St Mary’s Church of England (Aided) Primary School

At St. Mary's Church we provide hands-on support for our primary school; through providing school governors, running the Nurture Room, and offering support and a listening ear to parents.

St. Mary's School was founded in 1854 and its Ethos Statement is here:

St Mary’s School is a happy, caring community where staff are committed to improving standards of education and all pupils have enthusiastic and positive attitudes to their work.

Recognising its historic foundation, the school will preserve and develop its religious character in accordance with the principles of the Church of England and in partnership with the Church at parish and diocesan level.

The school aims to serve its community by providing an education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice. It encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith and promotes Christian values through the experience it offers to its pupils.

Governing Body

Nine of the 16 governors are appointed by the PCC or the diocese. We value our governors highly and all the amazing work they do in our school. Governors are a voluntary body who work alongside school leaders and members of the school community to ensure that schools are highly effective and that all children receive the very best education.

The Nurture Room

The Nurture Room is a dedicated space in school designed so that the children feel safe enough to open up about their worries and talk through their emotions, but also have the freedom to express themselves through creative projects. Intended as a bridge between school and home, the room is bright and cosy, with sofas and teddies, as well as plenty of books, pictures and ornaments to inspire the imagination.

The heart of the Nurture Room lies in recognising that all behaviour is communication. Sessions run on a 1:1 or group basis and include news sharing, a story, a creative task and a snack. This format is intended to give the children an opportunity to build trusting and nurturing relationships, and learn skills that allow them to flourish in school, make friends and deal with life more confidentaly and calmly. 

Supporting Parents

A Drop In Session for Parents every Monday Morning 8.30-10am

In conversation with our Primary School it became increasingly apparent that there are a number of parents who are struggling with daily life.  We decided to set up a Parent “Drop in” on a Monday morning. Teachers signpost parents along, or they can just drop in.  Parents and carers can come, chat and be listened to over a coffee.  We can offer support with parenting, but also signpost and assist parents to access help with:

• housing
• debt
• benefits
• childcare
• further education
• helping children with homework

This is just part of our work to support the whole family and the school in their mission to “Develop the whole-child as created by God”.