As parents, carers, teachers, support staff or governors, we have an important role in ensuring the well-being of every child in our care. Together we aim to provide a happy, secure environment for all children at school, and to respond with speed and sensitivity to any problem a child might be experiencing.
Equal Opportunities
At St Mary’s all children have the right to equal opportunities in all aspects of school life, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or religion. We aim to ensure that all children have equal access to the curriculum. We take great care to avoid stereotyping boys or girls into particular activities and to ensure that our teaching materials and resources reflect the backgrounds of the children in the school and wider society.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
At St Mary's inclusion is at the heart of our mission statement and underpins the way that we relate, the way that we teach and the way that we learn.
Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in the core values that we share including:
- love and mutual respect
- justice and fairness
- high expectations of each other
As set out in our Inclusion Statement and in our Special Educational Needs and Disability Report (see below) our aim is to enable each child to reach his or her full potential. As a Catholic school we aim to build a caring and supportive Christian community where each individual is able to grow in faith and understanding. We recognise that each child is a unique individual with his or her own contribution to make to the life of our school.
Please see the SEND page for more information.
Key Principles
- to meet our aims and to identify and assess children with special educational needs and disabilities as soon as possible
- to work closely in partnership with the parents or carers of the children who have special educational needs and disabilities
- to meet the needs of all children in the classroom setting as far as possible
- to use our resources to support these children as effectively as possible
- to seek outside specialist help where necessary
Extra curricular activities
In addition to the timetabled curriculum at St Mary’s, we offer a variety of extra-curricular activities, most of which take the form of lunchtime or after-school clubs. The range varies, according to supply and demand, but may include art, French, orchestra, mind stretching activities, and football. We rely on the availability, interests and goodwill of staff to run the clubs. For some clubs a small financial contribution is
requested.
School Trips and Educational Visits
A wide range of educational visits are arranged to support children’s learning. Visiting theatre, arts and music groups are also used to compliment our provision. At some point in upper Key Stage 2 (Year 5 or Year 6) children will be invited to take part in the residential school journey which is a very exciting four day visit to an outdoor adventure centre in Surrey.
Homework
At St Mary’s all children are given regular homework, as outlined in our Homework Policy. In the early years the main form of homework is the PACT home/school reading programme. Older children are asked to undertake a variety of tasks, predominantly in English and maths. Children at Key Stage 2 record details of their homework in their homework diary. We expect all parents to support their children in this important aspect of school life.
Child Protection
We aim for all our pupils to be healthy and happy. All of our staff are fully vetted and we follow the Government’s 'Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education' guidance.
We have a duty to ensure our children are not at risk from any abuse. If we suspect any form of abuse we shall report our concern to the social services. Your child’s safety and well being are our first concern.
