At St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, community and charitable work are at the heart of who we are. Inspired by the example of Jesus Christ and rooted in the Gospel, we believe that every person is created in the image and likeness of God and deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion and love. Through opportunities to serve others, our pupils learn that faith is not simply something we talk about—it is something we live every day.

Guided by our mission,  

 our children actively seek to make a difference in our local community and across the world through acts of kindness, generosity, justice and stewardship.

 

In school, we believe that KINDNESS is very important.

Our children are regularly involved in events that are held in aid of both our local and wider global communities and enjoy helping others.   As a Catholic school, we have a duty to ensure that all our pupils understand how to care for and respect our local and global communities; becoming confident, caring, helpful stewards of God's creation. 

Our children and families are always keen to support us in helping others who are perhaps less fortunate than ourselves; together we act for a better tomorrow for everyone.

Our charitable work grows directly out of what our children learn in Religious Education, following To Know You More Clearly, the Bishops' Conference Religious Education Directory, and out of the prayer and liturgical life of our school, shaped by To Love You More Dearly, the Prayer and Liturgy Directory. Acts of service are not separate from the classroom or from worship — they are how our pupils live out what they pray and what they learn.

We use our facebook page to sign post to local support and services, as well as sharing our community and charitable activities. 

Rooted in Catholic Social Teaching

Everything below is an expression of one or more of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. Christ is at the heart of our school, and these principles shape how our children see the world and their place in it.

Human Dignity

Our Village

Frizington is a small, close-knit community, and our school is at the heart of it. The children take part in litter picks in the area and visit residents with cards and small seasonal gifts. As a school, we receive a lot of positive feedback from members of our community about the wonderful manners and behaviour of our children.

Our Great Cumbrian Litter Pick brought children and parent volunteers together to clean up and improve our local area — the children worked so hard and were proud of the difference they had made. Since then, the children themselves asked whether litter picking could become part of Friday walking club, because they wanted to help keep Frizington clean and tidy on an ongoing basis, not just for one event.

Impact: children's own request turned a single event into a regular, pupil-driven commitment.

Partnership with Our Parish

A flourishing partnership with our parish, St Mary and St Joseph's, is central to the Catholic life and mission of our school. Our parish serves Frizington, Cleator and Cleator Moor, and our children are full members of that wider parish family, not simply visitors to it.

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2)

Each year we celebrate both St Joseph's Day's , the whole school attends Mass together, and afterwards we invite parents and families into school for a coffee afternoon. The children make St Joseph's Day cards, which are given out to parishioners at the following Sunday's Mass — parishioners are always delighted to receive them. 

Father Paul is a regular and valued visitor to our school; he recently blessed our new school prayer room, marking it as a genuinely shared sacred space between school and parish. Once a month, The Parish Coffee morning is held in The Community Hall, opening our doors to parishioners as generously as they open the church to us.

Here is a  link to our Our Parish page here for Mass times and further information.

Spreading the festive cheer

Each December, small groups of children visit local care homes, including Emmaus House in Moresby and The Gables in Whitehaven, to sing carols. Staff have commented on the children's lovely manners, and residents couldn't wait for a chat. One resident summed it up simply:

"Well, that has made my Christmas, thank you!"

The residents had a wonderful afternoon and were calling for an encore — and the children are already looking forward to going back to sing again.

Cumbria Police 

We have close ties with Cumbria Police. Our local Police Community Support Officer, Claire, regularly visits the school to speak with the children about the work of the police, staying safe, and how they can help make our community a safer and happier place to live. 

Supporting Our Families

Our commitment to the common good extends to supporting our own families through difficult times. We host regular drop-in sessions with the Credit Union, Citizens Advice and Social Prescribing services, offering practical help alongside a friendly cup of tea. Families can also self-refer to local support services through the JOY app, and we work with the Digital Poverty Alliance, a charity providing laptops to families whose children might not otherwise have access to one. To help with the cost of living, we offer Free breakfast club, neighbourly food pantry and subsided events. 

Impact: "It is fantastic to hear such wonderful feedback from this service" — feedback from a family who attended our first drop-in session.

Hospice at Home West Cumbria

We support Hospice at Home West Cumbria with an annual coffee afternoon for parents and families, to raise money for a charity which is close to our hearts. Visit the website here.

 

Impact: This year we raised 

Mary's Meals

Our sponsored Santa Dash raises funds for the international charity Mary's Meals. Mary's Meals' vision is that every child receives one daily meal in their place of education, and they currently provide meals to over 2 million children each school day in some of the world's poorest countries. Every £20 raised can feed a child for a whole year. Visit the website here.

Impact: This year we raised £960 at the most recent Santa Dash, and this could feed 48 children for a year - exactly the same amount of children as are in our school. 

North Lakes Foodbank

Each Autumn we collect donations of food from parents and families for the North Lakes Foodbank, a Christian charity which aims to support people in the local area experiencing financial or emotional crisis. Stuart, the charity's school worker, visits us each year to speak to the children about the vital work of the foodbank. Visit the website here.

Impact: We were able to send five large boxes this year. 

Community Food pantry

School collects twice a week from Aldi. this is used by the school, families and community.

Sightsavers — A Pupil-Led Campaign

Most recently, our children supported the parish Sightsavers appeal entirely off their own initiative. They organised assemblies, created posters, and spoke confidently to other pupils about why the appeal mattered.

Impact: £90 raised to help people living with preventable blindness — a pupil-led campaign from start to finish.

Operation Christmas Child

Each year our school council organises support for Operation Christmas Child, filling shoeboxes with gifts for children in areas affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine and disease. Every class puts together boxes and adds letters to make them extra special.

Number of shoeboxes 2026 = 

 

Friends of Frizington

At St Joseph's, we recognise that parents are the first educators of their children, and that a strong partnership between home, school and parish is essential in helping our children flourish. Our Friends of Frizington group is a wonderful example of this partnership in action.

Led by our Headteacher, Miss Annette Savage, Friends of Frizington brings together parents, families, staff, parishioners and members of our local community to organise a wide range of social and fundraising events throughout the year. The majority of these events are held in our school community hall, creating a welcoming space where everyone can come together to celebrate, build friendships and strengthen our school family.

Whether it is seasonal celebrations, family fun events, coffee mornings or fundraising activities, every event reflects our commitment to living out the Gospel values of service, generosity and community. The funds raised enhance opportunities for all of our children, while the events themselves help foster a true sense of belonging and shared responsibility for the life of our school.

Friends of Frizington also helps us strengthen the close relationships between school, home and parish that are central to our Catholic identity. By working together, we demonstrate to our children the importance of serving others, building community and putting faith into action.

Through this partnership, we continue to live our mission: 

"We care, we belong, we learn together in faith."

Want to get involved? New faces are always welcome — search "Friends of Frizington" on Facebook or speak to the school office for details of upcoming events.