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Headteacher’s Welcome
Dear Parents and Carers
A warm welcome to St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School! We serve the Bognor community and a wide parish community from Pagham in the West to Middleton-on-Sea in the East and up to Barnham/Slindon on the edge of the South Downs National Park.
We have a happy and hardworking staff that put the well-being of children at the centre of our thinking. Our Mission Statement, written by pupils, staff, governors and parents, sums up our approach: We journey and grow together in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Our behaviour policy is based on the Beatitudes and we have a strong partnership with Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church.
Our school originated in 1899 (on present site in 1927) and was founded by the Servite Fathers. New buildings were added gradually, the latest being in 2013 when the school opened 4 new classes. We are now able to meet more parental requests for education in a Christian/Catholic setting and are proud to include children from many religious denominations on our roll. A major investment in ICT ensures children have access to interactive whiteboards, laptops and ipads. We have a lovely playing field located behind the school and we have recently been awarded a grant from the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton to upgrade our Early Years area and front playground.
We are an inclusive school community with families who love to get involved with fundraising, volunteering in school and even joining the governing body. Some of the highlights of our curriculum include Beach School, visiting local historic attractions and, of course, our annual Year 6 residential trip to the Isle of Wight. We have a creative and broad curriculum based around the three characteristics that typify St Mary’s: Catholic; coastal and International. We strive to develop the skills of independence, service, collaboration and creativity in every subject we teach. We have strong links with our outstanding Catholic secondary school, St Philip Howard, and pupils at St Mary’s and the other deanery Catholic primary schools are given preferential treatment in their admissions policy.
We would be delighted to show you around our school as we feel very proud of it! Our parents, teachers, teaching assistants and pupils will be happy to tell you more about our school on your visit – just call the School Office and ask to speak with the School Business Manager, Mrs. Brown, to make an appointment.
We look forward to meeting you soon.
Kind Regards
Events
Peter Edgington
Headteacher