On Thursday 10th September, Miss Higgins gathered at St Anne's and Blessed Dominic Church in St Helen's with fellow school chaplains from across the Archdiocese to meet and pray with the Papal Nuncio to Great Britain.
The Papal Nuncio, His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, is the Pope's personal representative to the Church in Great Britain and serves as the Holy See's ambassador to the United Kingdom. He was visiting the Archdiocese of Liverpool for a few days as part of a pastoral visit, meeting clergy, religious, Catholic educators, school children, and parish communities across the archdiocese.
During the evening prayer with chaplains, Miss Higgins also had the honour of leading the music alongside fellow chaplain Mr Baron from Our Lady Queen of Peace, Skelmersdale and fellow music ministry leader, Martin Fletcher.
This visit was a significant occasion for the Archdiocese, displaying and further strengthening our communion with Pope Leo XIV and the Church across the world.
Applications are now open for Future Leaders. Working with leading universities and employers, the programme builds key skills, including public speaking, critical thinking in the AI age, and study skills to excel in exams. It gives young people the confidence and leadership to progress into university, apprenticeships and employment, and to make a positive difference in their communities.
This is a free initiative; students apply directly using this link Future Leaders UK: Leadership Program for Year 12 & 13 Students and complete the online sessions outside school hours.
If you want to learn more about it, click here to watch a short video: Future Leaders UK National Programme
The UCAS deadline is getting close — and it can feel stressful for both parents and students. That’s why Paul Hughes (ex-6th form tutor with 21 years’ UCAS experience) is running a free session, through the ‘Parent Guide To…’ company to help families feel confident and prepared. The session aims to cover personal statements, choosing the right uni, and what really matters in applications.
It’s practical, clear advice designed to make the final stage feel less overwhelming for everyone.
Interested parents can register here, and the session will be available for replay on demand to registered attendees.
We are thrilled to celebrate the wonderful news that one of our Year 13 students, Holly, will be continuing her academic journey at the University of Cambridge, where she will study English at Lucy Cavendish College.
Holly achieved an exceptional set of A Level results, gaining A*, A*, A - a fantastic achievement which reflects her academic ability, determination and commitment to her studies.
Holly will join Lucy Cavendish College, a Cambridge college with a distinctive history and a strong sense of community. Founded in 1965, the College has developed a distinctive identity within the University and provides an inspiring environment in which students can pursue their academic interests, challenge themselves and flourish. For Holly, this will be an exciting opportunity to pursue her passion for English at one of the world's leading universities. Studying English at Cambridge will allow her to explore a rich range of literature while developing her own academic interests and engaging with literary traditions spanning centuries.
Holly's success is a wonderful example of what can be achieved through ambition, self-motivation and a mature approach to learning. Her outstanding A Level results and the opportunity to continue her studies at Cambridge are a fantastic achievement, and we are incredibly proud of her.
Congratulations, Holly. We are immensely proud of you and wish you every success as you begin this exciting new chapter.
What a fantastic, bustling morning it has been here at St Julie's! We have had a highly productive time welcoming our wonderful Year 11 students, parents, and carers through the doors to celebrate an excellent set of GCSE results.
These fantastic outcomes directly reflect the immense hard work, dedication, and resilience of our students, alongside the invaluable, unwavering support of their families and St Julie's staff. It was lovely to see so many happy faces as students shared their success stories with each other and excitedly discussed their next steps.
We are absolutely delighted that so many of our Year 11 cohort have chosen to continue their educational journey with us into the Sixth Form. As they take this exciting next step, we look forward to supporting them with top-tier academic guidance and a wealth of personal development opportunities, including tailored career advice, university taster days, apprenticeship opportunities and work experience. Whatever their next step, we’re excited to be part of it and look forward to working with them over the next two years.
Thank you to everyone who joined us this morning. We cannot wait to see what Year 11 achieve in this exciting new chapter!
St Julie’s staff are incredibly proud and delighted to be celebrating our best outcomes since before the pandemic, reflected in our highest number of A* A and B grades to date.
These exceptional achievements reflect the dedication, resilience and determination of our students; and the support and dedication of our teaching staff who have enabled our young people to take their next steps with confidence - whether progressing to university, training or employment.
Year 13 have demonstrated remarkably hard work throughout their studies, and we are thrilled to see their efforts rewarded with these outstanding outcomes. As a year group they have shown unwavering dedication to their learning, balancing academic pressures with personal growth; consistently supporting one another and embodying the values that make St. Julie’s Sixth Form such a special community.
This year's results have opened the doors to a wide variety of exciting and prestigious destinations. Many students are heading to Russell Group universities, including Queens Belfast, Durham, the University of Liverpool, Newcastle, York, Manchester, and Leeds, to pursue a diverse range of subjects. From Law, Literature and Pharmacy, to Teaching, Biomedical Sciences and Forensics, our students are set to make a real impact in their chosen fields. Others are moving on to study and Music Performance and Production, Mental Health Nursing, Sports Law and Business; Operating Department Practice, Philosophy, Media, Dance, and Biology - all testament to the breadth of talent and ambition within this wonderful year group.
Some of our students are set to take up employment in the sport and exercise, civil service and education sectors; and our apprenticeship applicants are more than ready to embark on exciting careers with North West Ambulance service, and in accountancy and as teaching assistants.
As Year 13 take the next steps in their journeys, the Sixth Form Team would like to reflect on the incredible young adults they have become. This has been a truly exceptional cohort: compassionate, humble, charitable and hardworking. It has been an absolute privilege to teach and guide them. Their positive attitudes, sense of humour, compassion and mutual respect have left a lasting impression on our staff and school community.
To our Year 13 students: congratulations on your well-deserved success. We know you will go on to do amazing things, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for each and every one of you. As you prepare to take these next steps over the coming weeks, arranging accommodation and navigating new timetables, remember - once a St. Julie’s student, always a St. Julie’s student. You’ll always have a home here with us and we’d love to hear how you’re getting on in your chosen fields.
Well done, Class of 2026.
If you are supporting a young person over the next few weeks, this link will take you to a range of resources from Amazing Apprenticeships to support your child.
Arranged by GCSE and post-18 resources, there is a dedicated page, where there’s something for everyone no matter what stage they're at.
On the page you can explore the different options and pathways through our comparison guides; learn more about Apprenticeships, T Levels and HTQs if you're unsure of your next steps and get inspired through their short films, guides, rapid reads, quizzes and more.
18 July marks Mandela Day, and this year Liverpool City Council is joining forces with Mandela 8 to make it the biggest and most meaningful celebration the city has seen.
Nelson Mandela has a special place in Liverpool's story. His connection to this city runs deep, and every year we honour his legacy together.
Mandela Day is built around a simple but powerful idea: that each of us can change the world, and that an act of kindness can make a real difference. The theme this year is "It's in your hands."
This week pupils took some time to make a craft wood slice and decorate it with the south African flag and quotes from nelson Mandela. These will be placed in the Peace Garden.
Language Leaders in Year 9 have been sharing their love of Spanish with primary school students at Much Woolton.
Our students planned and delivered Spanish lessons and activites with students across Years 3, 4 and 5, offering valuable experience to all concerned.
Thank you to our talented students for their hard work, to Much Woolton for hosting and to the wonderful students there for their enthusiasm!
Congratulations to Heidi in Year 9 who recently competed in national competition after qualifying for the English Schools Athletics Competition in Birmingham!
Competing in the highly technical hammer throw, Heidi managed to crack the top ten in England and record a personal best of 37.96m, or four and a half buses!
Well done to Heidi on a great competition.
On Monday 13th July a team of students competed in the annual LSSP secondary school dance competition, hosted this year at St. Julie's!
We had 50 dancers representing our school in the competition and they performed beautifully! Each dancer left their heart on the stage and showed their talents off brilliantly. This was reflected in the awards at the end of the competition with St Julie's coming away with five awards.
Isabella in Year 7 placed first with her lyrical solo, while Keira and Charlotte placed third with their duet 'Ashes'.
Summer and Phoebe placed 2nd with their duet 'With You', and our KS3 teams Placed both first and second with a spectacular Jazz dance and a moving lyrical piece.
Our students represented St Julie's brilliantly and their hard work and dedication to dance was evident. Congratulations to all of the dancers on a fantastic competition!
On Tuesday students from Year 8 crossed the river for a wonderful day out at Chester Zoo!
Taking full advantage of having one of the world's finest zoo and conservation centres almost on our doorstep, our students had a fully immersive experience meeting species from across the globe.
Chester Zoo works to arrange the grounds into species appropriate natural ecosystems, and students took a relaxing boat trip around the 'Islands' biome, modelled on South East Asia.
Some of the students who were feeling brave took on the dark humidity of the bat house, and were rewarded for their courage with some great sights.
Well done to all of the students for their fantastic conduct on the trip.
On Monday this week students from Years 7 and 8 made the short journey to join Father Peter Murphy at St. Mary’s Church to celebrate an end of year Mass together.
The service commenced with a welcome to remind us of our identity in Christ and as part of the St Julie's community and throughout the service we heard music from our Music Ministry team, accompanied by Miss Higgins, Mr Quinn and guest musician Martin on piano.
Bidding prayers and readings were delivered with confidence and clarity and helped set a tone of reverence and prayerfulness that students maintained throughout the service despite it being an uncomfortably warm day.
We’d like to thank everybody who worked hard to make the service such a wonderful occasion, and a particular thanks to Father Peter and the team at St Mary’s for making us feel so welcome!
On Friday we enjoyed the sunshine and took our school along to Wavertree Athletics Centre for Sports Day!
We made some pragmatic adaptations in account of the hot weather, but students still enjoyed the full breadth of running, jumping, throwing, putting, hula-hooping and rope pulling that we see in our annual event.
Finishing ahead of the strongest heat of the day, our events culminated in a hard fought staff vs students relay race - which the staff won!
We then had the all important results announcement, and the final flag flying belonged to Maria! We congratulate our winners for their excellent performances and thank students and staff across the school for their great enthusiasm and sportsmanship.
On Wednesday, Year 12 enjoyed an inspiring visit to Wrexham University, where they experienced university life first-hand through a guided campus tour and a range of engaging subject taster sessions.
Students explored the university's excellent facilities before taking part in interactive sessions in Nursing, Business and Marketing, Law, Criminology and Primary Education. The visit showcased Wrexham University's innovative approach to teaching, with students experiencing the practical, immersive learning opportunities available across a range of courses. Highlights included investigating realistic crime scenes, exploring interview and interrogation suites used by Law and Criminology students, and wearing specialist simulation goggles to experience the effects of alcohol and drugs on perception, coordination and decision-making. These hands-on activities gave students a genuine insight into how theory is applied in professional settings.
The visit provided an excellent opportunity for students to ask questions, explore different subject areas and gain a better understanding of university life. Experiencing the facilities and speaking with university staff helped Year 12 to make more informed decisions about their future education, training and career pathways.
We would like to thank Wrexham University for delivering such an engaging and memorable experience that has inspired our students to think positively about their next steps; and Mrs Lyons for arranging.
This term marks the completion of the Axiom Maths Circle programme for our Year 10 students. Over the past four years, these students have met weekly to tackle challenging mathematical problems, develop their reasoning skills, and explore maths beyond the classroom.
Congratulations to all of our Year 10 students for their commitment, perseverance and enthusiasm throughout the programme. Their willingness to embrace challenge, think creatively and persevere with complex problems has been a real strength. We are incredibly proud of everything they have achieved and the dedication they have shown over the past four years.
Congratulations to our team of Year 10 students who took part in the Amey Engineering Challenge Day 2026, and won!
Engineers Sonia, Neil, Mark, Olly and Ella who led the challenge, were thrilled with the enthusiasm which the students showed. Thirteen Year 10 students took part in the challenge together with students from Coop School, Bebbington, to mark Women in Engineering Day and really "got stuck in" from the word go on the day.
They worked in teams led by current engineers to design a way of making The Strand more accessible for all users - drivers, cyclists and all pedestrians, working in small teams with an engineer using drawing tools to design, measure, cost and support their ideas.
The afternoon involved team and individual activities in Hazard Awareness and Road Traffic Bingo.
The students were fabulous ambassadors for the school. Well done to Laura, Mollie, Ellie, Phoebe, Olivia, Heidi, Ciara, Sophie, Isabelle, Darcy, Isabella, Olivia and Charlotte and huge thanks to Amey Engineering for hosting the day's events.
Congratulations to our competition winning band who have claimed their prize of a session in a professional studio!
Sofia, Evie, Heidi and Grace recently celebrated a win at the 'Battle of the Bands' at Cardinal Heenan, with a prize of a pro recording session.
The band recently visited Scratch Studios in West Derby where a professional producer helped them to record a cover version of 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go' from the the catalogue of The Clash!
Last week students in Year 9 had a deep dive into poetry at the Poetry Exposition hosted at the Liverpool Exhibition Centre.
Students had the opportunity oto enage with a range of different activities such as football, music, dancing and some areas of inclusivity.
It wouldn't a poetry exposition without some poetry composition, and students embraced the World Cup theme of the day to craft a poem about Portugal and another about a pair of 110 trainers!
Well done to the students, whose engagement and conduct were a great credit to our school.
This week Year 9 students Lilia and Jessica represented St Julie's at the annual Archdiocesan Public Speaking Competition, hosted this year by Archbishop Beck.
Our speakers were extremely impressive in their delivery, presenting strong, confident and thoughtful arguments, and accompanying these with all of the non-verbal skills that make up an excellent speech.
Whilst pipped to the winning post, both students were commended with certificates and prizes, awarded by representatives from national exam boards and Deacon Mannings.
On Wednesday we were thrilled we welcome our new Year 7 students for September on the city wide transition day!
The excited but nervous students arrived and were welcomed by Mr Mottram and members of our Leadership Team and then led into the Dining Room to get to know each other!
The day then started with an assembly led by Mrs McCourt and our students found out which form group they are going to be in for the next five years.
They then started to get acquainted with each other in an extended form period before breaktime, with snacks!
From then it was a day of lessons, as students explored subjects like History, Geography, PE, ICT, Spanish, RE, Geography, Art, Maths and English. Students also worked for a lesson in half year groups exploring Notre Dame values with our Chaplain.
Thank you to all of our new students for engaging so well with the day. This will help us all to get a smooth start to the year in September when we're all looking forward to meeting again.
Congratulations to our Key Stage 4 and 5 Dancers who earned a magnificent fourth place in the National Final of the Great Big Dance Off competition!
Our performers staged a contemporary jazz fusion piece titled 'Peaky Blinders' and drawing inspiration from historic Birmingham as depicted in the hit show of the same name.
The dancers, competing against the top 18 schools across the country, performed with tremendous skill and composure and missed the podium by just two marks!
Well done to our performers for their wonderful achievement and being such tremendous ambassadors for our school.
On Monday evening, Performing Arts hosted the first round of auditions for this year’s Christmas production ‘School of Rock’.
There were record breaking numbers as 196 talented students impressed with their singing, dancing and acting. Congratulations to all students for their hard work and effort.
We look forward to the next round of auditions!
On Thursday evening we opened our doors to guests to come and find out more about our wonderful school community and what it means to be a St. Julie's student!
Our visitors received a very warm welcome indeed on a scorchingly hot evening, but with our modern building and a management plan in place we were able to hold our event as advertised to give people a taste of our school.
Visitors were able to explore all departments and speak to staff from right across the curriculum, led by our students guides from Year 7 and a host of volunteers from across the school who were proud to represent our student body.
Our PE team and dancers did a fantastic working in the heat, and lolly ices for our guests helped everyone stay cool! The Headteacher's presentations took place in the theatre where visitors could find out some more detail about who were as a school and what students can expect from life at our school.
We'd like to thank all the staff and students for giving our visitors a great experience, and to all our guests for braving the heat and coming to see us!
If you missed out this time look out for our second Open Evening event in September.
On Wednesday evening we welcomed familiar faces in the form of a group of former students and staff (including a headteacher!) back into St. Julie's for our 175 celebration year!
The group had a wonderful chance to reminisce, catch up and share stories with members of the school community from across the years! Our guests enjoyed a tour of the school and searched for themselves on the wall of fame before gathering in the Chapel with a short service of thanksgiving in celebration of the 175 years of Notre Dame education that Liverpool has enjoyed. We were delighted to have three Sisters of Notre Dame joining us for our event.
After the service our guests enjoyed a wonderful tea prepared by Mr Eccles and our catering team, whilst having the opportunity to stir some memories reviewing architectural drawings of our old building.
Thank you to all of our guests for joining us and sharing their happy memories on this very joyous occasion.
On Tuesday, under blazing sunshine, Year 7 took the netball courts for the inaugural Knisz Cup netball tournament, held in memory of Miss Knisz.
The tournament was fantastic with highly competitive play across all of the form group teams. Congratulations go to 7 Maria who rose a little higher in the field to take the trophy!
Later on we finished the day with a Staff vs Sixth Form game. While competitive, the good spirited game saw some great play and ultimately the staff prevailed! Thanks to the Performing Arts department and our wonderful Sixth Form team for bringing the event to wonderful realisation!
Our Year 12 A-Level Drama students captivated audiences with two strikingly contrasting devised performances. One powerful piece, inspired by Katie Mitchell’s naturalistic style and innovative use of live camera feed, explored the harsh realities of domestic abuse, leaving audiences both deeply moved and empowered by its message of resilience and hope.
In complete contrast, a laugh out loud comedy set in a care home showcased outstanding multi-role performances inspired by John Godber. Full of energy, sharp characterisation and comic timing, the production delighted audiences and demonstrated the students’ impressive versatility.
Congratulations to the performers for using their talents to deliver some engrossing entertainment!
Congratulations to our Year 7/8 football team who competed alongside 15 other teams in the County Finals tournament, finishing a strong third.
Our team played five matches in all at the event hosted at Halewood Leisure Centre. Our player of the day was Sophie who netted a remarkable 5 times!
The results in full:
Results:
Game 1: Birkenhead vs St. Julie’s 0-0
Game 2: The Grange vs St. Julie’s 0-2
Game 3: Maricourt vs St Julie’s 0-1
Game 4: All Saints vs St Julie’s 0-2
Game 5: Semi Finals Calderstones vs St Julie’s 2-0
Overall 3rd place
Well done to all of our wonderful players!
Students from Years 7 and 8 recently took part in a fantastic retreat to Savio House, Bollington, where they thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of their experience. The trip included a scenic (and warm!) outdoor walk to the White Nancy landmark, as well as smaller group sessions that encouraged time for reflection and personal growth. Throughout the retreat, the students represented St Julie’s Catholic High School with great maturity and enthusiasm.
The retreat, themed on ‘Building Bridges’, provided an important opportunity for students to pause and reflect on their lives, their relationships with family and friends, their school community and their faith. As part of the experience, the group attended a reconciliation service and celebrated Mass, which included a rendition of 'Qu'il est Bon!'
Both the students and staff enjoyed some quality time together in the beautiful Cheshire countryside and will take away some great memories! Until next time...!
Our Year 12 students recently enjoyed an inspiring and hands-on STEM Experience Day at the University of Liverpool, where they had the opportunity to design their own programme by selecting activities that matched their interests across science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The day began with the popular "Creation in Chemistry" session, where students completed practical work in a real university laboratory. They were able to synthesise compounds linked to medicine, including drugs used in pain relief and anaesthetics, using a range of chemical techniques and equipment such as vacuum filtration and fume cupboards. Students also explored analytical methods by carrying out chromatography experiments, developing their understanding of how substances can be separated and identified.
Alongside this, some students took part in engineering challenges, including designing and testing water filters. Through multiple trials, they were able to compare different designs and evaluate their effectiveness, developing key skills in problem-solving, iteration and data analysis.
In the Earth sciences session, students explored geology and volcanoes, using microscopes to analyse thin rock sections and identify minerals. They also investigated volcanic processes by modelling different lava viscosities, using syrup as an analogue to understand how lava flows behave in real-world scenarios.
The day also included a maths "Dragon Quiz" challenge, where students worked collaboratively to solve complex, problem-solving questions. This session encouraged teamwork, resilience and logical thinking, with students applying their mathematical knowledge in a competitive and engaging environment.
In addition to the academic sessions, students enjoyed a campus tour, gaining a valuable insight into university life, before finishing the day with an exciting opportunity to experience flight simulators.
Overall, the day was a fantastic success. Students not only deepened their understanding of STEM subjects but also gained a real sense of what studying at university is like. It was an engaging, hands-on experience that inspired curiosity, built confidence, and highlighted the wide range of pathways available within STEM.
Well done to Holly and Katy who contested events at the Merseyside County Schools Championship at the weekend.
Holly earned a fifth place in the 800m while Katy secured a fourth place in the 1500m race. Both runners did fantastically well in a highly competitive field of the best runners across the County.
Year 12 Criminology students were learning through role play this week, as they reenacted a crime scene in the classroom!
The scene featured all of the essential items, including a victim, crime scene evidence, cordon tape, police officers, forensic scientists and even representation of the judiciary - complete with wigs!
Well done to all of the students for committing to their roles.
On Wednesday we marked the completion of the summer public exam season with a gathering of celebration with our Year 11 students!
As our linguists completed their final Spanish papers they had a brief respite before we assembled in the Chapel to celebrate all that they have achieved over the last five years.
We enjoyed words from Miss Gawley, Mr Mottram, Mrs Rooney and Mrs McCourt who spoke warmly and fondly about this wonderful group of young women. Although we look forward to seeing many students returning in September, this was the last time that they would gather together as an entire year group.
We wish all of our Year 11 students a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing them again on results day!
On Tuesday 16th June a small group of Year 7 students took part in the first North West Rising Mathematician Festival.
The group are already regular attendees at our Axiom Maths Circle Club and this day was run by Axiom to celebrate all things Maths. The students spent the morning problem solving and worked collaboratively with students from across the North West.
They then had an aspirational talk from staff at the Central Tech building about careers in STEM and how we are lucky in Liverpool to have a Knowledge Quarter which is fantastic for innovation.
After lunch they were then treated to a lecture by Colin Wright, a Mathematician who enthralled them with the 'Maths in Juggling'. The lecture was highly entertaining and informative and our students even got a chance to try their hand at some juggling skills at the end! A fantastic day was had by all!
Our Youth SVP group held a cake sale at break time on Tuesday to raise money for Mary's Meals.
Mary's Meals provide children from some of the world’s poorest communities with a nutritious meal at school. This encourages them into the classroom, giving them energy to learn in school and build a ladder out of poverty.
The charity serve more than three million children every school day, across 16 countries. Just £20 will feed a child in school for a whole year and our cake sale raised just over £100!
Thanks to everyone who supported!
Some of our youngest students might have been very confused on Monday morning as large numbers of Year 11 students walked into school wearing two shirts!
Ahead of what, for many, was the final GCSE exam of the season, students brought spare shirts which were magnificently decorated to be signed by fellow students, friends and staff.
We hope that the shirts will be a wonderful memento for the students of this particular point in their life journey, and we congratulate the candidates on their excellent conduct and mature attitudes through the entire season.
A new, time-limited MenB vaccine offer is available this summer for Year 13 students and under 25s who will be starting university as undergraduates or moving into residential further education settings for the first time in autumn 2026.
The programme has been introduced in response to recent meningitis outbreaks while a full review of the evidence by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is underway.
Eligible students will need 2 doses of the MenB vaccine for protection, with the first being offered from late July and the second dose from August.
More details of the roll out of the vaccine will be announced soon and we'll keep you posted with any information that we receive. Meanwhile, you can read more here.
Fr Colin celebrated Mass on Monday with Year 10 students who begin their mock examinations next week.
Students prayed for wisdom and resilience as they mark the half way point on their GCSE journey and look ahead to Year 11 and all the challenges it will bring.
Students from Years 7, 8 & 9 led the readings and singing and Year 10 student Laura assisted Fr Colin as altar server.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service have released the latest version of their water safety advice, and it's a great resource to start informed conversations.
Do please take a look and share the important points with your child.
Scientists in STEM club donned their vinyl gloves this week as they explored oobleck - an unusual non-Newtonian fluid!
A simple mixture of cornflour and water in just the right ratios creates this strange material that under slow movement behaves as a thick fluid but under sudden pressure or force soildifies.
This means that if you dip your hand gently in to a bowl of oobleck it will sink as expected, but if you punch the surface hard you can really hurt yourself!
If you find this interesting, why not drop into Science Club, which meets on Thursdays after school.
St. Julie's Catholic High School