Here at St. Mary’s we have a wonderfully supportive, nurturing and inclusive ethos, ensuring that every pupil in our school is treated as the individual they are and encouraged to be the best they can be. We strive to shape each child’s latent interest and enthusiasm of the world around them, underpinned by the curriculum taught in our school. Through Christ, in partnership and with service and witness at our core we seek to educate the whole person, developing each member of the school community, influencing their daily lives and unlocking their abilities and talents, so that all can live fully and make a valued contribution to the well-being of others and the wider world.

Our Mission Statement

We aim to provide a safe, happy, enthusiastic and Christ-centered community in which children can learn and be valued as individuals. We will provide a broad, well-balanced and stimulating curriculum which places high importance on literacy and numeracy, setting aspirational targets for all pupils, whilst nurturing and developing talent across all areas of learning. We rigorously monitor progress to ensure our pupils achieve their potential, and ensure support is given to pupils and families whenever there is a need.

We firmly believe that through working together with our families we can provide the best opportunities for all our children, and highly value the support and engagement of our families throughout their child’s time in our school. By providing an environment where children feel cared for, valued, safe and secure, we are ensuring that they are in the best position to learn and achieve success.

Our school community will work together to encourage our pupils to:

• Value the teachings of the Catholic faith and live in the way Christ taught us, whilst showing an awareness of, and respect for other races, creeds and religions.
• Foster a spiritual and moral view of life throughout our school.
• Develop lively, enquiring minds, showing a willingness to questions and express opinions.
• Show resilience and a determination to succeed.
• Develop knowledge and skills through an exciting and creative curriculum which fosters a lasting enjoyment of learning.
• Be happy, confident, independent and proud of themselves and their achievements in all areas of their life.
• Show respect and empathy towards others enabling them to make positive relationships with a wide range of people.
• Develop the skills and Christian values to be responsible citizens now and in the future.
• Appreciate our natural world as a source of wonder and inspiration and play their part in maintaining and improving their environment.
• Value our wider school family as a resource for learning, seeing home, school and the wider community as a partnership.

Our Vision

St. Mary’s Catholic First School-Vision & Values

View

At St. Mary’s we are encouraged to live out our mission via our shared vison & values of:

Aspiration, Well-being & Global Citizenship

Our vision recognises the uniqueness of each person and supports the seven principles of catholic Social teaching. Our children recognise the uniqueness of each person.

Each One of Us is God’s Masterpiece! (Ephesian’s 2:10)

At St Mary’s School we are one big happy family, always trying to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

We learn, grow and develop together, knowing that Jesus is always at our side. We work hard to be the best young people we can be.

We will always try our best and be proud of the efforts and achievements of ourselves and of others.

Our Growth mindset helps us to persevere and learn from our mistakes.

We care for God’s world and help protect it for future generations.

We love, care for and respect others, sharing our talents, gifts and kindness, to help make the world a happy place to live in for everyone.

British Values

It is a requirement from DfE that schools promote the fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.  At St Mary’s Catholic First School these values complement our school values and ethos, and are reinforced continuously in a variety of ways.

Children take part in weekly liturgies and assemblies which reinforce the values, as does our PSHE curriculum.

Democracy: Children have opportunities to contribute to decisions which help shape our school.  We have an elected Regenerators Club (Eco/School Council) made up of pupils from Year 1 – Year 4.  The club contribute their opinions and ideas, taking into account the views of their class, and this allows them to be able to effect change within the school.  Children take part in regular discussions in class during lessons.  Children’s views are also sought through pupil interviews and questionnaires.

Rule of Law: Children understand the school rules and why they are important.  They are included in the formation of their own class rules, which helps form an understanding of why rules are necessary.  They understand that there are positive choices and negative choices, and we use rewards and consequences to reinforce this.  Visits from external organisations reinforce this message, that rules help to keep us safe and that there can be consequences if they are broken.

Individual Liberty: Children are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment.  Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety lessons.  In PSHE lessons children are encouraged to express themselves and respect the views of others.

Mutual Respect: Mutual respect is at the heart of our values.  Children are taught to be kind and caring to one another, in our own school community but also the wider community and beyond.  They learn to value each individual and to respect their ideas and views, to listen to one another and to always be polite.

Tolerance of those with Different Faiths and Beliefs: We actively promote diversity through learning about different faiths and cultures.  Religious Education lessons, PSHE and Collective Worship all offer opportunities to reinforce messages of tolerance and respect for others.  We ensure that a range of reading materials are available for children to find out more about others and their beliefs.