Our school mission statement, 'Hand in hand with God, we love, live and learn' underpins all that we do here at Our Lady's.
The Catholic life of the school is outstanding. This is because of the high priority [that has been given to] nurturing a Catholic community...The environment is rich with reminders that Christ is at the centre of this school. (Section 48 Report 2022)
Our aim is to ensure that Christ remains at the centre of everything that we do and to support the spiritual and mental wellbeing of the whole school community. We also have very close links to Our Lady's Church next door to our school.
Students
There are numerous ways for children to get involved in the Catholic Life of the school and develop a real sense of service.
The Year 5 mini-Vinnies focus is on 'good works'. They invite elderly parishioners and enjoy serving them at half-termly coffee mornings. They support the St Vincent de Paul charity to organise food parcels and participate in harvest festivals. They make Christmas and Easter cards for parishioners who are housebound and in local care homes. They also organise charity fundraising for Cafod, Mary's Meals, Comic relief and so on.
Every child in the school has the opportunity to develop their prayer life, as well as helping to create and take part in assemblies throughout the school year. All join in with various Chaplaincy events: May Processions, Stations of the Cross, Christmas carols etc
Parents
We regularly post pictures and messages on Class Dojo relating to prayer, feasts of the Church, good works and other faith matters. Parents have the chance to 'like' and comment and there is a warm sense of faith and support from many among parent body.
We have recently introduced a weekly Mission File on ClassDojo from the Mark10 Mission website to share the Gospel at home together as a family.
Staff
Many members of staff take the opportunity to confide in our Chaplain who seeks to support their wellbeing where invited. Our "Sacred Space" is a valued moment in the busy day when classroom staff can relax with their students and have a conversation at depth about matters of faith and of life in general.
Community
We are proud to have strong links with the local community, supporting the elderly and sometimes raising money for specific local causes. We have a special relationship with Our Lady's Church which the children visit regularly for Mass and to say the Rosary together with a group of parishioners. Many of our staff live locally which contributes to a sense of being an important part of the life of the surrounding community.