We believe every child is made in God’s image and likeness with extraordinary gifts and talents. With the help of the Holy Spirit we are tasked to nurture and develop our children and encourage them to be independent, resilient lifelong learners who are confident and able to reach their full potential. The bond between our parents, governors and parish is a partnership which we use to support the children in our care, encourage them to shine and have pride in their achievements, whilst being responsible members of society and developing a deep faith in God.
Our School Values are based on the Kingdom of God. They are an opportunity to take Christ’s teaching into the heart of our faith and our school. Jesus taught constantly about “the Kingdom of God”. This concept was at the centre of his teaching and life – we want to have the same at St. Margaret Clitherow School.
Our mission is to do all we can to bring signs of God’s mercy, compassion and justice into the world. This is the mission Jesus has entrusted us to do. If we have faith in Him, we will witness how he can help us to help others.
Our values are:
Love, Peace, Truth, Justice, Goodness, Forgiveness, Faith, Hope, Courage and Freedom.
Please click the powerpoint below to find out more about our values.
To ensure our school values encompass the Catholic identity and ethos of the school and supports the faith journey of all pupils
To maximise potential progress and achievement for all pupils through high quality of education
To deliver a creative curriculum which is engaging and enjoyable
To provide a safe learning environment which is conducive to effective and creative learning
To promote and celebrate the diversity of our school community
To ensure our pupils understand how to be responsible and respectful members of society
To promote pupils’ and staff’s emotional and mental health wellbeing to enable them to be resilient when they encounter problems and challenges
By pursuing these aims we offer a Catholic education in which Christian principles and traditions underpin the entire curriculum, thus fostering self-esteem, confidence and a sense of service to the community and to the wider world.
At St. Margaret Clitherow RC Primary, we can offer you:
An inclusive Catholic community that welcomes all Christian traditions and other faiths who are all able to participate fully in the life of the school.
Dedicated and dynamic staff with proven effectiveness in children’s learning outcomes.
A strong community feel where our school values and ethos are lived out by all.
Positive relationships between all stakeholders.
Staff members who actively engage with children and families, creating an environment where everyone feels recognised, valued and supported.
An engaging curriculum.
Expansive grounds which encourage outdoor learning and hands on experiences.
Before and after school club (wrap around care) options available from 7:30am until 5:30pm for children aged 4+.
30-hour Nursery sessions available from 8:45am – 3:15pm for 3–4-year-olds.
A wide range of afterschool clubs linked to the children’s interests.
Do not just take my word for it! For a flavour of daily school life, simply follow @StMClitherow or please call the office (01438 352 863) to arrange an appointment to experience our school firsthand. We look forward to welcoming you and sharing the joy of learning at St. Margaret Clitherow School.
Headteacher
Carmela Puccio (SLT) - Catholic Life and Mission Lead & Collective Worship Lead
Year 6
Assistant Headteacher & Year 4, 5 & 6 Lead - Mr Peck
Teaching Assistant - Mrs Malocco & Mrs Babb
Year 5
Teachers - Miss Marron (Mon & Tues) & Mrs Mather (Wed-Fri)
Teaching Assistants - Mrs Hudspith
Year 4
Teacher - Mrs Newham
Teaching Assistants - Mrs Tilbrook & Mrs Collins
Year 3
Teacher - Mrs Howard
Teaching Assistant - Mrs Tilbrook
Year 2
Teacher - Mr Moore
Teaching Assistants - Mrs Collins, Miss Olejnik & Miss Fox
Year 1
Assistant Headteacher & Year 1, 2 & 3 Lead - Miss Coleman
Teaching Assistants - Miss Bartesaghi & Mrs Collins & Mrs Darrington
Reception
EYFS Lead and Teacher - Mrs Cooper (SLT) - RE Lead
Teaching Assistants - Mrs Murphy, Miss Cameron & Mrs Darrington
Nursery
Teachers - Mrs Hurley (AM) & Mr Shields (PM)
EYFS Practitioners - Mrs Hayllar and Mrs Ridgers-Latif
Teaching Assistant - Miss Cameron
Disability and Special Educational Needs
Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) - Miss Brassington
SEN Teaching Assistant - Miss Sulman & Mrs Babb
Physical Education
Mr Laurence (Rising Stars)
Music
Kirsty Allman Ward (Primary Music Matters)
IT Support
Mr Ainsworth (KeystageIT)
School Office
PA to Headteacher, Office Manager & Clerk to Governing Body - Mrs Streeter
Administrative Assistant - Mrs McTait
Administrative Assistant - Mrs Purtow
Caretaker
Mr Ryan
At St Margaret Clitherow Roman Catholic Primary School we are committed to safeguarding our children. We expect all staff, volunteers, governors and parents to share our commitment; we have policies, procedures, and training in place to ensure this.
Our Named Governor for Safeguarding is:
Sally Curtis (s.curtis@clitherow.herts.sch.uk)
Designated Safeguarding Lead is:
Carmela Puccio (head@clitherow.herts.sch.uk)
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Person is:
Andrew Peck (a.peck@clitherow.herts.sch.uk)
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Person is:
Amy Coleman (a.coleman@clitherow.herts.sch.uk)
Please click on the link below to find some recommended resources for helping keeping your child and family safe on-line.
Sally Curtis (s.curtis@clitherow.herts.sch.uk)
At St Margaret Clitherow, we promote the Christian values of love, respect, tolerance and forgiveness, as revealed to us through the life of Jesus Christ. Our mission statement captures our desire to follow the example of Christ in welcoming, nurturing and developing the individual child as a unique and precious gift, created in the image of God. We recognise the dignity of each individual and aim to live as one family based on Gospel values. Our school is a welcoming faith community where the unique identity and contribution of every member of the community is valued. We are committed to creating an environment for learning which will enable all children to achieve the highest possible standards in an inclusive context that values learning and responds to individual and group needs. We seek to help children to develop into confident, responsible and caring adults through a rich faith experience and an ethos of tolerance, appreciation of difference and mutual respect. Integral to this is respect for everyone in their own beautiful uniqueness. It is the responsibility of every member of our community to ensure that this ethos is actively and consistently reflected in our practice.
Please find below our Equalities documents.
Chair - Jasmine Carroll
Treasurer - Danielle Blackburn
Secretary - Vicki Hanscombe
General Officer - Antonella Guerriero
General Officer - Andrea Nicholls
General Officer - Daisy Dzere Tarquino
General Officer - Lauren Moore
"Everyone is part of the PSFA"
Your Parents, Staff & Friends Association (PSFA) Committee, are working hard to bring you the events that we know you enjoy. Fairs, discos, sales, and lots more! We will shortly be donating £4000 to our school to be used across our classes for their individual needs. We have paid towards the outdoor equipment and lots of items around our school. All of this is only possible with your kind donations and the support of you all, so THANK YOU! Everyone is a member of the PSFA so support the PSFA in whatever way you can. Every small gesture really helps. You can support the Committee by:
- Signing up to the Your School Lottery: £1 per line per week.
- Joining The Giving Machine or EasyFundraising App: donations as you shop online.
- Using one of our hiring services: bouncy castle, gazebos and tea/coffee services.
- Regularly attending one of our fun events: fairs, discos etc.
Have you considered Matched Giving? Turn your time into cash , as most companies now offer to match funds, to raise for charity. If you have any ideas as to how we can earn further funds please email: psfa@clitherow.herts.sch.uk, join us at one of our regular coffee mornings or simply chat to a committee member in the playground (your committee covers every year group and are very approachable). Your ideas will always be discussed at the committee meetings and actioned where possible. As always, thank you for your continued support.
God Bless
Your PSFA
Please visit www.teachinherts.com to view any vacancies in our school.
I am delighted to share with you the Ofsted Inspection report from our inspection in May 2024. We are pleased to announce that overall, we are a ‘Good’ school with ‘Outstanding’ features. I am immensely proud of our school and the journey we have been on. Please rest assured that the hard work does not stop, we are and will continue to strive for excellence for all our children and families.
This report is a testament to the incredible progress our school has made over the past 11 years since our last inspection.
Our dedicated team of staff and governors have worked tirelessly to create a nurturing and stimulating environment where every child can thrive. It fills me with pride to see how our children have embraced their learning journey and have become a credit to us all. Together, we are shaping a brighter future for our children, and I am excited about the journey ahead.
Pupils make rapid progress because they are very keen to learn, and because the teaching is highly effective. The exciting curriculum, strong links with the community and church, and the emphasis on personal faith and beliefs make excellent contributions to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils.
Pupils highly positive attitudes are a very important factor in their successful learning.
Catholic schools receive a separate inspection on behalf of the Bishops, now called a Catholic Schools Inspection (previously section 48.)
A new inspection framework has been introduced and schools are inspected under this revised and more rigorous framework.
We are incredibly proud to report the following achievements:
- Catholic Life and Mission – Outstanding
- Religious Education – Good
- Collective Worship – Outstanding
These results mean that our school has been graded as Good overall. To achieve an Outstanding grade overall, all three areas must be rated as Outstanding. Nevertheless, we are extremely proud of the high standards we have achieved, especially in two areas where we reached the highest possible rating.
"Pupils in St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School are happy, confident and very proud of their school. They clearly understand their mission statement, 'Jesus lives in us, our families, our school, our church, our world. Jesus is our guide, let us follow Him.' They can quote scripture to give examples of how they do their best to follow Jesus every day. Pupils explain that if they ever feel worried about something they are confident that adults will help them in a discreet and caring way. They are fully aware of their responsibilities towards the more vulnerable members of society and can reference Catholic Social Teaching when discussing their work with the local foodbank. Pupils explain that St Margaret Clitherow was someone whose actions were prompted by her love of God.
What has made this report even more special is how clearly it showed the love and enthusiasm our children have for their school. This was evident to the inspectors, and it's something we can all celebrate as a community.
I encourage you to take some time to read through the full report, which reflects the collective hard work, faith, and dedication of our children, staff, governors and families.
