We are a learning community with a very strong Catholic Christian ethos. If you are a new member of our school family, then we look forward to working with you to support the development of your most precious gift – your child. Thank you for trusting us to be such a crucial part of this incredible journey that they are about to undertake. To those who have been a significant part of our school family over one or several years, we thank you for your love, support, and belief. Long may we continue to work together with the children at the heart of all our decisions and actions.
Our vision, as outlined in our Mission Statement, encapsulates how and why we strive for excellence. Our vocation, as teachers, is to help foster in the children the self-belief that will allow them to become what God has called them to be. We place no limits on this! We recognize that all children have been gifted by God with different talents, skills, personalities, and potential. This uniqueness is nurtured, catered for, and celebrated regardless of culture, creed, class, color, or need. As a school under the patronage of Our Blessed Mother, our ultimate aim is that all children will join in one voice with Mary as she eternally proclaims, “the Almighty works marvels for me and Holy is His name”.
As Catholics, we follow the teachings of the Gospel and of all that is taught to us through the Church. Scripture reveals for us how God will guide us in the way He wants us to live. In the Gospels and our Church tradition, we encounter the person of Jesus Christ. As a Catholic School in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, we have embraced the Catholic Schools’ Pupil Profile, which teaches the children a set of eight pairs of virtues to be internalized and cultivated - enabling them to grow in wholeness as fully rounded individuals in the image of God. The pairs of virtues are:
- Grateful and generous
- Attentive and discerning
- Compassionate and loving
- Faith-filled and hopeful
- Eloquent and truthful
- Learned and wise
- Curious and active
- Intentional and prophetic
At St Mary's, we expect our children to be: Grateful for their gifts, for the gift of other people, and the blessings of each day and generous with their gifts, now and in the future... by encouraging them to know and be grateful for all their gifts, developing them to the full so that they can be generous in the service of others. Attentive to their experience and their vocation and discerning about the choices they make and the effects of those choices... by promoting the practice of attentive reflection and discerning decision making: in teaching, in the examen, prayer, and retreats and through the practice and example of school leaders and staff.
Our school recognizes many faith festivals and we encourage children and parents from a range of faith and cultural backgrounds to share experiences and knowledge with our children. Our school recognizes many faith festivals and we encourage children and parents from a range of faith and cultural backgrounds to share experiences and knowledge with our children.
