How Ursuline Prep School extended the Christmas spirit within their community

Christmas is always a time for community for the Ursuline Preparatory School family, something that the co-educational junior school demonstrated once again over the recent festive period.

With festivities integrated into much of Ursuline Prep’s activities for December like many schools across the UK, Kindergarten started with an activity that had been unable to take place in recent years due to Covid restrictions.

The Kindergarten class, along with four pupils from Upper Two, visited Beeches Care Home for their annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Children performed for the residents, singing some of their favourite Christmas songs much to the delight of their hosts, who joined in and beamed with smiles.

Once the performances were finished the pupils were treated to a visit by Santa, who sparked their magic to light the tree.

Supporting the collections of Brentwood Foodbank and the Caritas Brentwood Diocese become even more significant to the Ursuline Prep community during the festive period.

The school’s two charity prefects led an assembly on how and why these donations are collected to their peers, explaining the importance of their existence within the wider community.

To aid the Caritas Brentwood Diocese’ drive to collect specific items for those in need Upper Two contributed to a ‘Reverse Advent Calendar’, seeing the children select essential items and gifts to donate on their allocated days. Ursuline Prep’s final advent collection included everything from hot water bottles and warm weather clothing to Christmas treats. This was donated to the Brentwood Foodbank.

A wider whole-school donation drive for the foodbank also took place, which the charity prefects delivered to Brentwood foodbank.

At Ursuline Prep, Christmas continues to be about sharing the festive joy and spirit with the local community and supporting those who are less fortunate.

Ursuline Prep School, based in Warley, Brentwood, is a co-educational Catholic school for children from the ages of 3 to 11.