Choosing the right school for one's child is probably the most important decision one has to make as a parent. We welcome you to St Mary's School, Hampstead, an independent Catholic school for young girls and boys. We are a Catholic Christian community but a community that warmly welcomes families from other faiths and cultures too.
At St Mary’s School, we believe that children achieve their best when they are in a happy, nurturing environment. We have high expectations whether it be academically, sporting or in the performing arts we expect all our children to do their best and it is our role to allow every one of them to shine.
Everything we do is for the benefit of the children and this reason, we place a strong emphasis on working in partnership with parents. We are proud of our school and all that it has to offer our staff, our students, and our parents.
At St Mary’s School we have 6 classes in our Early Years Department. 2 Pre-Nursery classes for Girls and Boys aged 2 years 9 months to 3 years and 2 Nursery classes for Girls and Boys ages 3 years to 4 years - here the timetable is flexible so that children can access our program according to their needs and stages of development and learning. Learning through well-planned purposeful play is key in our Nursery rooms along with adult-led and child-initiated activities. These are planned around the Prime areas of Learning and Development initially and as the year progresses the Specific areas of learning and development are included.
2 Reception classes for girls and occasionally boys aged 4 years to 5 years - in our Reception classes’ children are still given many well-planned purposeful play opportunities but the day is more structured with the whole class, small group, and individual activities in preparation for Year 1. These are planned around the seven areas of learning and development as shown below.
All the children are seen as individuals and learn at their own pace through extremely well-planned focussed and purposeful planned play. As a school, we firmly believe if the foundations for learning are embedded from this early age with the support of parents and carers the children will flourish as they move through the school
We are extremely well resourced including different learning environments, experienced and well-qualified staff including access to specialist staff and the children have many exciting opportunities to experience the seven areas of learning and development from the EYFS Curriculum which we adjust to meet the needs of the individual child or groups of children.
We aim to provide the children in our care with an education that is rich and varied, which places a strong emphasis on high academic achievement and which meets both the National Curriculum and the Independent Schools Examination Board requirements.
We endeavor to deliver our curriculum in a way that takes account of the children's individual needs and which will encourage them to develop and discover their full potential.
The St Mary's School curriculum encourages every child, at every stage of their learning, to develop their talents and abilities. Teachers plan the curriculum on a half termly basis, breaking it down into weekly plans which ensure a broad and balanced curriculum. Their plans reflect the curriculum attainment targets and also take account of the varied ability levels within the class.
We believe language to be central to all aspects of learning across the curriculum, In our teaching, we endeavor to initiate and foster confidence in all areas of the English curriculum. Children are encouraged to develop fluency and skill in speaking, listening to points of view, sharing ideas, and recounting. In an environment that develops literacy through providing a wide selection of reading material within every classroom, children are allowed to become confident and interested in their approach to books and reading.
About written skills, children are encouraged to write independently from a very early age. Writing is encouraged for a variety of purposes and audiences. We aim to help children become confident writers, enjoying the opportunities given to them to share their thoughts and ideas.
Handwriting and spelling are taught at St Mary's. Children are taught to form their letters correctly and joined-up writing is introduced when the children are ready. Particular attention is given to spelling, punctuation, grammatical practices, and the selection of appropriate vocabulary.
We attach great importance to the teaching of Mathematics and we aim to develop children's understanding of number, shape, space, measurement, graphical representation, and problem-solving techniques to make maths an enjoyable experience and to provide opportunities for children to utilize their understanding in everyday situations.
Through a broad range of activities and experiences appropriate to the age and ability of the children, we aim to ensure that each child leaves the school with a high degree of competence in mathematics.
