Our School

Welcome to St Edward's Catholic Primary  
 

My name is Mrs Joanne Kennett. It is a privilege to be the Head Teacher of St. Edward's Catholic Primary School. Our school is vibrant and celebrates its cultural diversity and the many rich languages spoken by many of our families.  St Edward's has approximately 400 children with two classes per year group. Our children start in Reception. We have very good links with our local feeder nursery settings. I hope that you are able to find out all about our school, here on the website. During our most recent Ofsted on 2nd and 3rd November 2022, we have achieved a GOOD in all areas of inspection. This report confirms that the Leaders of the school have made the necessary improvements, particularly in the changes to our Reception environment and curriculum. Our children are encouraged to be independent, and throughout the school life, we build a curriculum that not only engages and inspires them, but is also built on the children’s interests and the diversity of our curriculum. The outdoor area at St Edward's is an amazing resource but we are hidden away and you cannot appreciate the amazing grounds from the outside. Come and visit us!

I am very proud to be the Head Teacher of St Edward's Catholic Primary with its wonderful children, hardworking staff, supportive governing body and all within a beautiful setting and extensive grounds. The school has excellent links with St Edward's Catholic Church. Father Denis is our parish priest who celebrates our Masses and is also governor of our school. He works closely with us to guide the children on their spiritual journey.

We promote high standards of behaviour and academic achievement. Our results are consistently above the national expectation in all areas of the school. In July 2018, we celebrated our best ever results for KS2 which are 'well above' the national expectation for 'expected and 'greater depth' for progress in reading and writing and 'above' the national expectation and greater depth for Mathematics.

We have been named in the TOP TEN OF BIRMINGHAM SCHOOLS according to The real Guide for Schools 2019

As members of staff, we are continually striving to be the very best that we can possibly be, in whatever important role we play within St Edward's. As our mission statement explains: Jesus is at the heart of all that we do. We pride ourselves on the relationships that we build with each other and on our mission to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to reach their full, God-given potential. The school works collaboratively within the Tolkien Cluster of schools:St Jude's, St Dunstan's, St Bernard's, St Catherine of Siena, St Anne's, SS John & Monica, St Alban's, St Mary’s, Our Lady of Lourdes and Bishop Challoner by reviewing each other's schools and sharing expertise and training amongst staff. St Edward's is outward looking in its approach to learning and many of our staff work alongside colleagues in other settings and value links with local school in Kings Norton Consortium. We have a Senior Leader working  as moderator for the Local Authority and our Maths lead works as a local Maths Hub lead for Mastery Maths.

At St Edward's we run a 'Dog Mentoring' programme with trained staff and our two school dogs-Ralph and Millie who play a very important part in our school life and curriculum; supporting the development of reading, improving behaviour, attendance and the pastoral needs of our pupils.

At St Edward's, we are one big family and ensure that however we learn and whatever we do, we always put 'Jesus at the heart of all that we do' (School Mission statement).

As a Voluntary Aided Catholic School, we are proud of our faith-based curriculum and know that the school ethos, our focus on gospel virtues, collective worship and Mass support the spiritual growth and development of all of our children. Although our admissions criteria ensures that Catholic children are considered first for a place, we also welcome children of differing faiths but we expect that all of our children are included and participate in all religious activities. In our religious curriculum, we explore other faiths and actively encourage children to share their own cultural experiences. This sharing promotes an understanding, respect and tolerance of our diverse community and nation.

We also highlight the huge similarities in faith practices across all religions, such as commitment, the importance of family, prayer and celebrations across the year. Black History Month, our International weeks and International evening are some examples of how we have celebrate this diversity. Our newly appointed ‘Language Ambassadors’ provide peer support for children who speak more than one language.
 

If you would like to visit the school, please make an appointment with the front office and a Senior member of staff will take you on a tour. We look forward to meeting your family. Please look out for our Open Days and Open Evening in November.

Vision and Values

At St Edward's Catholic Primary, our mission statement is:

 'Jesus is at the heart of all that we do'

This reminds us about what we are all here to do and that Jesus is at the core of everything we do. We follow the Gospel values and believe that they underpin our teaching and learning. We provide a happy and safe environment where we aim to help nurture our pupils to be confident and happy citizens. As a Catholic Primary school, we believe that we can help the children to grow in their knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith. Our sole purpose is to serve and educate the families within St Edward's Parish primarily but also welcome applications from families who wish for a faith-based education for their child.  We endeavour to ensure that everyone achieves to the best of their ability, having high expectations of behaviour but also academic success. We are here to ensure that all children, whatever their ability and needs, are able to do their very best. We also want our children to enjoy school, feel valued, feel safe and cared for. We also want our families to work with us in partnership.

We will do our best to take on board your views and hope to be trusted to make the best decisions for all of the children in our care.

At St. Edward’s, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and adults in our school, and we have the same expectation of our staff and volunteers. 

History of St Edward's Catholic Primary School

The Catholic Church's primary ministry consisted in staffing parish schools but above all was to to teach the poor. in the mid-nineteenth century, elementary education was was not compulsory. In 1839, some government grants became available and in 1846 the Catholic Poor School Committee was founded to promote Catholic education. At the same time, the Factory Act of 1844 attempted to limit the employment hours of children and to insist on children between the ages of 8 and 13 spending three days or six half days in school. Sister Genevieve Dupuis opened night schools for children working during the day. She also insisted on her sisters needing to be certified and well trained to teach. From 1853 there was a Training School for Catholic teachers at St Chad's and one for the Sisters in Banbury-to train sisters to teach parish elementary schools.