St. Mary's Stoke Newington

St Mary's Church of England Primary School on Stoke Newington Church Street is closely linked to St Mary's. The school is the longest established in the area. It was founded in the 19th century, and its main building dates from that era, though it has been greatly extended and modernised. Its staff believe that a child's primary school education is crucial in establishing a positive attitude towards all aspects of life - spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical. The school aims to create a caring environment where children can thrive in an atmosphere of trust, respect and responsibility. One of its teachers, Mrs Thelma Andrews, was named Primary School Teacher of the Year for London and the South-East. When the government's schools inspectorate OFSTED inspected St Mary's School in 2002, they were impressed by the positive attitude shown by pupils: "They are attentive and respectful to the adults they meet, and obviously enjoy their lessons". The inspectors' report comments very favourably on the provision made for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, on an effective discipline policy, on the school-parent partnership, on the efficient use of resources, and on the "calm, caring, strong and supportive leadership" of the head teacher, Eleanor Taylor. The report says that "in 89% of lessons teaching was satisfactory or better" but noted some problems at Key Stage 1. St Mary's School's response to the OFSTED report has been to put in place a comprehensive action plan to address each issue raised by the inspectors. The plan aims to improve consistency of assessment in both the core and foundation subjects, and to improve the monitoring of teaching and curriculum development. A brand new Nursery class has been built and opened in 2002, which adds greatly to the educational provision which the school as a whole makes. Prospective parents are invited to an appointment to visit the school by contacting the head teacher. St Mary's School Lordship Road Stoke Newington London N16 Tel: 020 8800 2645 See St Mary's School, according to some of the pupils ...