ETHOS

St. Matthew’s Primary School is an all-inclusive learning community dedicated to nurturing the intellectual, physical, spiritual, moral, social and emotional development of each individual child. The Governors and Staff of St Matthews’s believe the school to be a vital part of the Catholic Community. We welcome children from other faiths too. We have strong links with the parish, church and local community.

We are firmly committed to:

• the aims of Catholic education
• providing effective education for all our children
• developing positive effective pastoral care systems in our school
• establishing close links with the home, the parish and the wider community

Our school motto:

                   Small enough to care, Big enough to inspire

This represents the ethos of our whole school and stands for what we strive to do every day. All our staff are committed to bringing out the best in every child and helping each and every one to fulfil their potential in whatever they aspire to do.

We are small enough    

• to care
• to listen
• to understand each child
• to know each other

We are big enough

• to inspire
• to be ambitious
• to provide opportunities
• to develop our children to be citizens of the future in our community
• to pioneer new ideas and strive for excellence 

MISSION STATEMENT AND VISION

The governors and staff of St. Matthew’s Primary School aim to create a supportive, inclusive caring school community, in which all members are valued, and in which pupils are encouraged to develop to their fullest potential and to contribute positively to the world in which they are living.

We aim to develop in our pupils a love of learning, a respect for all and a desire to realise their full potential by providing a broad and balanced curriculum to ensure that our children develop their full potential and achieve high standards in all areas

We see the school as part of the wider community and our responsibility to develop positive relationships within our school and with our parents and the wider parish community. We take seriously our links with the community and encourage the involvement and interests of parents and others in the welfare of individual children and the school as a whole.

We seek to provide an excellent educational service – one that is planned and developed to the highest professional standards so that each pupil may benefit to the full, develop lively and enquiring minds with a spirit of curiosity, the ability to make informed decisions and acquire necessary life skills.

We are firmly committed to:

• developing positive relationships within our school and with our parents and the wider parish community
• establishing a caring Christian ethos with a positive pastoral care system fostering within our children the ideals of tolerance of, respect and understanding for different faiths and cultures  
• inspire a life-long love of learning, a knowledge of how to learn and the motivation to produce their best work

School Vision

We set out to create a caring and supportive environment where all children can develop intellectually, emotionally, physically, socially, morally and spiritually. by instilling in children our school values of:

• Team, school and community spirit
• Happiness and enjoyment
• Effort, attitude and perseverance
• Honesty, fairness and trustworthiness
• Respect and tolerance
• Politeness, kindness and caring
• High standards of behaviour
• Partnership    

       OUR AIMS

        In addition, the delivery of the curriculum is designed to develop interest and motivation in children     using enthusiastic teaching and interesting and relevant learning activities, setting high standards and providing a high quality education for all. Therefore, we aim to:

• Encourage all children to achieve high standards and give as much help as they may need in order to achieve success.
• Encourage all children to achieve their potential, develop their talents in all aspects of school life.
• Nurture and provide for their social and physical needs and wellbeing, fostering feelings of confidence, self-worth and belonging.
• Provide a range of extra-curricular activities that encourage co-operation and discipline through sports/games. Children are further encouraged through a variety of musical/dramatic productions to develop self-discipline.
• Maintain a code of conduct that is consistently enforced to ensure that the education of children take place in an orderly, caring and disciplined environment.
• Monitor individual children’s achievements, class teachers will provide work pitched at a level that challenges each child yet does not frustrate.
• Model Good relationships within the School. All teaching and non-teaching staff set an example by working well together with a harmony of purpose and providing an interesting and caring environment within their classrooms and whole school environment.
• Teach children how to care for others, to respect other people’s points of view, their beliefs and religions.