At St Edmund’s, creativity isn’t just encouraged—it’s celebrated. This year, two of our incredible students have showcased just how powerful talent, hard work, and opportunity can be when they come together.

In Year 8, Amelia Clarke has stunned us all by achieving a LAMDA Grade 7 (Silver) Exam This Level 3 award, equivalent to an A-Level, has earned Amelia an extraordinary number of UCAS points, making her one of the youngest at St Edmund’s to reach this level.

“Drama has helped me find my voice,” Amelia reflects. “LAMDA pushed me to dig deeper into how I act and express emotions—it’s been an incredible challenge and so rewarding.”

Meanwhile Panashe Shoniwa, a talented and driven Year 13 student, is preparing to take the next big step in her creative journey. This year, Panashe secured a prestigious BBC apprenticeship, launching her straight into one of the UK’s leading media organisations.

“This is just the beginning,” says Panashe. “St Edmund’s gave me the confidence to aim high and the support to get there.”

Together, Amelia and Panashe embody the creative spirit that runs through St Edmund’s—where the arts are not just extracurricular, but essential. Whether it’s standing under the stage lights or working behind the camera, our students are proving that creative industries are full of possibility, purpose, and power.

Congratulations to Amelia and Panashe! Your stories inspire us all and remind us what’s possible when talent meets opportunity.

Following the sad death of the late Pope Francis, one of our year seven students, Christina Gallen,  offered a beautiful reflection on his life and the service he gave, not just to the Catholic Church, but to the whole world. The reflection is entitled “Listen to My Voice. ” Click on the link below to access this.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h_y1yiiCd8iiawtRUseqdPu05ddNVol1-7GMkz-vDdY/edit?tab=t.0

May Crowning: What It Is and Why We Do It

At its simplest, May Crowning is a ritual celebrated in the month of May where an image or statue of Mary is crowned with a wreath of flowers and honored as the Queen of Heaven and the Mother of God. But this simple ceremony carries deep meaning for the Catholic faith.

May has been Mary’s month since the medieval period, when May was considered the end of winter and the start of a new season of growth. It’s a time for new beginnings and the chance to begin with gratitude and devotion.

There are many reasons she is considered the “Queen of Heaven.” She was a perfect follower of Christ, and so is considered the crown of creation. She is also the Mother of the Son of God, Jesus, who is the King of the universe. And of course, she is the most important woman of our faith, and our spiritual mother.

It’s our hope and prayer that this May, you’ll celebrate May Crowning in your own parish or home, and have a special encounter with Christ through the Virgin Mary.

Last week, two teams from our academy took part in the City 3v3 Basketball Tournament held at Wolverhampton Grammar School. Both teams played with great determination, skill, and sportsmanship, proudly representing the academy throughout the event.

The A team delivered an outstanding performance, winning all but one of their games, and that single loss was by just one point. Their efforts earned them an impressive 3rd place finish overall. A huge congratulations to the A team: Ginevra Mensio, Karis Benaiah, Kayliah Henry and another student in Year 10.

The B team also gave a fantastic account of themselves, competing fiercely and showing great teamwork and spirit. Well done to Sade Johnson, Alba Okeke-Onyeama, Rocio Okeke-Onyeama, and Adaobi Ezike for their commitment and positive attitude on and off the court.

It was a pleasure to see all our players in action, and we’re incredibly proud of how they represented the academy. Well done, everyone!

The Eco Club pupils spent their meeting after school decorating the pavement of the student entrance with some positive messages for Y11 and Y13 as they come into school for their exams.

Good luck to all our Year 11 and Year 13 students sitting exams. We pray for you:

O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino,
who while on earth did obtain from God the grace
to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew,
obtain for me a like favour in the examinations for which I am now preparing.
In return, I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.
Through Christ our Lord.
St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us.

Amen.

We are incredibly proud to announce that our Year 9 Football Team has completed a fantastic League and Cup double, bringing home even more silverware to St Edmund’s.

Having already been crowned champions of the Wolverhampton Schools Football League, the team travelled to AFC Wulfrunians to face Aldersley in the much-anticipated Cup Final.

The game got off to a tense start. Despite creating a couple of early chances, St Edmund’s quickly found themselves 2-0 down after two sharp goals from Aldersley. Just before the half-time whistle, however, Esandju Almeida pulled one back with a tidy finish to make it 2-1 and give the team hope going into the break.

The second half proved just as eventful. After going 3-1 down, our team showed immense character, determination, and team spirit. Another goal from Esandju and a late equaliser by Monty Buckmaster brought the score to 3-3, setting up a nail-biting finish.

Due to the high temperatures, the match went straight to penalties. Showing nerves of steel, Jake Evans, Ralph O’Connor, Esandju Almeida, Gabe Mullan, and Monty Buckmaster all confidently converted their spot-kicks. The hero of the moment was goalkeeper Adam White, who made a crucial save to secure a well-deserved victory for St Edmund’s.

This result marks an incredible achievement for the team, and we couldn’t be more proud of their resilience, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

Please join us in congratulating the full squad:

Adam White

Ebby Matudidi

Ralph O’Connor

Kacper Zagrzebski

Boyd Field

Rueben Warlow

Monty Buckmaster

Gabriel Mullan

Esandju Almeida

Fin Foster

Cole Bradley

Godbles Freeman-Taylor

Jake Evans

Dadwar Hamed

Treasure Solanke

and S.

A huge congratulations to our incredible St Edmund’s gymnasts who have once again claimed the title of City Gymnastics Champions!

This year, nineteen talented gymnasts represented our school in the city competition, delivering impressive performances across the board. Their clean routines and strong vaults reflected months of dedication, discipline, and teamwork, earning high praise from the judges.

We are especially proud of Karyce Johnson, Emmanuelle Ejeagwu, and Mahdi Asaney, who were crowned individual city champions on floor, vault, and overall – an outstanding achievement!

In the team event, St Edmund’s continued its legacy of excellence by once again taking home the top prize. The team’s victory was secured through the superb efforts and scores of Karyce Johnson, Emily Tsang, Alyssia Morris, Sophie Grove, and Mahdi Asaney.

To all our gymnasts: well done! You were a credit to yourselves, your coaches, and to St Edmund’s.

Last Wednesday, we held a short meeting for parents of our year 7 students who will be going on retreat to the diocesan retreat centre at Alton Castle on 16th -18th July. At the meeting, Rev was able to give more information about the retreat and to let parents know what their children will be doing there, and how it will help with their faith formation.

If you are a parent whose child is going on this retreat and, for whatever reason, were unable to attend the meeting, please click on the link below to access the presentation Rev gave, and the documentation that was handed out.

Alton Castle