Catholic Life, Mission and Aims
In 2024-2025, we reviewed our school Mission with governors, staff and parents.
Inspired by the scripture:
‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’
Philippians 4:13
Our children know that we use our mission line at the end of our daily prayers- We Grow Together in Christ – R/ With Reverence Resilience and Respect.
Our Catholic School self evaluation: CSED 2025 16.12.25 (1)
Parent view of RE: RE Questionnaire
We explore God’s Word together to discover how Jesus guides our daily lives. This scripture gives us examples which we apply to our own lives so that we ‘can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’
At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, we proudly serve the children and families of the Parish of St Mary’s. We provide a safe, happy, and caring environment where every child is valued, nurtured, and encouraged to reach their full potential—spiritually, morally, intellectually, emotionally, socially, and physically. Through faith, learning, and community, we support each child to grow with confidence and compassion.
Guided by Catholic virtues and our school values, we encourage self-respect, confidence, responsibility, and care for others and God’s creation, helping each child grow in faith and love. We help our children develop the knowledge, skills, and values they need to succeed in their community and beyond.
Our Religious Education programmes (Lighting The Path & The Way, The Truth and The Life) are grounded in Catholic tradition, follow the RED, and support pupils in becoming faithful, caring, and responsible individuals.
Our Virtues and the Religious Life of our School
At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, our Catholic identity is central to all that we do. Rooted in prayer, worship, and Gospel values, we strive to create an environment where faith is lived, celebrated, and shared each day. Through our internal and external sacred spaces, prayer garden, religious symbols and Celebration of the Word, we seek to glorify God in every area of school life.
Our nurturing, Christ-centred environment invites children to experience God’s presence from the moment they arrive. This experience shapes not only their academic learning but also their spiritual, moral, and personal development. We encourage our pupils to reflect, pray, and grow in their relationship with God, helping them to develop a strong sense of purpose and belonging within the Church community.
We nurture a community where faith is visible and rooted in Gospel values. In partnership with families and the parish, we support our children in becoming confident, compassionate, and faithful young people who live out their beliefs with integrity and love.
Founded in 1964, our school has been at the heart of Catholic education in our community for 60 years. From its earliest days, the school has upheld the values of faith and love—principles that continue to guide our mission today.
Fr. Eamon Award
Our former parish priest who served us in his ministry for over 8 years, left in the summer of 2024. He left us with a trophy which he blessed in our end of year celebration mass. The trophy depicts an award for The Virtuous Child. This something that Fr Eamon promoted in his work both in the parish and in our school. This award is given each half term in our celebration assembly.
Our Prayer Garden
We are blessed to have a beautiful sacred space in our school grounds. This was refurbished in the summer of 2024 by members of our parish SVP. At the centre of the garden stands a statue of Mary – our patron saint.
Our garden promotes a peaceful area for prayer as a group or simply spontaneous prayer during break or lunchtimes.
Mini Vinnies encourage children to access the garden in the better weather where they support children in how to pray.
Blessing of the Advent Wreath
This week, we were delighted to welcome Fr Michael to St Mary’s Catholic Primary School as our Mini Vinnies led a special blessing of our Advent wreaths. Our Year 6 pupils carefully created each wreath with Mrs Sweeney and Miss Leonard, selecting a piece of scripture for each class to share.
The Advent wreath, with its evergreen base and four candles, represents hope, peace, joy, and love, guiding us through this special season of waiting and preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Fr Michael’s blessing helped us reflect on the true meaning of Advent and the importance of preparing our hearts for Christmas.
It was a beautiful moment of prayer, reflection, and community, and we are extremely proud of the care, creativity, and faith our pupils showed in making their wreaths.
‘Be ready and waiting knowing that the Master will come at an hour and on a day that we will least expect to see Him.’( Matthew 24 37:44)
Our School House Saints
At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, every child belongs to one of our four Houses: St George, St Andrew, St David, or St Patrick. Each House is named after a patron saint of the United Kingdom, reminding us of our shared history and values.
These saints inspire us through their courage, faith, and kindness, encouraging everyone in our school to live out our values and support one another every day.
The children can also earn team points for being recognised for living our Catholic Virtues. Year 6 have team captains for each Saint.
Class Saints
At St Mary’s each class learns about a Saint and tries to understand their lives with the aim of being more saints like in their daily lives. Here are our class Saints:
Reception: Mary
Year 1: Joseph
Year 2: St Francis
Year 3: St Vincent
Year 4: St Michael Arcangel
Year 5: St Peter
Year 6: St Paul