Sir John Cass's Foundation Primary School is a unique Church of England school in the heart of the City of London. Our School was founded by Sir John Cass over 300 years ago and to this day we remain proudly supported by our trustees, Sir John Cass's Foundation. We are the only maintained school in the City of London and enjoy many benefits from this unique relationship. We aim to provide an exceptional education for every child. To nurture their talents, strive for excellence, and inspire young people to learn in a safe and caring environment where everyone is valued.
The Cass Child and Family Centre combine the Children’s Centre provision for the City of London with the Nursery and Reception classes of the Sir John Cass's Foundation Primary School. The Child & Family Centre provides full and part-time daycare for children aged between 12 weeks and 5 years. We are open 48 weeks a year.
Our Play Centre is based in the school's dining hall. It is open from 3.30 pm – 5.55 pm We cater for children who are in Year 1 to Year 6. (Please check Cass Child and Family Centre tab for Children age between 0-5 years old). Once the children arrive at the Playcentre, they are given light refreshments and can enjoy free play activities and group games.
The governing body is responsible for the strategic direction of the school. They support and challenge the school to achieve the very best they can in every area. Our full governing body meets at least 3 times per year. We also have two committees that meet regularly and several ad hoc groups. The Curriculum Pupils Affairs and Achievement Committee and the Finance, Staffing and General Purposes Committee.
The values are taught explicitly through Personal, Social, Health, and Emotional Education (PSHE), D.A.R.E lessons as well as Religious Education lessons. We also teach British Values through planning and delivering a broad and balanced curriculum. The school takes opportunities to actively promote British Values through daily collective worship, celebration assembly, whole school assemblies, and assemblies that focus on different cultures/faiths. We also actively promote British values by ensuring that our curriculum planning and delivery includes real opportunities for exploring these values. We hold Poppy Day commemoration and have an annual Remembrance Day Assembly. We also held a full day of special activities for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. In the past, our choir had the great honor of being invited to sing as part of the Queen’s Christmas speech broadcast to the Nation.
Democracy is an important value at our school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through pupil questionnaires and regular circle times. Pupils also have input into their learning and what they would like to learn which promotes the pupil's voice. We also have a very productive and actively involved School Council. Sir John Cass’s Primary School promotes Core Christian Values: Wisdom, Thankfulness, Hope, Forgiveness, Trust, Service, Peace, and Friendship. Each year group focuses on a particular value and examples of their work on each topic are displayed in shared spaces.
The importance of laws and rules, whether they are those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days. Our children helped to create our school rules/code of conduct. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves, and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the police, fire service, etc. are regular parts of our calendar and help reinforce this message. To encourage and promote good behavior, attitude, and work, we have devised a reward system that is consistently followed throughout the school. We are committed to praising children’s efforts.
Sir John Cass’s Foundation is one of London’s oldest and largest education charities. Founded in 1748, it supports education for young people in London through its grant programs for individuals, schools, and organizations, and its support for several institutions bearing Sir John Cass’s name.
In 1710 Sir John Cass established an independent all-age school in Aldgate. Sir John Cass and his wife Lady Elizabeth Cass supported the school until they died in 1718 and 1732 respectively, the school thereafter closing several times until the Foundation was established in 1748. Sir John Cass’s Foundation managed the school and paid for all expenses until 1896 when the Government provided funds to meet part of the running costs. The Foundation bore all of the capital costs in providing for a new school building, which opened on its current site in 1909. The School became Voluntary Aided in 1951 and a primary school in 1966. The Foundation is the school's Trustee. It owns the freehold of the site and provides ongoing support to the school.
Recent partnerships and projects have included the development of the relationship between the Hampshire and Cass Foundation Mountain Centre and the Sir John Cass’s Foundation Primary School. The Foundation also awarded a grant for the school to visit the Mountain Centre. In 2016 the Foundation awarded a grant for the Making learning real project that will equip classrooms with the latest technology to enable teachers and children to utilize IT purposefully and to enhance the learning experience for every child.
