Latest news with #StJoseph'sCatholicPrimarySchool
Otago Daily Times
22-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Canterbury Christian schools get green light to expand
Planning has started for new buildings at two Canterbury Christian schools following approval to grow their rolls. The Ministry of Education has granted permission to Rangiora New Life School and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Rangiora to increase their maximum rolls. Rangiora New Life School will raise its roll from 470 to 570 students, while St Joseph's School will increase its roll from 175 to 225 over the next three years. The two schools have growing waiting lists as more families move to the area and seek a Christian education for their children. Schools throughout Canterbury have experienced rapid growth over the last decade, as communities struggle to keep up with growing housing developments. St Joseph's board of trustees presiding member Emma Dangerfield said it is the first time in 25 years the school has been able to increase its roll, despite the growing population. "The Catholic Parish of Waimakariri has also seen growth in the number of active members. "While we are grateful to achieve the maximum roll increase, we are conscious it is unlikely to exceed the demand we have for enrolments." Dangerfield said the school will build six new classrooms as it takes the opportunity to replace some ageing teaching spaces. The new classrooms will be built next to the playing field off Percival St, while classrooms on the George Street / Victoria St corner will be decommissioned at a later date. The school aims to have the work completed next year. Rangiora New Life School principal Stephen Walters said ground work got under way during the recent school holidays for six new classrooms, a resource room and an extension to the administration block. "I'm excited. We're not reliant on ministry funding or oversight, so we just have to meet council regulations. "We will have it done swiftly by the middle of next year and probably earlier. "It is very exciting times for us. It is a real blessing to be able to add more space for Christian families in North Canterbury." Walters said the school has been carrying waiting lists for a number of years. "It's always lovely to make the call to those families and offer them a space." The bulk of the new places will be offered to primary students in the year 1 to 13 school. But Walters said there are already plans to apply for a further roll increase for the secondary end of the school in three years time. Students come to Rangiora New Life School from anywhere between the Hurunui and Waimakariri rivers, with 40% travelling to school by bus. "I encourage people that we've got good local schools, but if you are a Christian family we are an option for you," Walters said. The two schools are special character schools, with elected boards of trustees and operate the same way as state schools, receiving ministry funding for staff and resourcing. As the ministry does not pay for the buildings, local churches own the buildings and recover the cost through school fees. By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter ■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
The Independent
19-03-2025
- The Independent
Triple murderer planned killings and school shooting for more than a year
Nicholas Prosper spent more than a year planning to kill his family and carry out a mass shooting at his former primary school. Motivated purely by a desire for notoriety, he plotted to target at least 30 young children at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Luton after murdering his mother Juliana Falcon and two siblings. Bedfordshire Police said Prosper, then 18, made a booking at a shooting range in August 2023, 13 months before the harrowing attack on his family. There was nothing about his family background that seemed to suggest the defendant would go on to carry out the killings. His parents separated when he was around eight or nine years old, but they were both in steady jobs and his father remained in close touch with the family. At the time of his GCSEs in 2022, there were no concerns about Prosper – teachers described him as a quiet, introverted boy with a group of 'geeky' friends who were interested in computers. But teachers and relatives raised concerns about his mental health after something changed in the summer of that year, and when he started sixth form he stopped engaging with other people or doing his school work. Prosper admitted to the deputy head of the sixth form that he didn't want to be there, but felt that he had to because his mum told him to, which made him angry. The school decided Prosper was not suitable to continue with his A Levels by January 2023, and after he refused to engage with any support services he left the school that March. He went on to work in Sainsbury's stacking shelves from October to December 2023, but was sacked and became unemployed. Prosper would spend hours online looking at extreme violent material, with a particular fixation on mass killings including school shootings such as the US Sandy Hook killings in 2012. He also briefly looked at material linked to the Southport murders, as part of his general sinister obsession with mass killings. The teenager was obsessed with a character in the Walking Dead video game, a young girl called Clementine, and posted rambling videos online about how he was the chosen one to protect her. There was a suggestion that he developed a grudge against his sister for the way she played the game. Prosper was not referred to the anti-extremism scheme Prevent, with the extent of his obsession only becoming clear after his devices were analysed by police in the wake of the murders. After the booking at the shooting range, which he failed to attend, he became a member of Gun Trader UK in April 2024, and two months later started researching how to fake a firearms certificate and mass shootings. By July he was carrying out detailed research into school start times and term dates at his former primary school. At the end of August, Prosper managed to buy a gun after an initial failed attempt earlier in the month, meeting the legitimate seller in a car park on September 12, the day before the murders. He paid above the asking price for gun to have it brought to him with additional cartridges. Prosper managed to buy the shotgun and 100 cartridges from the seller by making a fake shotgun licence, and pretending to be interested in clay pigeon shooting. When he was arrested, he repeatedly asked police officers if they had seen the licence, and while in a cell said: 'Are you capable of what I have done?' Prosper chose a specific black and yellow outfit for the day of the killings, on which he said he was unexpectedly disturbed by his mother while in his brother's bedroom and had to carry out the murders earlier than he had planned. He fled the flat just after 5.30am wearing the black and yellow uniform after the noise attracted the attention of neighbours, but left without his hat. Prosper hid for two hours before police spotted him behaving strangely with one arm in the air, and he showed them where the gun and cartridges were hidden in nearby bushes. On September 17 while in prison, he told a prison nurse that he had planned to carry out the school shooting. There was a suggestion that he had planned to shoot himself after carrying out the murders and school shooting, with research found on his phone about how to commit suicide. One document found showed his plan to kill his family, including a detailed map of their home, expressions of anger directed towards his mother and a drawing of him in his uniform. A video filmed by Prosper in April 2024 showed him holding a piece of wood as a gun whilst wearing the uniform. No other person was involved in his plans as he was an isolated character, but he had been engaging in chat rooms with like-minded people. Prosper had also accessed information about assembling guns and making a pipe bomb, but there was no evidence he had tried to do so. A number of indecent images of children were found on his phone, but none were produced by himself. Police said he has shown no empathy or remorse for his actions. The incident did not meet the definition of terrorism as evidence suggested Prosper was not seeking to advance a political, religious, racial or ideological cause. Earlier this month, the UK's terror watchdog recommended the introduction of a new offence for lone individuals planning a mass killing that is not terrorism.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Triple murderer planned killings and school shooting for more than a year
Nicholas Prosper spent more than a year planning to kill his family and carry out a mass shooting at his former primary school. Motivated purely by a desire for notoriety, he plotted to target at least 30 young children at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Luton after murdering his mother Juliana Falcon and two siblings. Bedfordshire Police said Prosper, then 18, made a booking at a shooting range in August 2023, 13 months before the harrowing attack on his family. There was nothing about his family background that seemed to suggest the defendant would go on to carry out the killings. His parents separated when he was around eight or nine years old, but they were both in steady jobs and his father remained in close touch with the family. At the time of his GCSEs in 2022, there were no concerns about Prosper – teachers described him as a quiet, introverted boy with a group of 'geeky' friends who were interested in computers. But teachers and relatives raised concerns about his mental health after something changed in the summer of that year, and when he started sixth form he stopped engaging with other people or doing his school work. Prosper admitted to the deputy head of the sixth form that he didn't want to be there, but felt that he had to because his mum told him to, which made him angry. The school decided Prosper was not suitable to continue with his A Levels by January 2023, and after he refused to engage with any support services he left the school that March. He went on to work in Sainsbury's stacking shelves from October to December 2023, but was sacked and became unemployed. Prosper would spend hours online looking at extreme violent material, with a particular fixation on mass killings including school shootings such as the US Sandy Hook killings in 2012. He also briefly looked at material linked to the Southport murders, as part of his general sinister obsession with mass killings. The teenager was obsessed with a character in the Walking Dead video game, a young girl called Clementine, and posted rambling videos online about how he was the chosen one to protect her. There was a suggestion that he developed a grudge against his sister for the way she played the game. Prosper was not referred to the anti-extremism scheme Prevent, with the extent of his obsession only becoming clear after his devices were analysed by police in the wake of the murders. After the booking at the shooting range, which he failed to attend, he became a member of Gun Trader UK in April 2024, and two months later started researching how to fake a firearms certificate and mass shootings. By July he was carrying out detailed research into school start times and term dates at his former primary school. At the end of August, Prosper managed to buy a gun after an initial failed attempt earlier in the month, meeting the legitimate seller in a car park on September 12, the day before the murders. He paid above the asking price for gun to have it brought to him with additional cartridges. Prosper managed to buy the shotgun and 100 cartridges from the seller by making a fake shotgun licence, and pretending to be interested in clay pigeon shooting. When he was arrested, he repeatedly asked police officers if they had seen the licence, and while in a cell said: 'Are you capable of what I have done?' Prosper chose a specific black and yellow outfit for the day of the killings, on which he said he was unexpectedly disturbed by his mother while in his brother's bedroom and had to carry out the murders earlier than he had planned. He fled the flat just after 5.30am wearing the black and yellow uniform after the noise attracted the attention of neighbours, but left without his hat. Prosper hid for two hours before police spotted him behaving strangely with one arm in the air, and he showed them where the gun and cartridges were hidden in nearby bushes. On September 17 while in prison, he told a prison nurse that he had planned to carry out the school shooting. There was a suggestion that he had planned to shoot himself after carrying out the murders and school shooting, with research found on his phone about how to commit suicide. One document found showed his plan to kill his family, including a detailed map of their home, expressions of anger directed towards his mother and a drawing of him in his uniform. A video filmed by Prosper in April 2024 showed him holding a piece of wood as a gun whilst wearing the uniform. No other person was involved in his plans as he was an isolated character, but he had been engaging in chat rooms with like-minded people. Prosper had also accessed information about assembling guns and making a pipe bomb, but there was no evidence he had tried to do so. A number of indecent images of children were found on his phone, but none were produced by himself. Police said he has shown no empathy or remorse for his actions. The incident did not meet the definition of terrorism as evidence suggested Prosper was not seeking to advance a political, religious, racial or ideological cause. Earlier this month, the UK's terror watchdog recommended the introduction of a new offence for lone individuals planning a mass killing that is not terrorism.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
56 County Durham, Darlington, North East schools named for free breakfast club pilot
The first schools to offer free breakfast clubs for pupils in the North East have been named as the Government pushes ahead with its flagship scheme. Some 750 state schools with primary-aged children from every region of England have been selected to join the pilot, which is expected to run from April before a national rollout, including schools in County Durham, Darlington, Tyneside, Teesside, and Northumberland. In total, there are 56 selected in the overall region. The schools chosen for the trial are expected to offer a free breakfast to all pupils and at least 30 minutes of childcare before school. The £7 million 'early adopters' scheme – which will test the delivery of the programme ahead of a wider national rollout in England – was announced at Labour's party conference in September. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the clubs would help to break the link 'between background and success' for families 'all over the country'. 'Alongside our plans to roll out school-based nurseries and get thousands more children school-ready, this Government is delivering the reforms needed to give every child, wherever they grow up, the best start in life,' she said. Recommended reading: 5-year-old school girl diagnosed with rare bone cancer just weeks before Christmas Campaign to turn County Durham farm into autism training centre attracts £300k grant County Durham home with sunken gardens and original features on sale for £400,000 The headteachers' union welcomed the expansion of breakfast clubs, which some schools already run, but expressed concerns that funding would fall short of the cost. 'It will be crucial that these concerns are addressed before the programme is rolled out across the country to ensure that it does not place further pressure on already strained school budgets, and that children and families can fully reap the benefits,' said Paul Whiteman, general secretary of NAHT. – Welbeck Academy – Our Lady and St Anne's Catholic Primary School – St Bernadette's Catholic Primary, Wallsend – Langley First School – Ivy Road Primary School – St Bede's Catholic Primary School, South Shields – Ashley Academy – Stanhope Primary School – Barnwell Academy – Fatfield Academy – St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth – St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland – Hudson Road Primary School – Dame Dorothy Primary School – Richard Avenue Primary School – St Helen's Primary School – Greatham CofE Primary School – Pennyman Primary Academy – St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School – Skelton Primary School – New Marske Primary School – Overfields Primary School – Lockwood Primary School – Prior's Mill CofE Primary School – Ingleby Mill Primary School – Holy Trinity Rosehill CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School – Ash Trees Academy – Green Gates Academy – St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley – Cleves Cross Primary and Nursery School Academy – Esh CofE (Aided) Primary School – St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall – St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School, Bishop Auckland – Moorside Primary Academy – Witton-le-Wear Primary School – Middlestone Moor Academy – Beamish Primary School – Cockfield Primary School – St Margaret's Church of England Primary School – Prince Bishops Community Primary School – Croft Community School – High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School – Morpeth Chantry Middle School – Morpeth Newminster Middle School – Malvin's Close Academy – Croftway Academy – Mickley First School – NCEA Warkworth Church of England Primary School – Amble Links Primary School – Otterburn Primary School – Cambo First School – Shilbottle Primary School – Bothal Primary School – Hareside Primary School – Chollerton Church of England Aided First School – Holy Trinity Church of England First School
