Congratulations St Cuthbert's

The first school in the Borough to achieve Fairtrade Status - St Cuthbert's primary school. What an achievement. Staff, governors and children have worked really hard and considerations of Fairtrade and what it means are now embedded in that school's life. This morning's celebration was typical - a coffee morning/tea party in school just before the Family Learning class with parents bringing in home made cakes baked with Fairtrade ingredients, children serving them, the kitchen staff helping out with biscuits, the parish priest, police, Tristar and Family Learning staff all there as part of the school family, celebrating. The guest of honour was the Mayor of Stockton-on-Tees who is a supporter of Fairtrade and spoke from the heart about the difference those young people are making. The only disappointment of the day was that the big banner hadn't arrived in time but the press photographers were there and we hope the story will feature in both the Gazette and the Echo in the not too distant future.
Many of the children come from families which don't have a lot of money to spare and live in an area of the borough where academic achievement traditionally isn't high but the sense of achievement for those children today was worth more than any Ofsted report.