St Mary's Values | ST MARY'S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Our Values at St Mary's

Celebrating Excellence through our Faith and Learning

At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, our mission is to nurture every pupil’s full potential through excellent teaching and learning, grounded in our Catholic faith and spirituality. We strive to:

Support every individual to achieve their potential through excellent standards of teaching and learning
Nurture our spirituality and Catholic Faith in a reflective and inclusive community
Build strong, positive relationships marked by respect and understanding
Develop creativity through stimulating teaching and learning experiences
Foster confident and positive learners ready to grow in faith and knowledge

At St Mary’s, we follow the Jesuit Pupil Profile, established in 2013 in response to the question: What kind of people do we hope our pupils are growing to be? These values are not random but represent a vision of a good and virtuous person, deeply rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Jesuit virtues are symbolised in a tree — representing the growth of our young people. The pairs of values (colour-coded) form part of our Prayer and Liturgy timetable and are modelled and encouraged every day by our staff and community.

Pupils at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School are growing to be …	Staff at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School help their pupils grow…
Grateful for their own gifts, for the gift of other people, and for the blessings of each day; and generous with their gifts, now and in the future.	By encouraging them to know and be grateful for all their gifts, developing them to the full so that they can be generous in the service of others.
Attentive to their experience and to their vocation; and discerning about the choices they make and the effects of those choices.	By promoting the practice of attentive reflection and discerning decision making: in teaching, in the examen, prayer and retreats; and through the practice and example of school leaders and staff.
Compassionate towards others, near and far, especially the less fortunate; and loving by their just actions and forgiving words.	By being compassionate and loving in the way pupils are treated, especially when a pupil is in trouble; and by opening pupils’ eyes to those who suffer poverty, injustice or violence.
Faith-filled in their beliefs and hopeful for the future.	By passing on the living and faith-filled tradition of Jesus Christ; by having persevering faith in the pupils, and by encouraging them in turn, to have faith and hope in themselves and others.
Eloquent and truthful in what they say of themselves, the relations between people, and the world.	By developing an eloquent language which pupils can use to understand and articulate their emotions, beliefs, and questions, encouraged by the example of their teachers to be truthful in the way they represent themselves and speak about the world.
Learned, finding God in all things; and wise in the ways they use their learning for the common good.	By the breadth and depth of the curriculum; by excellence of teaching, and the creation of opportunities to become more learned and wise.
Curious about everything; and active in their engagement with the world, changing what they can for the better.	By leading pupils to be curious about the universe and all human activity, and to take increasing responsibility for their own learning, and by providing opportunities for them to be active in the life of the school, the Church, and the wider community.
Intentional in the way they live and use the resources of the earth, guided by conscience; and prophetic in the example they set to others.	By being a school community which is intentional in its way of proceeding to build-up quality of life; and which is prophetic in the way it offers an alternative vision of education and the human person rooted in the gospel.

Jesuit Virtues & Catholic Social Teaching (CST) — Our Termly Focus

To bring these values alive in a meaningful way, we focus on two Jesuit virtues each term, alongside a key theme from Catholic Social Teaching. This approach connects our pupils’ growth with the Catholic liturgical calendar, making learning spiritually rich and timely.

Term	Jesuit Virtues	Catholic Social Teaching Focus	Liturgical Connection	Why This Term?
Term 1	Attentive & Discerning	Human Dignity	Start of Year / Ordinary Time	Pupils begin the year reflecting on themselves and others, recognising every person’s dignity.
Term 2	Faith-filled & Hopeful	Common Good	Advent & Christmas	Advent calls us to hope and faith as we build communities where everyone can thrive.
Term 3	Eloquent & Truthful	Participation	Ordinary Time	Encouraging honest communication and active engagement in school and society.
Term 4	Compassionate & Loving	Option for the Poor	Lent	Lent invites us to deepen love and stand with those in need through action and prayer.
Term 5	Intentional & Prophetic	Solidarity & Distributive Justice	Easter Season / Pentecost	Pupils are inspired to live purposefully and fight for justice after Easter.
Term 6	Grateful & Generous	Subsidiarity & Promoting Peace	End of Year / Ordinary Time	The year closes with gratitude and encouragement towards peace and responsible leadership.

Stewardship, the care for creation and responsible use of resources, is woven through all terms and highlighted in assemblies, lessons, and school initiatives all year long.

Learned & Wise; Curious & Active — Throughout the Year

Alongside these termly focuses, pupils are supported all year round to become learned and wise, and curious and active. We encourage a love of learning, critical thinking, and active participation in shaping a better world through classroom learning, projects, and key assemblies.

A Holistic Approach to Formation

By integrating Jesuit virtues with Catholic Social Teaching in harmony with the liturgical year, we guide our pupils to become faith-filled, compassionate, and responsible individuals. Our goal is to prepare young people ready to contribute positively to society, grounded in the Gospel and inspired by Jesuit values.