St. Margaret Clitherow Catholic Voluntary Academy

St. Margaret Clitherow Catholic Voluntary Academy Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from St. Margaret Clitherow Catholic Voluntary Academy, School, St Margaret Clitherow Primary and Nursery Catholic Voluntary Academy, Mildenhall Crescent, Bestwood Park, Nottingham.

St Margaret Clitherow Academy is a loving, caring and serving Catholic community ambitious to educate our children to thrive personally, academically and spiritually.

🌟 As we prepare for our final week of the school year, our classrooms are still full of excitement, creativity and a rea...
17/07/2026

🌟 As we prepare for our final week of the school year, our classrooms are still full of excitement, creativity and a real love of learning! From inspiring performances and hands-on projects to mathematical thinking and imaginative adventures, our pupils have continued to make every moment count. It's wonderful to see everyone embracing new challenges, celebrating their achievements and making lasting memories together. Here's a look at another fantastic week across our school...

🎵 Nursery learned about the Jewish festival of Purim and used their creative skills to make and decorate shakers using plastic bottles and rice. They loved creating their own musical instruments and making music together!

🚲 Reception have been developing their mapping skills, deciding what they would take on a bicycle adventure. In Maths, they have been using coloured shapes to explore number bonds to 20.

🍓 Year 1 have started their final D&T unit, learning all about fruit and vegetables as they prepare to design and make their own delicious smoothies.

🎬 Year 2 have been planning their stop-motion animations, carefully deciding which objects to move and the directions they will travel. They can't wait to bring their ideas to life!

🔷 Year 3 have been learning about 3D shapes, confidently naming and describing their properties. They also explored nets and used them to build models for their very own shape museum.

🔦 Year 4 completed their torches and proudly showcased them during our whole-school assembly. They also created personality banners, which will be used to produce some fantastic shadow art in the sunshine.

🎞️ Year 5 created flip books and explored how they link to animation before using their learning to design storyboards for their own stop-motion animations.

🏹 Year 6 wowed everyone with their fantastic performance of Robin Hood. They thoroughly enjoyed taking to the stage and delivered an amazing show, full of confidence, energy and talent.

✨ As another wonderful week comes to an end, we're incredibly proud of everything our pupils have achieved. Their enthusiasm, resilience and determination continue to shine through in all they do. We can't wait to make our final week of the school year one to remember as we celebrate another amazing year of learning together! 💙

🌟📚🎭🎨

☀️ Weekly Round-Up – Friday 10th July 2026 ☀️What a fantastic week we've had! Despite the scorching temperatures, our ch...
10/07/2026

☀️ Weekly Round-Up – Friday 10th July 2026 ☀️
What a fantastic week we've had! Despite the scorching temperatures, our children have continued to work hard, have fun and show our school values every day. 🌞
🌟 Nursery & Reception
Our youngest children had a wonderful time taking part in Sports Day! They loved running races, throwing javelins and competing in the egg and spoon race alongside their friends. There were lots of smiles, determination and fantastic teamwork on display.
🏃 Year 1
Year 1 showed incredible courage, determination and resilience during Sports Day. We are so proud of every single child for giving their very best and encouraging one another throughout the day.
🏅 Year 2
Sports Day was a huge success for Year 2! Every child took part enthusiastically, supported their classmates and demonstrated fantastic sporting skills and resilience from start to finish.
🌱 Year 3
In Science, Year 3 have been investigating the best conditions for plants to grow. They have planted seeds in different environments and will be observing the results over the coming weeks. We can't wait to see what they discover!
💡 Year 4
Year 4 became budding engineers and electricians this week! Using their knowledge of electricity, they designed and created their own working torches complete with circuits and switches. It was wonderful to see such excellent teamwork, creativity and problem-solving as they carefully built and housed their circuits.
👏 Year 5
Year 5 thoroughly enjoyed supporting Key Stage One during Sports Day, cheering everyone on and celebrating their achievements. They have also loved joining Year 6 in rehearsals, singing together as preparations continue for next week's performance.
🎭✨Year 6
We have been working incredibly hard practising our play and are getting excited for our performance next week! The children have shown fantastic dedication, enthusiasm and teamwork as they learn their lines, songs and stage directions.
We can't wait to share all their hard work with you and see them shine on stage.
As we head into another busy week, we'd like to thank all of our pupils, staff and families for making our school such a positive and supportive community.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 🌞💙

🌟 Another Busy Week of Learning at School! 🌟Our children have been busy learning, creating and having fun across the sch...
03/07/2026

🌟 Another Busy Week of Learning at School! 🌟

Our children have been busy learning, creating and having fun across the school this week!

🍃 Nursery have been exploring the wind. They enjoyed making kites and investigating how boats can be moved by blowing in different directions.

🧱 Reception have been developing their understanding of position and direction through play in the construction area. Working together, they gave instructions to build structures and described the positions of different blocks using mathematical language.

📚 Year 1 have been learning about different types of nouns in English. They played games to compare common and proper nouns before sorting them into different groups.

🏺 Year 3 have been making their own papyrus paper in Art in preparation for creating Egyptian scrolls. They used their knowledge of horizontal and vertical lines from Maths to recreate techniques used by the Ancient Egyptians.

🌊 Year 4 have been busy preparing for Sports Day. In English, they have completed their research on Jacques Cousteau and are now ready to write and publish their biographies. They have also designed bordered paper and created a vibrant underwater-themed backdrop to showcase their finished work.

🎵 Year 5 had great fun in Music, practising their recorder performances which they have been working hard on throughout the half term.

🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️ Key Stage 2 enjoyed a fantastic Sports Day this week, taking part in a range of races and events. It was wonderful to see everyone encouraging one another and celebrating each other's achievements throughout the morning.

Well done to all of our pupils for another week of fantastic learning and effort! ⭐

🌟 A Wonderful Week of Learning Across School! 🌟Nursery 🚗Another busy week in Nursery! We have been reading the story Mr ...
19/06/2026

🌟 A Wonderful Week of Learning Across School! 🌟

Nursery 🚗
Another busy week in Nursery! We have been reading the story Mr Grumpy’s Motor Car and used masks to act out the story together. In Maths, we have continued learning to recognise numbers 1–5. We created number lines and enjoyed jumping on the different numbers as we practised our counting skills.

Reception ✨
We have had another fantastic week in Reception, enjoying lots of hands-on learning and developing our confidence across all areas of the curriculum.

Year 1 🌈
Year 1 have been working hard this week, taking part in a range of exciting activities and continuing to build on their learning across the curriculum.

Year 2 🎨
In Year 2, we have been exploring clay in our Art lessons. We developed our skills by kneading the clay to soften it before creating different shapes. Over the next few weeks, we will continue to build these skills as we work towards creating our own clay sculptures.

Year 3 🏺
We have started our new Art topic this week – creating Egyptian scrolls! We explored different examples of Egyptian art, looking closely at colours, patterns, shapes and textures. We then created our own textured backgrounds to practise creating Egyptian-inspired artwork.

Year 4 ⚡
In Science, we have continued exploring electricity. This week, we learned about the symbols used to represent different electrical components in circuit diagrams. We built a variety of circuits and then used the correct symbols to draw and represent them.

Year 5 🌍💻
This week, Year 5 have been completing their Geography topic on Europe by using iPads to research a country of their choice. They investigated key human and physical features, climate, population and the impact of tourism. Alongside this, they have been developing their computing skills by learning how to save and print photographs and use an app to create digital collages.

Year 6 🎭
Year 6 have been busy rehearsing for their end-of-year play and are working hard to learn their lines, songs and stage directions. Excitement is building as they prepare for their visit to the Broads next week, where they are looking forward to new experiences and making lasting memories with their classmates.

👏 Well done to all of our pupils for another week of enthusiasm, creativity and hard work! We look forward to sharing more of our learning next week.


📚✨

🌟 Another Wonderful Week of Learning! 🌟Our children have been busy learning, exploring and achieving great things across...
12/06/2026

🌟 Another Wonderful Week of Learning! 🌟
Our children have been busy learning, exploring and achieving great things across the school this week.
🧸 Nursery
This week, Nursery have been exploring number patterns, focusing on identifying which number comes next in a sequence. They have worked incredibly hard on recognising numbers and have continued to enjoy colour mixing activities, creating lots of exciting new shades. In Science, the children investigated magnetic forces and had great fun testing which objects were attracted to magnets.

🔺 Reception
Reception have been learning about 2D and 3D shapes, identifying 2D shapes within 3D objects. They have loved using their creativity in the construction area to build and design their own 3D shapes.

✝️ Year 2
Year 2 delivered a wonderful Celebration of the Word on the Eucharist. Their thoughtful reflections reminded us all about the importance of sharing love and kindness with others.

📖 Year 3
Year 3 have been writing their own Egyptian Mystery stories, developing their creative and descriptive writing skills. They proudly published their stories and shared them with Year 5, who provided valuable feedback on their work.

⚡ Year 4
In Science, Year 4 have been constructing simple electrical circuits and investigating which materials conduct electricity and which do not. The children thoroughly enjoyed the practical activities and made some excellent observations.
They also took part in their second Gaelic Football lesson with Callum. Their kicking and solo skills have improved greatly, and after working hard on hitting the ball, they are now ready to move on to shooting and scoring next week.

🏃 Year 5
Year 5 have particularly enjoyed their PE and Fitness lessons this week. In Fitness, they practised squat jumps, while in Gaelic Football they developed their kick pass skills. They have also been captivated by their class reading book and can't wait to discover whether their predictions about the story's cliffhanger are correct next week.

🎭 Year 6
Year 6 had great fun creating character profiles to help them prepare for their end-of-year production. In RE, they participated in a silent debate about the message of the Gospel, respectfully sharing ideas, challenging opinions and learning from one another.

👏 Well done to all our pupils for another fantastic week of learning, teamwork and achievement!

Your generosity is truly changing lives! 🌟A huge thank you to for the fantastic delivery of tyres. We are incredibly g...
09/06/2026

Your generosity is truly changing lives! 🌟

A huge thank you to for the fantastic delivery of tyres. We are incredibly grateful for your support in helping us develop our OPAL play areas — the children are going to absolutely love them! 🛞

We are reading at The Good Shepherd Church on Sunday 14th June at 9.45am.All children in Years 4, 5 and 6 are very welco...
06/06/2026

We are reading at The Good Shepherd Church on Sunday 14th June at 9.45am.

All children in Years 4, 5 and 6 are very welcome to take part.

If your child would like to read, please let the office know as soon as possible.

⭐Year 4 and Year 5 had the fantastic opportunity this week to take part in their first Gaelic football session. The chil...
05/06/2026

⭐Year 4 and Year 5 had the fantastic opportunity this week to take part in their first Gaelic football session. The children thoroughly enjoyed being introduced to this fast-paced and exciting sport, learning key skills such as the hand pass, soloing, movement, and teamwork. They showed great enthusiasm and determination as they began to practise these new skills and understand the basic rules of the game. It was wonderful to see so many children fully engaged and willing to have a go, supporting each other as they learned. We are very lucky to be continuing this exciting opportunity until the end of the year.

🌟 Weekly Class Round-Up 🌟It has been another fantastic week of learning, creativity, and teamwork across the school. Her...
05/06/2026

🌟 Weekly Class Round-Up 🌟

It has been another fantastic week of learning, creativity, and teamwork across the school. Here is a snapshot of what each year group has been getting up to in their classes and beyond. Well done to all the children for their enthusiasm and hard work! 👏

Nursery
This week in Nursery, we have been exploring the difference between 3 and 4 using beanbags. The children have enjoyed counting how many beanbags they can get into a hoop, developing their early counting and number recognition skills through active play.

In RSHE, we have been talking about the difference between things we need to buy from the shops and things we want but do not need. The children have shown some fantastic thinking and understanding around making choices.

Reception
This week in Reception, we have been writing sentences to describe our very own odd fish! We have loved reading The Odd Fish and exploring the story together. The children have used their imaginations brilliantly to create unique fish and then write creative sentences to describe them.

Year 1 and 2
Year 1 and 2 have been loving OPAL play and exploring the different areas available at lunchtimes. We enjoy spending time with friends, building new skills, and using our imaginations through play every day!

Year 3
In Year 3, we have been researching the achievements and legacy of the Ancient Egyptians. We worked collaboratively to create PowerPoint presentations, learning lots of new digital skills along the way. We are looking forward to presenting our findings to the rest of the class.

Year 4
In Year 4, we have been working on electricity and making simple circuits. We investigated what would happen to a bulb when we added more wires, exploring whether it would become brighter or dimmer. The children enjoyed testing their predictions and developing their understanding of how electrical circuits work.

Year 5
Year 5 have been developing their map reading skills to explore countries, capital cities, seas, and oceans across Europe. We were also lucky to take part in a Gaelic football session, where we learned key skills such as the hand pass and solo.

Year 6
This week, Year 6 have been exploring new vocabulary from our class text using a range of strategies to help us understand unfamiliar words. We also held auditions for our Year 6 play, which has everyone very excited for the performance ahead!

🥳 We’re Platinum! Our fantastic OPAL achievement 🥳We are absolutely delighted to share that, following our final OPAL au...
05/06/2026

🥳 We’re Platinum! Our fantastic OPAL achievement 🥳
We are absolutely delighted to share that, following our final OPAL audit on Thursday, we have achieved OPAL Platinum Accreditation – the highest level of recognition within the programme!
This is a truly exceptional achievement and reflects the commitment, dedication and passion of our whole school community in creating outstanding play opportunities for our children. As part of the audit, it was clear to see the remarkable culture of play we have built together.
Wendy, our OPAL East Midlands Mentor, shared: “St Margaret Clitherow now stands as a true beacon of best practice in play, demonstrating what can be achieved when a whole school community embraces the power and importance of play. Your commitment to providing exceptional opportunities for children is inspiring and will undoubtedly continue to influence and encourage others on their own OPAL journeys. It has been a privilege to support you throughout this process, and I am incredibly proud of all that you have accomplished.”
In her letter, she also highlighted some really special strengths of our school:
• The incredible transformation of our Play Team, whose commitment and expertise now shine across every play space.
• The enthusiasm and pride of our children, who spoke so positively about their play experiences and the freedom and adventure they enjoy every day.
• The care and attention to detail across our environment, creating inspiring spaces full of identity, creativity and purpose.
We are especially proud that this achievement reflects a whole-school approach – where children are confident, imaginative, happy and fully engaged in their play every single day
Mrs Sweeney-McGinty is incredibly proud of everyone who has helped make OPAL such a success at SMC. A huge thank you to our curriculum coordinators, Miss Cartledge and Miss Holmes, and our fantastic Play Team for their creativity, energy and dedication in all weathers!
And finally, thank you to our families for your continued support – sending children in with wellies and waterproofs, and donating all the wonderful resources (from suitcases to pallets!) that make OPAL so special.

Address

St Margaret Clitherow Primary And Nursery Catholic Voluntary Academy, Mildenhall Crescent, Bestwood Park
Nottingham
NG55RS

Telephone

+441159150296

Website

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