Our mission statement – “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6 – captures our Christian-focused approach to setting children up for life.
At St Mary’s, your family joins a small, supportive community where faith and learning grow together. We share a unique site with our church in Balderstone, enjoying weekly worship and half termly “Food for Thought” sessions. Supported by Manchester Diocese and other diocesan schools within Watergrove Trust, we ensure every child feels guided, loved, and inspired.
The focus of the Christian vision on providing firm foundations is apparent in the support given to vulnerable pupils and those with additional needs. As a consequence, pupils make at least good progress.
SIAMS Report
Worship
At St Mary’s, worship is a special time for us to gather, reflect, and grow. We explore our Christian values through stories from the Bible, connecting them to our own lives and the wider world. Whether we are singing, praying, or sitting in quiet reflection, we aim to create a space where every child feels God’s presence.
We follow a thoughtful routine that brings our whole school community together:
Monday: We gather to sing! We learn hymns that celebrate our “Value of the Term.”
Tuesday & Thursday: We split into smaller groups for Key Stage worship or quiet reflection in our own classrooms.
Wednesday: A highlight of our week—we walk together for whole school worship in our church.
Friday: Our Celebration Worship, where we come together to thank God for our achievements and the week we’ve shared.
Every half term, we focus on a different school value and celebrate major festivals like Christmas and Easter, ensuring our worship is always rooted in faith and joy.
Our Ethos Team
At St Mary’s, our children take the lead in making our school a special place to be. Our Ethos Team is made up of pupils from Key Stage 2 who are passionate about our Christian values and helping others.
They play a big part in school life by:
- Leading Worship: Helping to plan and run our worship
- Being Role Models: Showing kindness and living out our values every day.
- Helping Others: Thinking of ways we can support our local community and charities.
- Listening: Sharing ideas from their classmates on how we can make our school even better.
It’s a wonderful way for our children to develop leadership skills while putting their faith into action.
St Mary’s Parish Church
We are lucky to have very close links with our Parish Church which is next door. The children regularly attend St Mary’s Church; every Tuesday morning for whole school assemblies, as well as celebrating together at significant liturgical moments in the year.
Food for Thought
Our Food for Thought sessions are a wonderful way for our older children to dive into big questions! Over lunch on the last Wednesday in each half term, pupils in Years 5 and 6 gather in a relaxed, friendly space to chat about deep ideas and share their own unique opinions.
We also love connecting with our friends from other Watergrove Trust schools for special “Summits.” It is a joy to see children from across our local community eating together, making new friends, and respecting each other’s views on life and faith.
Stay and Pray
We warmly invite parents to join us for our Stay and Pray sessions. These are special moments where parents and carers can step away from their busy day to experience the peace of our school worship. Each class will invite parents to be part of worship at least once a year.
Together, we share a hymn, listen to a Bible story, and take time for quiet reflection and prayer. It is a wonderful way to see how children grow in faith and to feel part of our spiritual community.
Charity
Throughout the school year, we raise money for a variety of charities in-keeping with our Christian and global values. We believe that it is important for our children to experience the joy of helping someone in need.
Our most recent SIAMs inspection report from the Church of England Diocese can be found in the documents section of this page.
