Vision 

Our vision is to build a community where great lives begin.

To create a calm, academic excellence across the school, where we inspire children to:

• be people of faith, hope and love and to respect themselves and others 
• become confident, independent learners for life, knowing that mistakes will be made along the way
• keep safe, be strong and make a positive contribution to society

Aims

• Our school will provide a happy, secure and stimulating environment where everyone will be inspired to do their best.
• Our pupils will be guided towards a loving relationship with God, through example, prayer and the teachings of Christ.
• Our pupils will be competent, independent lifelong learners with high self-esteem.
• Our pupils will be confident and caring in their relationships with others in the school, and with the community at large.
• Our pupils will be creative and critical thinkers who will be able to respond positively and enthusiastically to the challenges of our ever-changing world.
• Our pupils will have a desire to contribute positively to society and to take responsibility for each other and the environment.

Values

A value is a principle that guides our thinking and our behaviour.  Our school values help define our community.  The children in our school know our values really well and aim to live by them in all aspects of school life and at home. 

The following key values help prepare our children for life in modern Britain:

Respect

We endeavour to work and play with everyone within our community and show respect for every group and individual, the school environment and ourselves. We demonstrate self-respect and believe that everyone should be treated fairly and equally.

Resilience

We recover from setbacks. We show resilience and perseverance as we try to achieve our goals. We understand the need to work hard. We are not afraid to take risks and take on-board advice that is given to us to help us in our continual development.  We understand that we learn each time we make a mistake.

Ambition

We embrace challenges and set high expectations for ourselves. We know what we want to achieve and how to achieve it. We recognise how our school learning can help us to achieve our goals in life and the wider world.

Tolerance and Understanding

We learn that tolerance is being able to respect differences and see people equally even though differences exist.  We learn that it is important to understand ourselves, even when we make mistakes. We learn to tolerate and accept others, even when they make mistakes. We learn that we are all unique and have something valuable to offer and share. We learn to tolerate and understand differences, and show empathy listening and seeing. We learn to have a tolerance and understanding of the diverse world we live in and our place in the global community.

These values guide us through our school day, and align themselves with our two school rules: be kind; work hard.  

Ethos

We warmly welcome children from all faiths, as well as those from non-faith backgrounds. Together, staff, children, parents and governors, endeavour to make our school a calm, safe, friendly place in which everybody feels valued.

Our approach is based on our core values, and we expect all children, staff and stakeholders (parents, carers and governing body members) to respect them.

We believe that all learners have a right to be challenged and motivated to enable them to achieve their potential academically, personally, socially and emotionally.

As an inclusive learning community, we believe that every child does matter, and it is our duty to prepare each child for lifelong learning.  We do this by providing high quality learning experiences, which ensures our children are equipped with the knowledge, skills and cultural capital that allow them to thrive in the next part of their learning journey.    

The staff of St Mary's Priory commit to:

• Nurturing the development of our children's Catholic faith through the teaching of the Gospel values within an environment where each individual is valued and respected.
• Developing the gifts and talents of all our pupils, so they are ready for the next stage of learning, and are able to achieve their maximum potential. 
• Ensuring all our pupils, regardless of their starting point, experience a high quality, balanced education which meets their needs and the requirements of the National Curriculum. 
• Managing the school's resources efficiently to ensure good value for money from the available funds.

Our Commitment to Staff:

• Foster and develop the highest standards of teaching through high quality professional development 
• Nurture and secure leadership talent to lead the future 
• Recognise and reward the commitment of all staff 
• Create and maintain a mutually supportive, collaborative and caring environment for all 
• Establish well-being and health as essential contributions to effectiveness at work. 

Our Equality Statement:

St Mary's Priory will take steps to advance equality of opportunity, foster good relations and eliminate discrimination or harassment across all the protected characteristics (age, race, gender, gender identity or reassignment, disability, marriage and civil partnership, religion and belief, pregnancy and maternity, sexual orientation) within the school community.