A welcome from the Headteacher

Welcome to St Mary’s Church of England (Aided) Primary school, Chipping Norton.

A school for all.

At St Mary’s we are proud of our Christian foundation and vision.

“Developing the whole child as created by God”, we aim to educate and nurture your child through a holistic approach, believing that for a child to thrive and grow both academically and socially they need to be valued as a unique individual with their own strengths, personality and needs.  Each member of staff is appointed with this in mind, and we all work together to achieve this vision for all.  Children of all faiths or those who do not articulate a particular faith are welcome at St Mary's.

For your child to be in a good place to learn, they first need to believe in themselves and have trust in the community that helps to raise them.  At the heart of everything we do are our Christian values of:

• Friendship, compassion, and kindness
• Honesty and integrity
• Tolerance and respect.

Your child will be encouraged to demonstrate these values in all that they do here at St Mary’s and will hopefully embrace these values throughout life as a way of living in harmony with others.

Here at St Mary’s, we aim to nurture children who aspire to achieve excellence in all they do and we achieve this by offering excellent teaching and provision in an environment where all children are encouraged and valued equally. We also believe strongly in building a sense of responsibility and resilience in our children so that they can look to the future and function effectively within society.

As a church school, we have a strong partnership with St Mary’s church.  Working alongside teachers and support staff, the whole team help to engage children and families as part of a wider community, being there for you in times of need as well as times of celebration.  From this partnership, a strong sense of Christian purpose has evolved, culminating in first class nurture facilities, parent support provision and early engagement with families through initiatives such as Mini Movers and summer play schemes.

The “Friends of St Mary’s” is a parent body working alongside staff and Governors to enhance provision for all children and bringing families together socially.  This Committee is thriving because of its commitment to valuing and providing for all children across our school.

I hope that our website and virtual tour demonstrates many examples of how we achieve our vision. If you would like to know more or to book a visit, please contact us via the school office.

Best wishes

Mrs Christine McQueen

Headteacher