St Mary's CEVC Primary School 3.08

St Mary’s is situated in a quiet residential area on the western side of Bridgwater. The accommodation consists of two Pratten huts which provide four classrooms, and the main building, containing the offices, six classrooms, a library, an ICT suite and the school hall. We have two playgrounds, which are marked for games and activities, a large playing field, a ‘quiet area’ which is equipped with picnic tables, an environmental area with a new pond, an adventure trail, allotments, a willow dome, an outside classroom and an area for Forest School activities. There is also a covered outdoor play area, a fenced garden and playhouses for the Foundation Stage children.

St Mary’s has expanded this year with the building of four new permanent classrooms, two group rooms and an office, due to open in September 2013. We are very excited about this local authority-led project as it will provide a number of long awaited features and enable more children to attend our wonderful school.

We have a close association with St. Mary’s Church in Bridgwater. The Vicar of St. Mary’s visits the school regularly to lead acts of worship and talk to the staff and children. There are two Diocesan Governors who also take an active role in the school. We visit the church for termly services and for curriculum studies. We actively promote the Christian ethos of our school and aim to enhance the moral and spiritual awareness of the children.

We operate a policy of inclusion and make every effort to ensure that children with disabilities are fully included in school activities. Our emphasis throughout the school is upon the progress and development of each child as an individual. The teachers use a variety of methods to ensure that every child receives the appropriate care and education; these may include working on an individual basis, in small groups and participation in whole class activities.

Children at St Mary’s are taught to respect other people whatever background, ability, cultural or religious differences, or gender. They are encouraged to think about basic rights and opportunities for all human beings, not only in this country but also throughout the world, in past and present societies.

We are very proud of our awards and achievements. The school achieved success in our most recent OFSTED in June 2010 and was graded ‘Good’ with many outstanding features. In January 2012, Ofsted performed an interim assessment on the school which indicated that our good performance had been sustained and therefore deferred our next inspection. We were re-awarded the Quality Skills Mark for Maths and Literacy in July 2010. In addition, we have been awarded Inclusive Dyslexia Friendly Status, the Active Mark for Sport, Healthy Schools Plus Status, the Green Flag Eco-Award, the Enterprise Award and accreditation for Financial Management Standard in Schools.

The school roll is rising and we have been able to sustain an excellent pupil/staff ratio through prudent financial management.