Another New Online Store!

A stalwart of high street shopping has just joined us here at the Friends of English Martyrs Blog!

BHS offers amazingly good value for a variety of homeware and fashion items. Don't forget them when you're looking for school uniform basics and remember click here first to get to their store and we earn commission on your online shopping.

There's no catch,

Just Click and Shop!

Is 5 too young to start school?

We've picked up on a story run by the BBC recently and wondered what your thoughts are on this issue.

Children in the UK start compulsory full time education at 5 years old but many, of course, start at 4. Whilst the government has recognised the problems associated with 'Summer born' children, little has changed in the age in which we expect our children to start school for over 130 years!

Orginally, it was the Victorians (in 1870) who thought it a good idea for children to start education at such tender age. However, the system was first implemented to keep them away from wayward parents and poor social conditions not to give them a love of learning. More social conditioning and child protection than improving literacy rates!

England now has the earliest starting age for school in the European Union and sadly the levels of achievement aren't the highest, in fact quite the reverse. Finland is the 'superstar' of education and is consistently among the top performers. In contrast to England's system, Finnish children start school at the age of 7 and have much longer holidays than their UK counterparts - 11 weeks in the summer.

So despite English children spending the most amount of time away from their families studying at school, they are not achieving the success of children in other EU countries. The Cambridge based, Primary Review, has scrutinised the way education is implemented in this country and has concluded that there appears to be no correlation betwen quantity and quality in education.

So, where are we going wrong? Do our children start school too early? What are your views?

If you'd like to make a comment on this topic, look at the end of this posting (after the ads) for "Posted by Friends of English Martyrs at 16:00 0 comments" click on the word 'comments' and type away! When you re-visit the blog a number next to 'comments' will signify how many other people have left comments which you can read.

Call for urgent help...

Due to unforeseen personal circumstances, our newly appointed Premises Officer at English Martyrs Primary School has had to resign.

We urgently need a new Premises Officer (Caretaker) and hope you can help us in our search. This is a temporary position with the possibility of becoming permanent.

The Premises Officer will need to work 20 hours per week and we are looking for someone who can start immediately.

For full details please contact the school on 01572 722 400 or use the contact form at the bottom of this page.

The school is also desperately in need of some temporary cleaners ... can you help? If you can offer an hour or so after school, any day Monday to Friday, please get in touch.

Your help, as always, is very much appreciated - Thank You.

Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Day

Today is Shrove Tuesday. Traditionally it is a day of celebration as it is the day before the beginning of Lent. As eggs, flour, milk, cream and butter were all forbidden during Lent, people would use up these ingredients by making Pancakes rather than seeing them go to waste.

If you'd like to have a go at making Pancakes, here's a simple recipe for you to try:

Ingredients:

For the Batter:

225g/8oz plain flour

2 medium eggs

up to 500ml/17fl oz milk

For the Filling:

250g/9oz good quality butter toffee (broken up if in a block)

3 tbsp milk

6-8 (one per person) ripe bananas, sliced

Method:

Sieve the flour and beat in the eggs.

Beat in the milk a little at a time until the batter has the consistency of single cream. Leave to stand for at least half an hour before making the pancakes.

Put the toffee and 3 tbsp milk in a heavy pan. Stir consistently over a low heat until the toffee has melted and the sauce is smooth. It doesn't have to boil but should be nice and hot.

Pour a little of the pancake mixture into a lightly oiled non-stick pan and fry the pancakes. When bubbles appear (after about 1-1½ minutes) flip or turn the pancake.

Stack them up and keep them warm while you cook the rest.

Place slices of banana down the middle of each pancake and pour over a generous amount of toffee sauce. Fold over each side of the pancake into the middle. Decorate with more slices of banana and an extra drizzle of toffee sauce.

Enjoy!

Request for PLAY

Just to show that we really do listen......

We had a request earlier this morning, from Sarah Archer, to feature a company called PLAY.com on the Friends of English Martyrs Blog. Just like Sarah, a few of us have discovered an alternative to Amazon. PLAY is well worth a visit. So, have a look and let us know what you think.

Remember, all your online purchases via our Blog help us to raise money for our school!

Thanks Sarah for the suggestion!

What & When is Lent?

What is Lent?
Lent is a period of 40 days and nights when Christians prepare for Easter. During this time we commemorate the time that Jesus spent in the desert enduring temptation by Satan.

This year Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, falls on 6th February.

Why are Sundays not counted in the 40 days?
Sunday is the traditional day of celebration in the Christian church and commemorates the Resurrection which is why Sundays are not included in Lent.

What happens during Lent?
We prepare for the Resurrection by praying and fasting during Lent. Nowadays, people will often give up a favourite food, like chocolate, during Lent to show that they too can resist temptation. Performing charitable acts is another way to show our committment during Lent.

Other things that lasted for 40 days in the Bible:
Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai with God
God made it rain for 40 days and nights in the days of Noah
The Hebrew people travelled for 40 years to get to the Promised Land
Jonah gave the people of Nineveh 40 days and nights to repent of their sins
Elijah spent 40 days walking to Mount Horeb

Who are the English Martyrs?

Our school has a name that is a bit of a mystery to most people. So, we thought a little explanation was in order.

Our school has four house teams: St.Thomas More, St.Edmund Campion, St.Margaret Clitherow and Blessed John Lyon

The houses were chosen by Sr. Olive the Headmistress of English Martyrs about 15 years ago.

St.Thomas More(1478-1535) was a lawyer and noble statesman, most famously as Lord Chancellor during King Henry VIII's reign. He coined the word 'utopia' in a book he wrote in 1516 about an ideal, imaginary island. He refused to accept Henry as supreme head of the Church of England which led to his execution for treason. St.Thomas More was canonised by Pope Pius XI in 1935 and declared patron saint of politicians and statesmen by Pope John Paul II. His feast day is 22nd June.

St.Edmund Campion (1540-1581) was a well educated young man who found favour initially with Queen Mary and then Queen Elizabeth and her suitor the Earl of Leicester. He struggled inwardly with his Catholic beliefs during a turbulent time of persecutions by the Anglian Church. He fled to Ireland and then France returning to London in 1580 as a Jesuit. He was captured by a spy in Lyford, Berkshire whilst preaching and committed to the Tower of London. Queen Elizabeth offered him wealth and dignities if he renounced his Catholic faith. He was tortured terribly and kept in prison a long time to try to shake his constancy. Finally, on October 31 1581 he was charged with conspiring to dethrone the Queen. He answered the sentance of the traitors death with the Te Deum Laudamus. He spent his final days in prayer and was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn on 1st December 1581. St. Edmund Campion was canonised on 25th October 1970 by Pope Paul VI and his feast day is 1st December.

St. Margaret Clitherow (1566-1586) was married to a butcher named John and had two children. She converted to Roman Catholicism when she was 18 and became a friend to the persecuted Catholic population in Northern England. Her son became a Catholic Priest and she regularly held Mass at her home. She was arrested in 1586 for hiding Catholic Priests from the authorities. For refusing to plead against the accusations, thereby preventing her children from having to testify against her, she was sentenaced to be crushed to death. She was executed on Good Friday 1586. St. Margaret Clitherow was canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970 and her feast day is March 26th.

Blessed John Lyon is a bit more of a mystery. The first part of the mystery is that Sr. Olive was mistaken in naming him 'Blessed' he is in fact 'Venerable'. John Lyon is said to be Rutland's own Martyr, and was a farmer who lived in North Luffenham. He was hung in 1599 for his Catholic Faith near the 'swooning bridge' on the Uppingham Road in Oakham and very little is known about him. Research is still ongoing about this amazing man by two of his devotees and teachers at our school, Mrs Elizabeth Keogh and Mrs Maria Marriott. John Lyon was made 'Venerable' during 1970 when 40 Catholic English Martyrs were canonised by Pope Paul VI.