Welcome
Welcome from the Executive Headteacher
Mr Daniel Constable-Phelps
A very warm welcome to St Mary’s Church of England Primary and Nursery School, in the heart of Southampton.
St Mary’s is an extraordinary school. We serve one of the most diverse communities in our city, with more than 50 languages and dialects spoken and many children joining us with little or no English. We are proudly Church of England, proudly multi-faith and proudly reflective of the community around us. Children and families of different faiths and of no faith belong here.
Our ambition is simple: every child should be the best version of themselves.
That means refusing to allow a child’s starting point, background or circumstances to determine where they might finish. We have exceptionally high expectations because our children deserve them. Our pupils achieve above national standards in English, which is particularly significant in a school where so many children are learning English as an additional language and some arrive in the country speaking no English at all. Their success demonstrates what is possible when excellent teaching, high expectations and relentless belief in children come together.
But education at St Mary’s is about much more than academic outcomes.
We want children to experience awe and wonder. Walk through our school and you will see and feel it. Art, music, sculpture, performance, outdoor learning, sport, debate and rich experiences sit alongside a carefully designed academic curriculum. We want children to encounter things they have never encountered before, discover talents they did not know they possessed and develop the confidence to share those gifts with the world.
Our Christian foundation shapes our commitment to service, compassion, dignity and hope. At the same time, we recognise and celebrate the many faiths and worldviews within our community. We help children understand what connects us, including the shared traditions of the Abrahamic faiths, while ensuring that those of other faiths and of no faith are equally valued. Spirituality can be found throughout St Mary’s: in worship and reflection, in music and sound, in creativity, in connecting with nature and sometimes simply in moments of stillness. Peace lives in our school.
Our responsibility does not end at the school gates either.
We believe that exceptional schools should be beacons for community change. St Mary’s is deeply rooted in its neighbourhood. We work with families, community organisations, faith groups and partners because improving children’s lives sometimes means changing the conditions around them too. Whether through supporting families, creating opportunities for adults to learn, bringing organisations together or opening our school to the community, we want St Mary’s to make this part of Southampton stronger.
Ofsted captured something important about us when inspectors said:
“Pupils flourish at this exceptional school.”
They do. But we are not interested in standing still.
There is an energy and optimism at St Mary’s that is difficult to capture on a website. The best way to understand our school is to walk through the doors, meet our children and staff and experience it for yourself.
Come and see what we do.
Mr Constable-Phelps
