St Mary’s is a Church of England Aided Primary School with nursery, infants and junior departments. Our school provides formative education for children between the ages of 3 to 11.

We offer a stimulating and challenging environment where children are actively encouraged to achieve their full potential.

We hold many prodigious awards e.g. Artsmark Gold, Active Mark, Investors in People, Healthy Schools (Full Award), School Achievement Award, Quality Award - Beacon School etc. All these awards indicate our continuing committement to high standards and high achievements.

St Mary’s is great place for children to develop and a place where they feel secure and valued.

Juniors

The Junior department at St Mary's consists of 5 classes. These are all single-age classes currently Year 3, Year 4, two Year 5, and Year 6. We are very fortunate to have well-qualified support staff, who work with children in the classroom and in small groups to assist children of all abilities to reach their targets. We also have specialist sports coaches who visit on occasion.

As a Beacon school, we are able to enrich our children's curriculum by involving them in a wide range of cultural activities. Children have worked with poets and artists, and have taken part in workshops in dance, music and drama, culminating in a performance at The Brindley Arts Centre.

We have a number of visiting theatre companies and all children go on an annual theatre visit. Older children are also given the opportunity to undertake opera and theatre workshops, and to experience Oprea, Ballet and Shakespeare performances. Classes also participate visits and activities related to their curriculum topics, and a residential visit held each year for older children.

Many teachers run out of school clubs voluntarily. Currently these include: football, netball, homework, drama, atheletics, recorders, Shakespeare, craft, and gymnastics. A regular book club and book fair are also organised. Some children have indiviaual instrument tution.

At St Mary's we are very proud of our children - not just in excellent results, but in the wide variety of achievements across the curriculum.

Nursery

• Our Nursery consists of 52 places, 26 places in the morning and 26 places in the afternoon. Children may start Nursery from the age of three.

• We have two full-time members of staff – a qualified teacher and a NNEB.

• The times of Nursery are as follows:

                            Morning Nursery - 8:55 - 11:25

                            Afteroon Nursery - 12:35 - 3:05

• The children in our nursery follow the Foundation Stage Curriculum based on the six areas of learning:

• Personal, social and environmental development

• Communication, language and literacy

• Mathematical Development

• Knowledge and Understanding of the world

• Physical Development

• Creative Development

The Nursery is set up as a workshop where ‘play’ is the fundamental medium for learning. Here is an example of a typical session:

• Welcome Time – Children self-register by finding their name-cards. Parents are invited into Nursery to settle them into an activity. Staff are available to talk to parents.

• Free Play – Children can choose from a wide variety of experiences that change daily.

•  Circle Time – Children come together as a whole group for focused activities to develop Listening skills from an early age.

• Adult-Directed Activities – Structured play is planned carefully with an adult to enrich the children’s experiences. Group activities may include Art and Craft, Baking, Story-Telling and Role-Play. This changes daily.

• Tidy Up Time – All our children are encouraged to take care of our Nursery.

• Outdoor Play – We engage in a wide range of outdoor activities which we aim to use everyday. Activities may include circle games, nature trails, bikes and cars and throwing and catching.

• Story Time – Stories are seen as a vital part of the language curriculum. This will involve the use of puppets, rhymes, big books and quality stories.

• Snack Time – We are proud of our Healthy Eating Award. We encourage children to try a wide variety of foods. Also, we have theme days such as Chinese New Year, Italian Days and Pancake Day!

• Reflection – As a group, we reflect upon the experiences we have shared in the session.

• Prayers – We say a Thank You Prayer and sing the Grace.

• Home Time – a responsible adult collects Children. Staff are available to discuss any concerns and celebrate achievements.

We are very much part of the main school. We take our children to Family Assemblies and the Reception Class for visits.

Finally, we hope that our Nursery children become happy, independent learners who find transition into main school an enjoyable experience.

St Mary’s C of E Primary School

St Mary’s is a long established Church of England Aided Primary School with a nursery attached. The present building was opened by the Bishop of Chester on 23 June, 1969. The original school dates back to the

17th century. We are very proud of our school and its long tradition of serving the community in the Parish of St. Mary’s.

We offer 35 places in each year group. While the nursery can accommodate 52 part time places.

This is an Anglican School and the religious education it provides is in conformity with the rites, practices and doctrines of the Church of England. As an Anglican School we follow the Diocese of Chester’s guidelines.

At St Mary’s we aim to provide a secure and stimulating environment which is intellectually and spiritually challenging and encourages each child to achieve their full potential.

To ensure this happens we provide a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum which matches the abilities and aptitudes of the children to ensure they reach their full potential.

We create a Christian ethos within our school, an awareness of moral values and respect for the religious beliefs of others, through our strong links with the church and the local community.

We provide a stimulating and motivating learning environment by displaying children’s work and resources in an attractive and informative way.

We create a happy atmosphere where our children feel secure and valued.