The school was founded by and is part of the Catholic Church. The school is to be conducted as a Catholic school in accordance with canon law and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and in accordance with the Trust Deeds of the Archdiocese of Birmingham and in particular:

• Religious education is to be in accordance with the teachings, doctrines, discipline and general and particular norms of the Catholic Church.
• Worship is to be in accordance with the rites, practices, discipline and liturgical norms of the Catholic Church.

And at all times the school is to serve as a witness to the Catholic faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ.

With a faithful heart, we live the Gospel values through …

Compassion
We are moved by God’s grace to be accepting, empathetic and merciful by embracing the dignity of each person so that they are loved and valued.
 
Stewardship
We are inspired to live our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation by being proactive stewards, taking responsibility for the care of our common home and one another. 
 
Courage
We are challenged to be authentic and respond to the Holy Spirit by being advocates for truth and justice.
 
Service
We are called to respond actively to God’s mission as servant leaders by reaching out to others – especially the needy as Jesus did.

As a happy Catholic school we seek to build an environment in which Christian values guide all the children in their very important early, formative years, providing a secure foundation to support and give direction to their future lives.  We create an atmosphere that is positive and caring.

St. Mary’s provides challenge and support for each pupil.

We are committed to developing provision at St. Mary’s to meet the demands of a changing world whilst not forgetting our place in supporting those less fortunate than ourselves.

We foster a Christian spirit, which is loving and caring, sharing a respect for self and others, creating a moral code of values which underpins the learning environment.

The Department for Education has introduced a statutory duty for schools to promote British Values more actively from September 2014, and to ensure they are taught in schools.

St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School is committed to serving its community. 

It recognises the multi-cultural, multi-faith and ever-changing nature of the United Kingdom.  It also understands the vital role it has in ensuring that groups or individuals within the school are not subjected to intimidation or radicalisation by those wishing to unduly, or illegally, influence them.

The school follows equal opportunities guidance which guarantees that there will be no discrimination against any individual or group, regardless of faith, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, political or financial status, or similar.

St. Mary’s is dedicated to preparing students for their adult life beyond the formal, examined curriculum and ensuring that it promotes and reinforces British values to all its students.

The government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy.  The five key British Values are:

·        Democracy

·        The rule of law

·        Individual liberty

·        Mutual respect

·        Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

The school uses strategies within the national curriculum and beyond, to secure such outcomes for students.  The ethos of our school, as summarised by our Mission Statement, is derived from Christian values which are at the heart of what we teach in school and encompass the five key values identified above.