage all students — particularly those in exam years — to find a healthy balance of rest, revision, and reflection. May this time offer some peace and restoration before we return for the final, important stretch of the academic year.

Wishing you all a safe and restful half-term.

Yours in service,

Adam Hall

Executive Headteacher

Since we returned from the Easter break, we have been deeply affected as a school community by the death of Pope Francis. To mark his passing and celebrate his life, a number of liturgies were held for all year groups on the day before his funeral. The liturgy reflected on the early life and inspiration of Pope Francis before exploring the most important messages we can take from his papacy.

In addition, the RE department has run a drop-down week focusing on the life of Pope Francis and the upcoming conclave process. Students have been truly captivated by the person of the late Pope, and also intrigued by the process of selecting a new Pontiff, which has been witnessed by the entire world.

During her trip to Rome to plan a future sixth form visit to the Eternal City, Mrs Benning prayed on behalf of the school community at the tomb of Pope Francis.

As a community, we also celebrated the election of Pope Leo XIV as successor to Pope Francis. Mrs Benning was in the Vatican Square to witness results of the Conclave and upon her return led

liturgies for all year groups on the process of the Conclave, as well as an introduction to our new

Pope. It was an important opportunity for students to witness a moment in Church history and

understand better the man who will now serve as the Bishop of Rome.

This term we also celebrated the appointing of our new Year 12 leadership team through our

commissioning service. Students leaders and their parents joined us to come together in song and

prayer to celebrate the young people who have put themselves forward to give their time to help

supporting the Cardinal Pole community. Mr Read and Mr Rahman reflected on the importance of

leadership, before we finished by hearing the famous words of St John Henry Newman on the

‘definite service’ that God has left us all to carry out. It was fantastic to see our student leaders so

enthusiastic about their new roles and to see the pride of their parents. We will pray that they will

be able to be true and authentic leaders in our school.

Finally, we moved towards marking the end of Year 11 and Year 13s time with us at Cardinal Pole. Fr Patrick joined us in school to celebrate the contribution and achievements of these year groups

during their time at this school. We are hopeful that these joyful acts of worship gave our students

an opportunity to consider just how far they have come on their journey at Cardinal Pole school. As a community, we will continue to pray for them as they enter this crucial period of public examinations, and hope that they will be able to demonstrate their full potential in the challenging period to come.

Events: 800m, 1500m, Triple Jump

Jacob Barber is a member of the Year 8 Athletics team. Here, he speaks about what it’s been like to take part and to win the regional round of the English Schools’ Athletics Association (ESAA) competition.

"To prepare for these events, I make sure my sleep and diet are good. For example, I eat food that gives me energy, like protein and fruit. Just before the race, I might have a protein bar or some sugary sweets – I know this might not look great, but it seems to help. I also stretch before a race to make sure my legs are ready and I’m not stiff. If I didn’t do this, I’d risk an injury and definitely wouldn’t run as fast.

When I’m racing, I’m nervous at the start, but as soon as I get going, I begin to feel better. I don’t really focus on winning – I just concentrate on keeping my pace and using my energy correctly. Towards the end of the race, if I’ve done this right, I can do a sprint finish and get a good time to earn points for my team.

As part of the team, I know my contribution has helped us to succeed. Even if I don’t win my individual event, the points add up and my effort still makes a difference. The best thing about being part of the team is winning as a team!"

The links between a child reading in their spare time and educational achievement are well documented. For example, the impact of reading for pleasure is four times more powerful on progress in vocabulary, mathematics, and spelling by the time a child is sixteen than that of parental education or parental socio-economic status.

However, impressive as those statistics are, there are many other reason - mainly to do with a child’s emotional health - which make reading for pleasure so vital.

Opening a book is the perfect way for a child to calm their mind and relax, as it floods the brain with feel-good chemical dopamine. Incredibly, research shows that after just six minutes of reading, children (and adults) have slower heart rates, less muscle tension, and reduced stress levels. All this makes reading the perfect way to wind down (away from the brain-jangling blue light produced by screens) before bed.

Reading can also help students to understand themselves and navigate solutions to challenges they may be facing. One of the most popular series in the Cardinal Pole Library is a graphic novel collection called The Sad Ghost Club. This series particularly intrigues students in Years Seven and Eight because it helps them to understand how to navigate the completely normal feelings of sadness, loneliness, and anxiety that we all experience at some point.

Did you know that, by law, a prison must have a library, but there is no such law regarding schools? As a result, many schools no longer have their own libraries or librarians. Cardinal Pole Catholic School is extremely fortunate to have a leadership team and governors who are passionate about their students reading for pleasure. They ensure that the Library is always brimming with interesting books and employ me, a qualified English teacher, to work as Librarian.

Writer of The Northern Lights series, Philip Pullman, is campaigning for every primary and secondary school to have a well-resourced library, arguing that: ‘The Library should be the heart, the soul, the mind, the source, the spring, the gold-bearing seam, the engine room, the treasure chamber, the priceless inheritance, the joy and the pride of the school.’ I agree - and would invite every parent to encourage their child to make the most of what Cardinal Pole’s Library has to offer.

Ms Walton

Librarian

Mrs Benning's and Mr Johnston's first day in Rome! Their fact-finding trip kicked off with an amazing view, followed by a trip to the Church of the Gesù (finding some time to taste-test the local ice cream). They ended up in St Peter's Square to offer a votive candle, where pilgrims have been flocking in anticipation of the conclave!

They visited the tomb of Francis, and take a walk through the Holy Door in a lot more crowded St Peter's. They also took in the statue of the Angels Unawares, which brings a message to be mindful of the stranger in all we meet - a message well received in an encounter with a group of hopeful pilgrims.

They were lucky enough to see Pope Leo XIV in his first public appearance!

Year 7 and 8 headed to the Hackney Athletics Championships. It was a wonderful day for the students, who showed perseverance and hard work to take home an abundance of gold, silver and bronze medals, even managing to break school records! We are incredibly proud of our students, who continue to SOAR day in and day out in sporting events at Cardinal Pole!

Once a Cardinal Pole student, always a Cardinal Pole student!

Just because you’ve left and gone onto new and exciting things it doesn’t have to be goodbye!

At Cardinal Pole, we are humbled to have an incredible network of Alumni who play a vital role in our school community.

Whether it’s by offering mentoring, sharing your stories or helping to support the school’s initiatives we’d love you to keep in touch.

To sign up to be a part of the Alumni Network, simply follow the link below and complete the short form.

Young Hackney's summer half term programmes are here, with lots of fun activities for young people aged 10 – 19 (25 with SEND) at our youth hubs or 6-15 years old (18 with SEND) at our adventure playgrounds.

Our summer half term programmes will be taking place between Tuesday 27 May and Friday 30 May.

Forest Road Youth Hub – 29 Forest Road, Dalston, E8 3BY

• 10 – 13 years, Tuesday to Friday 11am — 3.00pm
• 13 – 19 years, (up to 25 with SEND): Tuesday to Friday 4pm— 8pm

Email: kane.sewell@hackney.gov.uk

Telephone: 020 8356 2200

The Edge Youth Hub: – 7 Woodberry Grove, Woodberry Down, N4 1SN

• 10 – 13 years, Tuesday to Friday 11am — 3.00pm
• 13 – 19 years, (up to 25 with SEND): Tuesday to Friday 4pm— 8pm

Email: darren.hinds@hackney.gov.uk

Telephone: 020 8356 1063

Eastway Sports Hub – 80Z Eastway, Hackney Wick, E9 5JH

Eastway Sports Hubs will be running after-school sports activities from 11am — 3.00pm, Tuesday to Friday. Contact yhsportsunit@hackney.gov.uk for further information on their summer half term programme.

Email: YHSportsUnit@hackney.gov.uk

Young Hackney’s Adventure Playgrounds, Shoreditch and Hackney Marsh, will be open for fun and exciting play activities during summer half term for children aged 6 – 15 (up to 18 with SEND).

Hackney Marsh Adventure Playground – hackneymarshap@hackney.gov.uk 020 8986 7245

• Tuesday 27 May to Friday 30 May 10am – 1pm & 2pm-5pm

Shoreditch Adventure Playground – shoreditchap@hackney.gov.uk 020 7729 3770

• Tuesday 27 May to Friday 30 May 10am – 5pm

All young people are required to have a free Young Hackney membership to attend sessions. If you have submitted a membership form in the past, this does not need to be submitted again.

If you are currently not a member of Young Hackney, please print and complete the membership form and hand the completed form into your preferred Youth Hub or Adventure Playground. Or send the form to one of the emails listed above.

Monday 2 June – Return from half term
Monday 9 June – HPV vaccinations
Thursday 12, Friday 13, Monday 16 and Tuesday 17 June – Year 7 Buddhism trips
Friday 20 June – Year 13 Leavers’ BBQ, 4–7pm
Week commencing 23 June – Assessment Point 2 (all week)
Friday 27 June – Student early closure (details to follow)
Thursday 3 July – INSET Day
Week commencing 7 July – Year 10 & 12 Futures Week
Monday 14 July – Sports Day as part of Years 7–9 Enrichment/Culture Week
Thursday 17 July – Year 11 Prom, London Stadium
Friday 18 July – Last day of term, early closure (details to follow).

Website: https://www.cardinalpole.co.uk/
Location: 205 Morning Ln, London E9 6LG, UK
Phone: 020 8985 5150