Welcome to Tickhill St Mary’s C of E Primary School. Rooted in our Christian faith and guided by the belief that to encounter Jesus is to be invited into “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10), we are committed to nurturing every child to flourish academically, socially, and spiritually.

Our school is a friendly and inclusive community where everyone is welcomed and valued. We pride ourselves on fostering a warm and supportive environment where children, families, and staff work together as part of the St Mary’s family.

Our values are integral to school life and form the foundation of our curriculum. Collectively, we call these values ‘The St Mary’s Way’. Walking this way involves being and becoming:

• Resilient

• Curious

• Respectful

• Accountable

• Active members of our community

Resilient

Our school is a place of Christian hope. Writing about the many setbacks and challenges he had faced, Paul reflected on Jesus Christ and told the Philippians, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

We believe that offering children the example of Jesus and the way he walked involves teaching about a hope that endures in the face of challenges, encouraging them to remain positive and to show determination.

“Jesus and the love he embodies are at the heart of our faith, offering hope that wrongdoing and sin, suffering, evil and death are not the last word about reality. The drama of his life, teaching, death and resurrection, set within the larger story of God’s involvement with the whole of creation and history, is fundamental not only to affirming the goodness of life but also to facing and finding ways through whatever goes wrong with ourselves and our communities.”¹

Curious

“Though it cost all you have, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7).

The Book of Proverbs encourages enthusiasm for the pursuit of wisdom which, in that context, involved knowledge about and relationship with the whole of creation. Christian faith teaches that we are living within God’s good creation (Genesis 1:31); this gives us the joy and opportunity to find out all we can.

When the biblical proverb says, “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out” (Proverbs 25:2), it places curiosity and the search for understanding at the heart of our calling.

At Tickhill St Mary’s, we affirm the vitality of curious minds. In our school, “There is confidence that the pursuit of wisdom, knowledge and skills is consistent with how God has shaped the world and ourselves.”²

Respectful

When asked what was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied with two: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:37–40).

At St Mary’s, “Our commitment to the dignity and ultimate worth of each person, rooted in each being created in the image of God and loved by God, is further shaped by the person, teaching and example of Jesus.”³

In the Gospels, Jesus is depicted as walking the way to Jerusalem, a way filled with encounters with different people in which he demonstrates loving and compassionate responses (e.g. Mark 10:13–16; Mark 10:46–52).

To walk The St Mary’s Way involves recognising our encounters with one another as opportunities to grow in the love of God and of one another within our school community.

Accountable

“Living before God and living with and for others go together in Jesus. He embodies the centrality of relationships in love, compassion, generosity, truth-telling, forgiveness, and gathering a community.”⁴

Jesus told a story of servants who were entrusted with coins and held to account for how wisely they used them (Matthew 25:14–30). At Tickhill St Mary’s, we create a community of caring accountability rooted in honesty and shared commitment.

We recognise our responsibility to live up to our distinctive vision as a school. We are committed to nurturing every child to flourish academically, socially and spiritually. With this in mind, our Christian faith offers us a culture of forgiveness and acceptance that enables us to reflect on our successes while also owning our mistakes and learning from them.

Active Members of Our Community

Walking The St Mary’s Way involves journeying into the places where we can make a difference. Our faith teaches that we share in the work of God, which Jesus spoke of throughout his ministry as the Kingdom of God.

We see this as a community of justice, compassion and generosity, and we actively seek to live out the prayer:

“Your Kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as in heaven.”
(Matthew 6:10)

We seek the Kingdom of God: a culture of mutuality expressed through care and love, justice, responsibility, and care for people and creation.

To walk The St Mary’s Way is to become active members of our community — people who recognise that our choices, actions and relationships can make a difference to the lives of others and to the world God has entrusted to us. We want our children not only to understand these values, but to have meaningful opportunities to live them out every day.

At St Mary’s, learning therefore extends well beyond the classroom. We are proud to offer Forest School experiences for all year groups, alongside a wide range of co-curricular opportunities, including vocal group, craft club, eco group, school council, sports leaders and Friendship Force, to name just a few. These experiences encourage our children to discover their interests, develop their talents, take responsibility and contribute positively to the life of our school and wider community.

Our school pets — two dogs, two guinea pigs and a small flock of chickens — also bring warmth and life to our community. Caring for our animals is an important part of school life, giving children opportunities to develop compassion, responsibility and respect for creation.

In all that we do, we seek to create a school where every child feels known, valued and encouraged to flourish. We look forward to supporting your child on their journey with us as they discover their unique gifts, grow in confidence and faith, and experience “life in all its fullness”.

Mrs Kendrew-Jones
Headteacher