St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Our Vision
At Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. Rooted in our Catholic faith and Gospel values, we believe that every child is uniquely created by God and deserves to feel valued, respected, supported and loved. We are committed to creating a nurturing environment where all children and families are welcomed, celebrated and enabled to flourish academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually.
Our mission is to ensure that every child has access to high-quality learning opportunities and receives the support they need to achieve their full potential. We recognise that every child and family is different, and we pride ourselves on building strong relationships and providing personalised support which removes barriers and promotes success for all.

Our Inclusive Ethos
The strength of Saint Mary's lies in our relationships. We work hard to know every child and every family as individuals. Through positive partnerships, open communication and genuine care, we create a school community where children feel safe, families feel supported and everyone feels they belong.
We believe that early intervention, strong relationships and a personalised approach are key to ensuring that children thrive. Inclusion is not viewed as a separate area of school life but is embedded in our daily practice, decision-making and interactions.
As a Catholic school, we are guided by the principles of dignity, compassion, service and respect. These values shape the way we work with children, families, staff and the wider community.
Relationship-Centred Practice
A key feature of our inclusive approach is the visibility and accessibility of staff.
Each morning, staff are present on classroom doors and around the school site to provide a warm and welcoming start to the day. This allows parents and carers regular opportunities to share information, raise concerns and seek support. We value these daily interactions and recognise the important role they play in strengthening home-school relationships.
Our families are exceptionally well known to us. From office staff and teaching assistants to teachers and senior leaders, all members of staff work together to ensure children and families receive the support they need. We believe every interaction matters and strive to ensure that families feel listened to, understood and valued.
Many children benefit from having a trusted adult within school. Where appropriate, children are supported to develop strong relationships with key members of staff who provide guidance, encouragement and reassurance during times of difficulty. These trusted adults play a significant role in promoting wellbeing, confidence and engagement with school life.

Personalised Support and Provision
We understand that barriers to learning can arise for many reasons and may affect children and families differently. Therefore, we take a flexible and personalised approach to support.
Provision may include:
• Flexible start and finish times for pupils experiencing anxiety or difficulties with attendance.
• Safe and supportive spots where children can regulate emotions, reflect and seek support.
• Access to trusted adults throughout the school day.
• Regular check-ins and mentoring sessions.
• Individualised support plans.
• Phased returns following periods of absence.
• Adaptations to learning environments, teaching approaches and timetables.
• Additional support during periods of bereavement, family difficulties or significant life events.
• Tailored strategies to support social, emotional and mental health needs.
• Personalised approaches to supporting attendance and engagement.
• Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities to ensure successful access to the curriculum and wider school life.
We continually review and adapt support to ensure it remains effective and responsive to the changing needs of children and families.

Communication and Early Intervention
Strong communication is central to our inclusive practice.
Staff work collaboratively to ensure information is shared effectively and that pupils receive consistent support across the school day. Regular discussions between teachers, support staff and leaders help identify emerging concerns quickly and allow interventions to be put in place at the earliest opportunity.
The Headteacher maintains a visible presence throughout the school and regularly visits classrooms, playgrounds and communal areas. These daily additional check-ins provide opportunities to monitor wellbeing, celebrate success and further strengthen the identification any pupils requiring additional support.
We also operate an open-door policy, encouraging families to communicate with school and seek advice or support whenever required.

Academic Intervention
Interventions are carefully planned, monitored and reviewed to ensure positive outcomes for pupils.
Academic support may include:
• Targeted phonics interventions.
• Precision teaching.
• Small-group and one-to-one tuition.
• Pre-teaching and overlearning opportunities.
• Reading fluency and comprehension support.
• Vocabulary and language development programmes.
• Mathematics interventions to close identified gaps in learning.
• Structured support for children requiring additional challenge or consolidation.
Progress is regularly monitored to ensure interventions have a measurable impact on learning and attainment.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health Support
We recognise that emotional wellbeing is fundamental to successful learning.
Our support may include:
• Nurture-based approaches.
• Emotional literacy programmes.
• Self-regulation strategies.
• Social skills groups.
• Friendship support.
• Pastoral mentoring.
• Access to trusted adults.
• Individual wellbeing plans.
• Support from external agencies where appropriate.
By supporting emotional wellbeing, we help children develop confidence, resilience and positive relationships.

Supporting Families
We believe that successful outcomes for children are achieved through strong partnerships between home and school.
We work closely with families by:
• Maintaining open and regular communication.
• Holding meetings and review discussions.
• Offering informal drop-in opportunities.
• Signposting parents to external support services.
• Supporting families through periods of challenge or crisis.
• Working collaboratively to identify and remove barriers to learning, attendance and wellbeing.
We strive to ensure that all families can access support and feel welcomed as valued members of our school community.

Transition Support
We recognise that periods of transition can be particularly challenging for some children and families. As part of our commitment to inclusion, we provide enhanced support to ensure pupils move confidently through key stages of their education.
This may include:
• Supporting pupils through transition between year groups and key stages.
• Working closely with receiving schools to ensure continuity of support.
• Sharing relevant information to help children settle successfully.
• Arranging additional visits to new settings.
• Developing personalised transition plans.
• Holding meetings with families and receiving staff.
• Accompanying pupils on visits to their secondary school when additional reassurance and support are needed.
• Identifying key adults within receiving settings to support pupils during transition.
By walking alongside children and families during these important milestones, we help reduce anxiety, build confidence and promote positive experiences of change.

Intended Outcomes and Impact
Through our inclusive culture and intervention strategy, we aim to ensure that:
• Every child feels safe, valued, respected and included.
• Children develop a strong sense of belonging within our Catholic community.
• Families feel welcomed, supported and able to access help when needed.
• Barriers to learning are identified and addressed quickly.
• Attendance and engagement improve for vulnerable learners.
• Children develop resilience, confidence and independence.
• Emotional wellbeing is strengthened.
• Academic progress and achievement improve for all groups of pupils.
• Pupils with SEND are fully included in all aspects of school life.
• Strong partnerships between home and school are maintained.
• Transitions between educational settings are successful and well supported.
• Children are equipped with the skills, confidence and aspirations needed for future success.

Conclusion
At Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, inclusion is more than a strategy; it is a commitment that is lived out every day through our actions, relationships and values. We are proud of our culture of care, support and belonging, where every child is known, every family is welcomed and every individual is encouraged to flourish.
Through strong relationships, personalised provision, effective intervention and our shared Catholic values, we work together to ensure that all members of our community are able to achieve their God-given potential.