Newcastle North MP, Catherine McKinnell, has heard more about the exciting developments taking place at St Cuthbert’s RC Primary during a recent visit to the Walbottle Village-based school.

The local MP was invited to take a tour of St Cuthbert’s by Headteacher, Mrs Barrett, and Chair of Governors, Mr Bill Barnes, following a number of improvements at the primary school over the last year.

These include the recently-opened, ‘demountable’, classroom building which means that all Key Stage 2 classes are taught separately – with the project to deliver these two new large classrooms having been mutually funded by the school and the Education Funding Agency, with the support of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.

During her visit, Catherine spoke with pupils from each class at the primary school about their work and her activities as their local MP, as well as hearing about their fundraising efforts – alongside other Catholic primary and secondary schools across Newcastle – to deliver clean water for a hospital and two schools in Kenya. A staggering £26,000 was raised by pupils across the city for this project.

Catherine was also able to join parents, pupils and friends of the school attending a Macmillan Coffee Morning, organised by the Friends of School, as part of the cancer support charity’s ‘World Biggest Coffee Morning’ initiative – with the St Cuthbert’s event raising over £210.

The Newcastle North MP also heard that St Cuthbert’s, rated the top primary in Newcastle – and second across the North East – in the ‘Real Schools Guide 2015’, is shortly holding a number of open days for parents of children due to start school in September 2017, with parents of all faiths and none encouraged to attend.

Catherine said:

‘It was great to see the impressive developments that have taken place at St Cuthbert’s since my last visit – and the new classrooms are really fantastic, offering the older pupils a bright and airy new learning space.

‘This is such a lovely village school which is clearly going from strength to strength, and I am delighted that the pupils and staff have the facilities they deserve.  

Headteacher, Mrs Barrett, said:

‘We were delighted to welcome Catherine to St Cuthbert’s to view the changes that have taken place since her last visit, having the additional classrooms will ensure that we can accommodate more children in the future as well as providing a great learning space for our current upper Key Stage 2 children. 

Our children got to hear about the role of a Member of Parliament and the different and many tasks Catherine undertakes daily, this has inspired them to think about what they can do to help others. 

It was also great to share a cup of coffee for such a wonderful cause.’