I hope this message finds you all enjoying a well-deserved rest after what has been a truly eventful and meaningful December, and no doubt a busy Christmas. As we come to the close of this year, these are days to re-charge and of course they provide an opportunity to reflect on the many moments of joy that have filled this month - and indeed the whole of 2024 - as well as to look ahead to the blessings and opportunities that the New Year holds for us as a community.
At the start of this month, we had the lovely news that Bishop Vaughan has once more been named as one of the top ten state schools in Wales by the Sunday Times Parent Power Guide! These rankings are determined on the basis of our pupils’ results, therefore all of last year’s Year 11 and Sixth Form pupils should be very proud indeed of their achievements. The school has also risen to seventh place, from ninth two years ago. You can read more about this on pages six and seven of our Christmas newsletter here.
The season of Advent has been at the heart of our December. Since Advent invites us to open our hearts to hope and renewal, our pupils have embraced this season with faith-filled activities that have brought the spirit of Advent alive. A particular highlight has been the Advent assemblies prepared by our Faith Council and delivered by our Faith Ambassadors and our choir. They offered five beautiful hour-long Advent services which helped every year group to reflect on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. Their thoughtfully-chosen readings, interspersed with film clips, the lighting of the Advent wreath candles and some truly beautiful choir items, reminded us to keep Christ at the centre of our preparations for Christmas. There was also a beautiful reading of the Lord’s Prayer in some of the many languages spoken in our school community. The time for reflection while listening to the exceptional harmonies in items such as ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’ was very special, and pupils throughout the year groups were rightfully very appreciative of the work invested by their peers in creating this lovely service for all of us. As ever, the Faith Council’s leadership has been a testament to the dedication and spiritual maturity of our students.
One of the most cherished events this month was the Immaculata Service of Benediction and Carols held at the Sacred Heart Parish, the parish in which Bishop Vaughan is located. This service brought together pupils, staff, parents, carers and parishioners in a beautiful expression of faith and community. The quiet reverence of Benediction, the candlelit singing of carols and the readings – which included the inspiring commentary of St. Bernard – created a moving and memorable evening. The church was filled with the light of candles and the warmth of shared faith, a reminder of the profound gift of Christ’s presence in our lives, and Canon Jason’s homily, as ever, was heartening and uplifting. We are grateful to him, Father Rod and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart for their support in hosting this service, as well as for their weekly work with our pupils throughout the year.
December also saw the much-anticipated concert where our pupils had the opportunity to collaborate with a Welsh male-voice choir, the Phoenix Choir of Wales. This lovely occasion was organised as a fundraiser for the school’s hardship fund by the exceptionally-committed Bishop Vaughan Society. The richness and power of the voices in the Phoenix Choir, combined with the talents of our school choir, created an unforgettable evening of music and celebration. Music has a unique way of uniting us and lifting our spirits, and this concert was a perfect example of that! It was wonderful to see students and families participating and attending, not only enjoying the performance, but supporting those that the proceeds will benefit.
Another highlight of December was the Annual Cathedral Carol Service. This year, we were privileged to host choirs from each of our four primary schools, creating a truly joyful experience. Hearing the voices of young children alongside our older students was a powerful reminder of the unity and continuity of our Catholic community. The readings, prayers, and carols filled the cathedral with the hope and promise of Christmas, leaving us all deeply inspired, not least thanks to the exceptional finale – the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah, on which Mr. Eynon-Davies has been working with pupils from all five schools in recent weeks. It was absolutely breath-taking – and it may well have been heard throughout the city of Swansea, since all pupils, from the very youngest to the very oldest, and the staff choir too, truly sang their hearts out! Following the service, everyone’s joy at the event created by the pupils from all of the schools was clearly evident – it was a real gift to all of those present. As ever, many former pupils, staff and community members joined us for this, with the common feeling being “Christmas starts for me when I come to this service.” This meant a lot to our pupils, who always endeavour to ensure that the service reflects on Advent, upon waiting, and that it prepares us for Christmas through the readings and musical items. There were old favourites and new items, and as ever the moment when the choir join the soloist in ‘O Holy Night’ was uplifting, eliciting more than a few tears in the congregation!
Unfortunately, not everything this December went as planned! The recent storms caused damage to the roof of our four-storey block, forcing us to close two days earlier than scheduled. This decision was not taken lightly, but the safety and wellbeing of our pupils and staff always come first. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone for their patience and understanding during this disruption. I also wish to thank the senior team, the Local Authority’s Health and Safety and Corporate Building Services teams and the contractors who worked tirelessly to assess and repair the damage. While it was disappointing to end the term in this way, as we were looking forward to the talent show and the other festive events planned, it was a reminder of the resilience and adaptability of our school community. Thankfully, staff were still able to deliver the hampers collated in recent weeks for community members, these totalling over fifty. Huge thanks to all of those who donated items or contributions for the vouchers within them. In addition, we were able to share the staff reading of Dylan Thomas’s ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’ online, this being the poet’s nostalgic reminiscence on his boyhood Christmases in our own city. The BVS Book Group had also recorded ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’, more commonly known as ‘T’was the Night Before Christmas’, and this was shared, appropriately, on Christmas Eve. We hope you enjoyed this festive listening!
I hope too that each of you has had the opportunity to enjoy a joyful and blessed Christmas with your loved ones. Whether through Mass, family gatherings or moments of quiet prayer, I hope that this season has brought you peace and renewal.
Looking ahead, we enter 2025 with the exciting theme of the Jubilee Year, this being ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. This theme invites us to see our lives as a journey toward God, filled with opportunities to grow in faith and bring hope to others. As a school, we are already planning ways to celebrate this Jubilee Year. Acts of service and special liturgies will play a central role in helping us explore what it means to be ‘pilgrims of hope.’ We will also be focusing on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, encouraging students to live out their faith in practical and meaningful ways.
The New Year is always a time of anticipation, and 2025 promises to be filled with opportunities for growth, learning and celebration. Some of the highlights we are looking forward to include our Jubilee Year activities, with special events and reflections threaded throughout the year, and our Festivals, the next of which will be the Festival of Health in late January. In addition, we have further advancement of the building of our brand new school to look forward to (hopefully without any roofing issues on the new site!).
As we prepare to welcome 2025 this Wednesday, then, I would like to wish each of you a very happy and fruitful New Year. May it be a year filled with hope, joy, good health and flourishing for you and your families.
Mrs Pole
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