St Mary’s is a one-form entry Church of England Primary school with an open admissions policy. We are incredibly proud of our school, where our exceptionally well-behaved, motivated, and enthusiastic children respond with excellence to the high expectations and aspirations from our passionate and committed staff team.
As a small school, we place huge value on building a close-knit community, where we can meet the needs of local families and support one another. Everything we do is founded on our strong Christian ethos, where every individual is loved, valued, and respected as a child of God. We are blessed with a fully refurbished school building and abundant outdoor space to inspire the children in their learning and play.
We would like our Year 6 children to leave St Mary’s having achieved their academic potential, being physically fit and active, and able to treat others as they would wish to be treated – respecting the uniqueness and the dignity of every individual.
It has been recognized for many years that the peculiarities of Hampton – a river boundary and on the edge of the borough – meant that the local authority primary schools were not able to accommodate every child in their nearest school. The need for a local school was part of the case for St Mary’s Hampton Primary School Hampton. Published Admission Number (PAN): 30 at Reception. We will admit a child with an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP)1 which names our school as the one they wish to attend, even if the school is oversubscribed. We will be part of the Local Authority’s (LA) process for allocating children to schools. Places will be allocated within iv and then v by home-to-school distance, measured by the shortest route and/or maintained footpath from the property to the pedestrian school gate. All distances will be measured using the Council's geographical information system.
The starting point for our school’s curriculum is the National Curriculum. We ensure that the National Curriculum is taught and we aim to go beyond this by increasingly offering a wider range of activities to enhance and enrich the children’s interests and stretch their abilities. Our school has a specialism in Arts and Music, and the opportunities for these areas are targeted throughout our provision. This is within the everyday planning for teaching and learning in the classroom, and beyond through enrichment provision. Our school’s curriculum is based on four cornerstone principles. These have been developed with all the staff and shared with governors and are underpinned by the values embodied in the school’s mission statement. Early Years (reception) has a one-year program that teaches the same essential skills required each year though the precise nature of each theme is adjusted according to the interests, abilities, and diverse nature of each cohort.
The main curriculum drivers will be the same throughout each key stage which in turn enables shared learning and extension of learning in a broad direction. We publish our long-term overview for the year on the website but it is subject to some change and review as it is a dynamic plan, responding to the interests of the children and the events of the world around us.
The purpose of assessment is to inform both the learner and the teacher of the next steps to improve and progress. Assessment at St Mary’s is an ongoing process that takes place in each lesson. This is known as ‘assessment for learning – the teacher feedback and encourages the child to reflect upon what he or she has learned and how to improve next time, and also to value what has been achieved. We measure progress more formally every half term (six times a year) against criteria within the National Curriculum. Teachers are experienced and able to see when a child requires more support or is ready to move in after each lesson, and the half-termly checkpoint serves to draw together this information. Teachers work with the local authority (Richmond and Kingston) and local schools to validate their judgments as good practice.
We aim to create a fully inclusive school that offers pupils an excellent education. Our priority is to serve the community, whilst drawing on Hampton’s unique heritage and beauty to enhance learning and nurture a sense of community spirit in the children we teach. We believe in doing so, we will help develop rounded, happy, successful children.
Our curriculum and teaching ensure that children of all abilities, faiths, and backgrounds are fully included, encouraged to develop, and given access to all activities. Our recognition of the uniqueness of each child arises directly from our Christian values everyone is created in God’s image.
We fully support children with special educational needs, including the ablest. We encourage and challenge all children of all abilities and needs. The Headteacher will oversee inclusion. It is our priority to ensure recognition of all children’s particular learning strengths/needs at particular times as well as those with specific longer-term learning requirements.
We firmly believe that children need to be happy to learn, and then their strengths and needs can be identified. This is the key to them achieving their full potential. Early assessment will help us to create individual learning targets. In keeping with the National Curriculum, we will assess children termly, and use the formal end-of-year tests to monitor and respond to their progress. By tracking learning performance regularly, and consulting with the Inclusion Coordinator, staff will respond quickly to children’s needs, as they arise. We will encourage children and parents to take ownership of their progress, adopting a collaborative approach and encouraging parents and carers to engage with the process of reviewing learning targets.
In our case, St Mary’s Church, together with local parents, volunteers, and the LDBS (the London Diocesan Board for Schools, which already runs 149 C of E schools in London) is setting up a new school to serve the families of Hampton and Hampton South in particular, through the Free Schools program. As with all Academy Schools and Free Schools, there will be an Academy Trust which will enter a Funding Agreement with the Department for Education (DfE) before the school opens. This means that funding for the school will be provided by the DfE rather than the local authority.
