Our Vision Statement
‘To love live and learn together’ – ‘I came that they may have life, and have it to the full’ (John 10:10)
At Bolton-on-Swale St Mary’s Church of England Primary School we welcome everyone to a school community where all can flourish. Underpinned by our Christian values, everyone belongs and is valued as a child of God. We promote academic excellence and the development of character, knowledge and skills to enjoy being our best selves now and in the future.
Our vision is for our all in our school family to be:
Loving of themselves and others as children of God.
‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ (John 15:12)
Living life to the full in all aspects of their development; academically, spiritually, physically, mentally and culturally
‘Life in all its fullness’. (John 10:10)
Learning to be the best they can be
‘And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom…’ (Luke 2:40)
At St Mary’s Bolton-on-Swale we work to make our children feel safe, nurtured and to enjoy school. Children are encouraged to make positive contributions, show mutual respect, including a respect for a belief in God, and to strive to achieve their full potential – that in so doing they will be prepared for future life
We are a Church of England School, serving the local community of Bolton-on-Swale, Scorton and surrounding villages. Christian values and beliefs are central to the life of the school. We value each person in the school community and want them to reach their full potential. The school is a caring community and we want everyone to show respect for each other, take on responsibilities and to flourish as they exercise their right to an excellent education.
This is an inclusive school, where safeguarding children is key to what we do. This is reflected in the policies within the school. There are equal opportunities for all and nobody within the school is discriminated against on the basis of race, colour, beliefs, sex or disability.
We want this school to be a place where learning is fun! We want the children to be motivated in their learning. In order to achieve such a culture we focus on:
•Christian values
•High standards
•Quality of teaching
•Valuing children
•Recognising success
•Staff development
•The environment
•Parental involvement and, …most importantly,
•Learning
This is a small family school where the needs of the whole child are met. Being healthy, staying safe, enjoying education, playing an active part in the community and preparing for economic well-being are all integral to children’s development within our school. We also teach children about Rights, Respect and Responsibility.
As part of our efforts to achieve this, all staff in school are clear about their goals, and plan with them in mind. Expectations of behaviour are consistent in all classes. There is also consistency in the quality of preparation for Acts of Collective Worship, where children often plan and take part in presentations which reflect high levels of achievement.
Pupils here understand that teachers have high expectations of their behaviour, their presentation, their use of equipment, their productivity, their perseverance, their application, the way in which they answer questions and how skilfully they ask questions. Teachers expect pupils to stay ‘on task’ in order to sustain their learning and achieve success. They expect them to be independent, to work well with others, to respect other pupils by listening, and to focus on understanding the target they are working towards.
At Bolton-on-Swale, a lot of effort goes into showing children that they and their work are valued. We aim to ensure that displays throughout the school are of a high quality, relevant to children’s work and where possible, interactive. Children know that good work will be recognised beyond their own classroom. A Special Mentions Assembly is held each week, to which parents and carers are invited. They share in a short Act of Collective Worship and achievements both in school and outside school are celebrated. Rewards are given for achieving targets, good behaviour, or improvements in work.
Parents are invited to be partners in their children’s school life here at Bolton-on-Swale. Support for the school is strong from parents and the local church and community. This includes working as governors, helping on visits and organising school events and fund raising.
This school is all about relationships, whether it be children caring for children, adults caring for each other, or parents caring for the staff here. We aim here to develop strong home-school partnerships. We are interested in you! We listen to you!
This is a Church of England school where Christian teaching and values are very much in evidence. The importance of caring is established as soon as the children enter the school. Tolerance and understanding are promoted within the school. The links with the church and the local community are developed – we serve the community.
At this school, we aim for high standards, children achieving their potential, pupils being prepared for lifelong learning and being creative. We want our curriculum to be exciting, with the emphasis on quality not quantity so that children learn first hand. We want the curriculum to widen the children’s perspectives.
Above all we want children to have fun learning!