Emma Davies ( Evidence for Silver Award  April 2024 ) 

Shwmae Criw Cymraeg a Mrs Houston,

There’s only one word for all this evidence for the silver award and that’s … ANHYGOEL!

You have worked so hard and you should all be very proud of yourselves. You are 100% ready to go for the silver award. I especially love the preparation for your Eisteddfod, your connection with Mynydd Bychan, your links with the community and parents as well as your fantastic work on coding and composition. Da iawn bawb! I will also share the document attached with my colleagues so they can see your wonderful achievements.

Dw i’n gyffrous iawn i chi a phawb yn ysgol Joseff Sant!

Mrs Davies 😊

Councillor Sarah Merry ( March 2024)

Dear Mrs Riordan,

Thank you (and the School Sennedd) for inviting me to join you all for your school celebrationof being awarded the Rights Respecting Gold Award. I know what huge effort that it will have taken from the whole school and a testimony to your leadership. 

Elin Hargrave visitor to St Dwynwen from the Sennedd (January 2024)

What amazing, attentive and responsive children you have at St Joseph's. They were all so well behaved too. I had a warm welcome from the lovely teachers and all Staff. Thank you!

 

Email from a grandparent after a whole school Mass at our local church (June 2023) 

I was privileged to help with taking the children of St Joseph's school to Mass in the church today. The behaviour of all the children from year 6 to year 1 was a credit to the staff and the school. It was a particularly lovely moment when the children started singing to a communion hymn from memory taking the musician by surprise as she thought she was only playing background music.

Chaplin's Panto

From the moment we arrived at St Joseph's every single staff member and student were so welcoming. What an amazing school . We can't wait to come back and see you next year!

Todd

Chaplin's Panto

Email from parent (June 2023)

We've been looking to move outside of the Cardiff area. We've now found and exchanged on a new home.We have received confirmation that our daughter  has a place at another Primary School, near to where we will be moving to and she will be starting there in year 2 from September 2023.We'd like to thank the School and all her teachers for their enthusiasm, dedication and creating a safe and enjoyable environment for her to thrive in. We are all very much going to miss being part of the St Joseph's community.

Message on Cardiff Mums Page

If you are thinking of sending your children t St Joseph's Primary school, please do not hesitate! what has turned into a temporary place for my daughter at St Joes and before she even joined until leaving have been nothing but exceptional! From their school staff to their teachers and pupils , each and every one of the have been incredibly welcoming , showed so much kindness and my daughter has never felt so good about her schooling. I am gutted she has to move schools so quickly, but the short time that she has been with them has left a lifetime impression on us as a family  

Lakeside Nursing Home

A big thank you to you and the children for coming to visit us today. They were very well behaved and interacted beautifully with our residents. The smiles on faces make it so worthwhile. After you left I read out the letters from the children and we were all mightily impressed with how thoughtful they were. 

Sue Carrick

Activities Co-ordinator

Lakeside House Nursing Home

Families Learning Together workshop 

I am always made to feel extremely welcome when I come into school. Everyone makes me feel valued and welcome as if I am part of the school as soon as I arrive at Reception, to all the teachers and Headteacher. I am always provided with a nice space to work with the families and if I have any requests or questions these are always responded to in a friendly and helpful manner. The children are an absolute pleasure to work with, their behaviour and manners are a credit to the school and their families. It is a real pleasure delivering courses in the school and to your families 😄

It is great working with the families and I feel we are really making a difference.

Mel 

Police Workshop Visit 

During my latest visit to St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, the children were very respectful and engaging in the Police workshops that I delivered to them. The workshops all emphasised the importance of making positive choices and positive citizenship. As a School Police Officer I cover a total of 22 schools within the Cardiff area. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School is one of my favourite Primaries to visit because of the warm welcome I always receive from the staff and the pupils.

PC Cadwallader 

Year 3 Circus Skill Workshop

I really enjoyed the workshop. The children were very attentive an put in lots of effort to learn and develop their skills. They worked well on their own and in pairs. They should all be very proud of the achievements. I will see them again soon,

Tom 

Macbeth Workshop 

I had a wonderful time at St Joseph's bringing Shakespeare 's Macbeth to life, teaching safe fight techniques and how to create atmosphere from simple sound effects. I had a warm welcome and the children were a joy to work with and a credit to their teachers, parents and the school.  I think st Joseph's has some budding Lawrence Oliviers!!!

Simon

Families Learning Together (July 2022)

Many Thanks for all your support. I have loved being back in your school and teaching the families face to face again. 

Melanie Hollingworth, Family Project Teacher/Athro Prosiect Teulu

Spectrum Project Visit to St Joseph’s (February 2022)

I have been very lucky to spend the past two weeks sharing our Spectrum lessons with the Reception class, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 6.

The Spectrum Project is funded by the Welsh Government and raises awareness of what Healthy Relationships are,  promotes equality and looks at Support and how to stay safe. All the classes were enthusiastic and willing to take part in the activities involved.

The children at St Joseph’s are always very polite and made me feel very welcome. Year 6 were particularly mature and thoughtful in their responses when talking about what abuse is and how it is unacceptable in families.

I visit schools all over Cardiff and The Vale but I always look forward to coming back to St Joseph’s as there is always a friendly welcome and lively, bright children who are a pleasure to spend time with. I look forward to next year!

Lesley Curtis, School’s Liaison Officer, The Spectrum Project. www.spectrumproject.co.uk

NACE Award Assessor (November 2020)

'I am delighted to confirm that your school has achieved the NACE Challenge Award.

I was very impressed by the school’s ambition to provide challenge through rigorous planning and getting pupils to think and be independent in their learning.  In particular, my interviews with individual learners and the enthusiasm and expertise of your MAT co-ordinator.   It was also good to see the knowledge and understanding of the more able and talented pupils during the lessons observed.  You have clearly made excellent progress in addressing the needs of your MAT and EAT pupils, and this whole school commitment was strongly reflected by your parent governor and staff.

Please pass on my thanks to the staff, pupils, parents and governors for their helpful contributions to the day.  Many congratulations to everyone involved, and I hope that this award will provide further external recognition of your school’s commitment to quality whole school provision for more able and talented pupils.'

Zoolab

"Year 3 and I went on a rainforest adventure together with some animals. The pupils at St  Joseph's were well informed, bright individuals. We had lots of fun!!"

Cardiff Oratory,Olivia & Tomos

"We had an amazing Morning working at St Joseph's .What well behaved children!!!

A testament to the teaching staff."

RSPB

"Wonderful children in Nursery and Reception. Great nature detectives!"

UK Parliament

"What lovely kids in Y6!!!!! Order, Order :-)"

Happy Puzzle Company

"I had a lovely day at St Joseph's Primary school. All the staff and students made me feel welcome. Thank you from the Happy Puzzle Company."

Parent (December 2019) 

"I would like to express my gratitude to you and your staff. We will all remember the school and staff warmly. At home, both kids sing the songs they learn at school with passion, engage in their homework and readings with great motivation, and teach each other (and us) the invaluable social norms they learn during class, prayer service, and afterschool clubs. Teachers, TAs and dinner ladies in St Joseph's always encourage my kids to be kind, respectful hard-working and forgiving. And to see themselves as part of a larger human family and a fragile world. In times of individualism, these essential lessons swim against the tide. Both girls keep their various headteacher awards (both the stickers and the certificates) safe, and wear them with pride.

Thank you for your continued hard work with and for our children. We are probably all sometimes quicker to point out what we struggle with than to name the things we appreciate."

Kidscape

"May I take this opportunity to share with you my pleasure I had working with your Year 5 and 6 students. Both year groups were an absolute delight to work with and the level of maturity, behaviour and politeness and overall feel of the school, really spoke volumes.

It was also a pleasure to have met Mr Cobb and Mrs Houston who were both present with their year groups. They were both very welcoming and had a great rapport with their children. You have some truly blossoming students and as a previous Head of Year, I would be more than happy for them to come to my school, as they are all an asset to St Joseph's."

Teddy Bear Hospital

"We had lots of fun doing activities with Nursery and Reception today! They were all engaged and enthusiastic. Y2 were lovely and welcoming. Children really enjoyed the visit and were really well behaved. All the students and staff were very kind and friendly. It was a lovely school to visit. We home to see you again in the future."

Year 3 Class Assembly Feedback

"Well done! A well organised and nicely presented class assembly. Congratulations to the Year 3 students and teachers."

"It was a lovely assembly."

P.W.C - Ms. G. O'Brien

"The students were highly engaging throughout.

Their ability to solve problems and work collaboratively was outstanding!

They had a clear understanding of technology and thought carefully about the benefits and potential risks associated with it. Technology auditors and consultants in the making!!"

Principality Building Society

"Brilliant, polite and energetic Y6. Asked great questions and helped with our ICT!!! Diolch Pawb!! Thank you for having the Principality. We really enjoyed speaking about our job roles to you. The students were so lovely and asked fantastic questions. "

HMS

"Extremely well behaved! You should be proud of your students."

S3 Advertising 

"I feel inspired by the children and hopefully they feel inspired by us. A great class of children. Thank You."

Wates Construction

"Working with Year 4 during the Cardiff Commitment's Open Your Eyes Week was an absolute joy. They asked excellent questions and worked very well together. Hopefully we have inspired the next generation of construction professionals."

Raddison Blue Hotels - Business Presentations

"A great group of children that made us feel very welcome. Thank You!"

Kidscape - Friendship Friday/Antibullying Week

"It has been an absolute pleasure delivering the ZAP Kidscape Workshop. 

The Year 5 and 6 children were thoroughly engaging and responded in a polite manner to everything I said. It was a joy to have visited the school. The children are all a credit to St Joseph's!

As are the teachers I met."

Cardiff County Council

"The pupils were very well behaved and asked interesting questions. Thank you for inviting me."

Brains

"We felt very welcome and part of your school family.

Amazing children with excellent manners. Thank you very much."

Whitchurch Firefighters

"We had a great response from the children. They all behaved well and interacted with good comments and some interesting stories."

Cllr Susan Elsmore, Cabinet Member for Social Care, Health & Wellbeing

Dementia Action Week

“St Joseph Primary School pupils were a delight, whether embracing the playground games, singing movingly so that audience members were in tears, including at least one politician, and supporting their classmate, Ava the winner of the national 480-words story competition.  I was really impressed and pay tribute to staff, governors and parents.”

Health and Wellbeing Officer - Cardiff Council

Dementia Action Week

"Welsh Libraries hosted the 480 words ‘Do You Remember When…?’ story competition prize ceremony at St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff where we were joined by Ministers, local Councillors, Alzheimer’s Society, the ‘Still Me’ dementia group and teachers and pupils from St Joseph’s RC Primary School.  The overall winner of the competition from Y3 and her classmates celebrated by playing with Cardiff Libraries ‘Hands on History’ boxes where they dressed up as space men and hippies and learnt more about the 60’s.  There was a special celebratory cake and they performed two songs to the audience which were really well received!  The children behaved amazingly throughout the visit – getting involved in the games and learning lots, from not only Library staff, but people who are living with dementia.  They were really respectful and an absolute pleasure.  We hope that they enjoyed their day as much as we did and that they enjoy reading the 480 books that have been awarded to the school for winning the prize!  Well, done to all of the staff and pupils at St Joseph’s, you should be really proud of such impeccable behaviour!!!!! "

National Assembley For Wales

"It has been brilliant to see pupils if the school showing enthusiasm to learn more about democracy in Wales. Hopefully we will see some pupils as Welsh Youth Parliament members in the future."

South Wales Police

"We had a lovely warm welcome from the staff and the children today. The children are so well behaved and a credit to St Joseph's."

Food Standards Agency

"Thank you ever so much for being so welcoming to us on our visit. Lovely to work with all the children, who were all engaged throughout the day."

Welsh Bird of Prey Centre

"I just wanted to say what a pleasure it was visiting St Joseph's Primary and talking to such happy, polite, well behaved pupils who took such an interest in the birds- all of the staff at the school should be very proud of them".

Parent Helper (July 2019)

"What a pleasure it was to help out at the tag rugby festival today. The children were an absolute joy and a credit to the school. I also wanted to tell you about the sportsmanship in the Year 5 team as they really impressed me with the manner in which they played all their games. During what ended up being their last game, one of the players was heading for the try line but passed the ball to another player to ensure they scored a try as they hadn’t scored yet in any of the games. After that game, they were all talking about making sure that in the next game the only remaining player who had yet to score a try would score one no matter how they had to work it."

Wales and West Utilities

"The school has a beautiful garden ....you wouldn't think it is located in the middle of a city. A beautiful School. "                                   

Student placement InterEducation

"She really enjoyed her experience ....most valuable and rewarding. We are most grateful to you and your staff for welcoming her and offering her your generous help and support"                                          

BoxClever Theatre.

"Lovely energised students with lots of bright ideas. We felt very welcome and looked after by all the staff too. Thank you"  

Wales Air Ambulance

"Such a wonderful and kind school. It was a pleasure to visit and meet the children"

Road Safety.

"Fantastic children. Well behaved".               

Network Rail

"Fantastic school and amazing children who were very engaging. Brilliant staff. Received a very warm welcome".