A Warm Welcome To St Mary’s.

Our vision, as a school with a Christian ethos, is founded on The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4: 3-9), where

Through God’s love, we are the rich soil where seeds flourish and roots grow

This is the foundation of our motto, Everyone is equal: everyone deserves the best.

We have the very highest aspirations for our students, their families, our local community, and ourselves. In October 2023 Ofsted said “Curriculum plans provide teachers with the information they need to plan effective learning activities in a sensible order. Leaders also have in place research-informed, whole school approaches to teaching. Teachers use leaders’ guidance effectively”.   We challenge students by having a rich and exciting curriculum provision and by making learning practical, engaging and enjoyable (‘Pupils speak enthusiastically about their learning from the educational visits to local, national, and international sites of interest. .. The school has a well-designed, ambitious curriculum. This is evident in the good quality of pupils’ learning demonstrated in lessons and in their books”. We enable students to succeed by providing the best possible personalised support (including literacy, numeracy, careers and life skills that underpin personal, social and academic development) to ensure students progress to the next stage of their education. Ofsted said ‘Pupils speak confidently about reaching their career aspirations because the school prepares them well for adult life…The school prepares pupils well to make decisions about their next steps in employment, education and training. ’  We ensure that ‘Pupils are taught how to live healthy lifestyles. The school supports pupils well to maintain positive mental health while dealing with whatever issues they face ’. (Ofsted inspection 2023)

We are a happy and inclusive school – in January 2020 the ‘SIAMS’ inspection said St Mary’s is ‘An exceptionally inclusive and caring community’. Central to our success is an ethos where we all work together and where individual skills, talents and cultural heritage are respected and valued; where students say they feel very safe and well cared for and where they enjoy their learning. The Parable of the Sower teaches us that, in fertile soil the word of God will flourish; we believe that at St Mary’s we provide ‘fertile soil’ for all members of our community to flourish:

‘The Christian vision for the school providing a ‘fertile soil’, where all are enabled to flourish, results in an exceptionally inclusive and caring community.’ SIAMS inspection January 2020

    ‘Many [pupils] told us the diverse school community feels like a nurturing family.’  Ofsted 2023

At St Mary’s we pride ourselves on the very highest standards for everyone in the community. Our work, and the achievements of our students, are regularly recognised as being outstanding and reflecting excellent practice. We enjoy taking a role in leading education practice locally and nationally for the benefit of our learning community. Student Voice is an important part of our school and every student is expected to take advantage of the many enrichment and leadership opportunities that will be provided as part of their learning journey.

We look forward to working with you and your family and sharing our exciting future with you.

Richard Vaughan
Headteacher