Welcome to St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy

St Mary’s is a friendly community that aims to give every child the best possible start to their school lives.

We aim to create an environment where children feel safe, happy, valued and where every child can learn effectively.

St. Mary’s education strives to go beyond academic excellence. It is a collaborative process between and among teachers and pupils which fosters personal, cooperative study, discovery and creativity, reflection to promote life long learning and action in service to others. Its ultimate goal is to develop people of competence, conscience and compassion.

We have very high standards of behaviour and this helps us to create an atmosphere where children are challenged, motivated and take the first steps in becoming lifelong learners.

All children are given every opportunity to succeed. They are encouraged to become lifelong learners, switched on to Maths, English and within our wider engaging curriculum. We strive to open young minds to be experimenters, researchers, explorers and discoverers. Every child receives learning tailored to his or her needs.

As you enter our school, you experience a buzz of excitement, with children engaged in learning beyond the classroom – such as in our forest school – and children using the latest technology.

As a Catholic school, we live and learn by following the teachings of Jesus. The welfare and education of the children are at the heart of everything we do. At St Mary’s we know children will feel happy and valued during their time with us.

Our school is blessed to be in the rural surroundings of the High Peak and we take an active role in local community events. We are proud to be part of St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust. Formed as a partnership of the Catholic Academies in the Diocese of Nottingham, we are a family of schools united by a collective vision to excel. We position ourselves at the forefront of the community, working together to provide children with the knowledge, inspiration and guidance needed to fulfil their God-given potential. We give our staff the support and space needed to focus on teaching and creating the best learning experience possible for our children.

I look forward to welcoming you into our community.

Mrs Patricia Chapman (Headteacher)