Our Lady and St. Gerard's is a Catholic school where the message of Christ inspires the curriculum and all aspects of school life.  We aim to bring Jesus into our school; at all times, in everything.  As a Catholic school, our Faith in God and His only son Jesus, guides our ethos and daily life.  Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6) and by proclaiming this, we promote the fullness of Christian life.  We strive to celebrate the uniqueness of all our children and our staff; allowing each person to recognise their place and calling from God.  Our school is a community of strong relationships built on Gospel Values.  We value and respect each other and use love and reconciliation to make Christ known in our school.

The School aims to provide an education which enables each pupil, in accordance with his or her ability, to become a responsible citizen. The personal, spiritual and moral development of our children is guided by our love of Jesus Christ.  In the modern world, we want our children to be agents of change - protecting God's earth, showing kindness to those less fortunate, showing compassion and solidarity during times of conflict.  Our expectations and standards for all children is high as the children, entrusted to us, are our hope for the future.  We guide our children to explore the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching across the school year.  We consider how we can put our faith into action.  Our faith calls us to love God and our neighbours, showing support locally, nationally and globally.

The seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching

• Family & Community - 'Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.' (Exodus 20:12)
• Stewardship of God's Creation - 'We must care for nature so that nature can care for us.' (Pope Francis)
• Dignity of the human person - 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.' (Jeremiah 1:5)
• Solidarity & the common good - 'In truth I tell you, as you did this to one of these brothers of mine, you did this to me.' (Matthew 25:40)
• Option for the poor & vulnerable - 'You are not making a gift of your possessions to the poor person, you are handing over to them what is theirs.' (St Ambrose)
• Dignity of work and the right of workers - ‘The Lord wants to turn your hands, my hands, our hands, into signs of reconciliation, of communion, of creation’ – Pope Francis.
• Rights and responsibilities - '...there is no authority except from God and those that have been instituted by God'. (Romans 13:1)

Our Caritas Ambassadors work with our Laudato Si group and other pupil leaders to lead projects which help us to put faith into action.  

The school will strive to provide:

• A welcoming atmosphere
• A love of learning and one another
• Opportunities for every child to reach their full potential and recognise their gifts and talents
• Formation of every unique character for the common good
• Strong church/parish links 

Our Lady and St. Gerard's RC Primary aims to provide your child with an excellent all-round education that will make his/her school days the best they can possibly be. Our broad and balanced curriculum aims to enrich personal formation and nurture enquiring minds. It promotes knowledge, understanding, skills and values in the context of spiritual, moral, intellectual, physical and social development. The school will endeavour to be an integral part of the local community and will forge links with individuals and groups.

Special attention will be devoted to the development of personal qualities, values and attitudes in accordance with the school mission statement:

'Placing God in our hearts, we will love, live and learn'.

Our School Charter is 'Be safe, Be a learner, Be kind & respectful'.  See our Behaviour section for more information.

Our staff were part of Attachment & Trauma training which helped us to consider how children are affected by attachment and early trauma.  Staff being 'Trauma informed' means that they consider the individual needs of children in their approaches to behaviour management.  Our Behaviour Charter & Policy model the appropriate approaches recommended to support children with attachment and trauma needs.

We are a partner school with 'When the Adults Change' because we use relational and restorative approaches to behaviour management.  Our Behaviour Policy is  built upon the teachings of Christ and the Gospel values of love, compassion and forgiveness.  We value the gifts and talents of all our pupils and recognise our place as ‘missionary disciples’ in guiding them so that 'That they shall have life, life in all its fullness. ' (John 10:10).  See our Behaviour pages for more information.