OUTSTANDING – CSI Report 5th May 2023
Diocesan inspection report said:
“Leaders and governors are inspirational in promoting the school’s mission. They are deeply committed and passionate and constantly support everyone. The school seeks to work well with the local parish and show a commitment to its mission. The school promotes parental engagement; they are highly supportive of developing their child’s vocation.
One parent commented, ‘The school’s ethos supports and reflects the Catholic faith. Christ is at the centre of everything that they do.’
Staff speak highly of the care and love that leaders demonstrate and told inspectors, ‘Our school promotes a love of faith which is engaging and inspiring for all our children. Our Catholic ethos is intrinsic in all that we say and do.’ There is an open-door well-being policy, and staff feel confident they can readily access support. One staff commented, ‘St Mary’s is a wonderful place where strong relationships are formed, and everyone is respected.’ Governors make highly significant contributions, effectively evaluating with rigour, analysis, and targeted improvement.”
OFSTED report said:
“There is a strong sense of pastoral care across the school, which reflects the school’s Catholic values.
Leaders promote pupils’ personal development well. They teach them how to be responsible, active citizens. Pupils raise money for charity or make donations to organisations in the local community.
Parents and carers value the opportunities available to their children. A comment made by a parent reflects the views of many others: ‘My child is not just learning academically, but also spiritually and how to be a kind and caring person.” OFSTED December 2022
Our Mission at St. Mary’s
The Catholic Life of the school is given the highest priority where the development of an authentic Catholic ethos is actively sought by all. Children are empowered to have a thorough understanding of the Church’s liturgical year, its seasons, rites and symbols. Within the school community, prayer has a profound and visible effect on the development of all pupils and staff irrespective of ability or faith background. As a school, we promote a love of faith; engaging and inspiring our children to take responsibility for promoting the Catholic ethos of our community whilst seeking to lead and develop this further. Developing a greater understanding of vocation is fundamental in giving our children a meaningful reason to live out their faith. Teachers ensure that children are provided with opportunities to develop their thinking and respond to questions of faith. Our school celebrates, develops and enhances the Catholic Life of our children and ensures our Catholic ethos underpins all that we do and strive to achieve.
Christ has no body on earth but ours.
Ours are the hands with which He heals.
Ours are His eyes, His feet, His lips.
Ours are the hearts through which He loves.
Teresa of Avila
Our Curriculum – Catholic Social Teaching Coverage
Our whole school curriculum is centred around the principles of Building the Kingdom and Catholic Social Teaching. In principle, this means bringing the unchangeable values of the Gospel into an everchanging modern society. Our curriculum and pedagogical approach provides our children with a foundation to make the world a better place. Our children realise that they are not too young to make a difference and that each individual’s unique vocation is not for the future but for now. All of the children’s learning leads them towards answering one of these Big Questions at the end of each learning block. Please see our ‘Curriculum’ page to view our overviews and find more information.
Well done to our amazing Guardian Angels for choosing two winning names in the Newcastle Borough Council ‘Name the Recycling Truck’ competition! 🛻♻️
Keep your eyes peeled around town -you might just spot the winning names rolling by on the trucks soon! 👀🚛💚
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✨ Year 6 Leavers’ Mass & Awards Ceremony ✨
Today, we came together to celebrate our wonderful Year 6 pupils with a special Leavers’ Mass and awards ceremony at Holy Trinity. It was a chance to reflect on their time at St Mary’s, recognise their amazing talents and wish them all the luck in the world as they take their next steps. 🎓🌟
We also took a moment to wish Mrs Ball and Mrs Di-Miceli a very happy retirement, thanking them for their years of hard work and dedication to St Mary’s. They will be greatly missed.
We’re so proud of everything our pupils have achieved. They’ll always be part of the St Mary’s family.
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WOW! What an amazing moment in school today 🎉
We were delighted to welcome Sam from Dougie Mac who came to share the total we’ve raised for this incredible local charity over the past year… and it’s HUGE!
Thanks to the kindness of our families and the brilliant support from our whole school community we’ve raised a whopping… £3,163 🤩
From book sales 📚 and coffee mornings ☕ to Bring It Bag It 🎁 and Christmas Jumper Day 🎄 every event has helped make a real difference.
Dougie Mac is a charity very close to our hearts and this amazing total will go a long way in helping them continue their vital work!💛
A massive THANK YOU to everyone who has donated supported and joined in. We’re so proud to be part of such a generous and caring school community.
Dougie Mac
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🙏 Eucharistic Congress Day at St Mary’s 🙏
Today our school joined with others from across the deanery for a special Eucharistic Congress Day — a joyful celebration of faith friendship and community.
🙏 We began with a warm welcome from Archbishop Bernard who helped us understand the importance of the Eucharist and invited us to open our hearts to Jesus.
🕊️ Session 1 – Presence
We reflected on the lives of the saints and how they encountered God in their everyday lives. Inspired by them we created our own Romero crosses to show how we can live lives of hope and faith.
💖 Session 2 – Charity
We thought about Pope Francis’ call to cherish the elderly. The children made beautiful cards and artwork to give to someone elderly they know as a way of showing love and kindness.
🌍 Session 3 – Togetherness
We learned about the universal Church and how even though we are all different we are united in faith. The children made paper chain prayers to show that we are one family in God.
🕯️ Session 4 – Prayer
Using handmade prayer beads we were guided through a peaceful meditation based on the Sacred Heart of Jesus helping us to reflect and pray deeply.
We finished our day with an inspiring message from Fr Julian who shared his thoughts on the gift of the Eucharist and how it brings us closer to God and to one another.
The children took part with such thought care and joy — we are so proud of them all!
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On the way to Mass this morning, Year 5 proudly fulfilled their Catholic Life Pledge for the Summer. As part of their pledge, the children chose to support those less fortunate by donating their toys to Dougie Mac. Their generous donations will not only bring joy to children who need it most but also help raise vital funds for Dougie Mac to continue their incredible work in our community. Well done, Year 5, for putting your faith into action and showing such compassion and kindness. #year5stm #restm #catholiclifestm … See MoreSee Less
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Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, two great leaders of the early Church who shared the Good News of Jesus with courage and faith. Their lives remind us of the importance of trust in God and standing firm in our beliefs, even when it's difficult.
On Friday, the children took part in a special liturgy to commemorate this important feast day. Through prayer, song and reflection, they learned more about the lives of St Peter and St Paul and how we can follow their example in our daily lives.
Let us pray:
Lord God, you chose Peter to lead your Church and Paul to bring your message to the world. Help us to be strong in faith like them, to speak your truth with courage and to live with love in our hearts. Amen.
St Peter and St Paul, pray for us.
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Today Reception thought about the Jubilee Journey of Hope and took part in their own pilgrimage. They were introduced to 4 special places of pilgrimage for Catholics: Rome, Assisi, The Holy Land and Lourdes. They walked quietly around listening to information about each, and jointly asked that each saint “Pray For Us”.
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✝️🌍To mark the Jubilee Year Pledge Launch Day, Year 5 and 6 set out on a local pilgrimage to share St Mary’s pledge to reduce plastic waste as part of their Catholic Life Pledge for this learning block. Along the way we held a peaceful parade, proudly spreading Pope Francis’ powerful message about caring for our common home. Inspired by Catholic Social Teaching and the principle of stewardship, we are committed to protecting God’s creation – one step, one pledge and one act of kindness at a time.🌍✝️ #catholiclifestm #year5stm #year6stm … See MoreSee Less
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✝️ Jubilee Year Pledge Day at St Mary’s ✝️
Today, St Mary’s came together as a school community to mark a truly special occasion — our Jubilee Year Pledge Day.
We began the day by gathering together to introduce our whole-school pledge: to reduce plastic waste 🌍♻️.
This morning, we learnt all about plastic pollution and reflected on ways we can reduce our use of plastic both at home and in school. Our children also led us in a beautiful Pledge Day Liturgy, filled with prayer and promise.🕯️
As part of our Jubilee journey, we also took part in a very special Pilgrimage Afternoon. Our school grounds were transformed into six sacred destinations: Walsingham, Lourdes, Rome, the Holy Land, Fatima and Assisi. Children travelled between each one reverently, learning about the rich spiritual history of these holy places and pausing to reflect and pray along the way.
It was a powerful and moving experience that helped us feel more connected to the wider Church and to Christians all around the world 🌏.
Through our promises, our pilgrimages and our adventures with Luce the Jubilee Mascot, we continue to embrace this Jubilee Year with open hearts and faithful footsteps 🕊️👣
A heartfelt thank you to our incredible Catholic Life Leaders, who led the afternoon so beautifully.
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