Admissions Enquiries: 01491 573118

Pastoral Care

We’ve created a caring community to support every child

We believe children need an inclusive and nurturing environment to achieve their potential.

The wellbeing of each and every pupil is of paramount importance to us, and we work hard to create an environment where every child feels respected, nurtured and valued.

Pastoral care takes many forms

St Mary's Preparatory School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of all children and expects parents, staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Teachers

While every pupil has a form teacher who is primarily responsible for their pastoral care, the community nature of our school means that all of our teachers play an active role in each child’s emotional and personal development, providing support whenever necessary.

House System

In addition to ensuring each child progresses individually, we want all our pupils to feel part of something special. To engender that team spirit, we have three houses – Neptune, Mars and Jupiter – and run friendly inter-house competitions throughout the year in everything from sport to music and art.

Wellbeing

All our pupils take part in an annual wellbeing survey, so we can monitor their needs and respond to them accordingly. Children have access to a variety of ways in which they can share any worries that they may have, and teaching staff check in regularly with pupils of all ages.

Anti-Bullying

We are very proud to have won awards for the effectiveness of our anti-bullying culture, recognised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance for enabling our children to learn in an atmosphere of tolerance and respect.

Creating a caring community

Within school we have a wide range of systems to support our children. From worry boxes and regular check-ins with form teachers, to short sessions with staff trained more specifically in pastoral support, we can put in place support on an individual needs basis. We have a visiting counsellor and play therapist, who supports children with longer term needs. If you are concerned your child may need additional help, this arranged through speaking to Mrs Bodle, our Head of Pastoral care.

All children are encouraged to have a voice, this happens through class discussions which are are managed to ensure everyone is heard, assemblies, PSHE lessons and more formally through check-ins and surveys. We also have an active School Council with reps from Y1 - 6 who feedback children's views to the Senior Leadership Team.

Ultimately our aim is to provide a safe and nurturing community where children feel comfortable and happy, allowing them to make the most of all the educational opportunities open to them.

Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff, volunteers and other third parties to share this commitment. The safety of our pupils is our number one priority.

Lots of encouragement, individually tailored activities and simply an old fashioned sense of responsibility towards the well-being of the children, are what make St. Mary's School an outstanding place.

– Early Years Parent, St Mary’s Preparatory School

Join us for a Personal Tour

Shape a bright future for your child

Book a personal tour today to discover excellence in education, experience our nurturing community, and envision a future full of promise for your child.

Learning support

Our dedicated teachers are committed to helping every single child at St Mary's achieve their full potential

Our dedicated teachers are committed to helping every single child at St Mary’s achieve their full potential.

From our more able, gifted and talented pupils, to those whom will require additional support, we are here to enable all children to access the curriculum.

Children thrive in our small, nurturing classes. For children requiring support over and above this quality first teaching, we have a team of specialist teachers. A child may require 1:1 learning support lessons if we feel they have specific needs. We liaise closely with a range of outside agencies and often can accommodate specialist support within school.

We also offer small group support in a range of areas such as handwriting, spelling and processing, as the need arises.

As a close knit team, we take a holistic approach to children’s needs. All staff discuss children’s specific learning requirements in weekly meetings and we also work closely with parents.

Our school motto is ‘A love of learning for life’ and this is at the core of all our work. Children at St Mary’s are happy and engaged and that in turn provides us with a very special learning environment.

Unlock Your Child's Potential

Discover the enriching journey your child will embark on

through the various school stages at St. Mary’s Preparatory School.

...

2 - 4 yrs old

...

4 - 7 yrs old

...

7 - 11 yrs old

...

Find out more

Next Steps

St Mary’s School Henley