School Development Plan - 2025-26

St Gerard’s Catholic Primary & Nursery School

School Development Plan  2025-2026

Our Vision

At St Gerard’s, guided by God, we learn to love, hope, dream, and achieve. We are a safe and welcoming inclusive community rooted in Catholic values, where every child is supported to grow academically, spiritually, and personally.

What We Are Focusing On This Year

Behaviour and Attitudes

We want every child to feel happy and safe at school.

We are working on a new Behaviour for Learning policy that encourages positive attitudes, clear expectations, and a caring environment.                                                   

We will celebrate good behaviour and make sure everyone understands the rules.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

We aim to reduce behaviour issues and improve attendance and punctuality.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

We ask parents to support us by reinforcing these expectations at home.

Leadership and Management

We are strengthening our school leaders’ knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum to better support our Nursery and Reception children.This means our leaders will work closely with Early Years staff to make sure your child gets the best start.

We will keep improving training and support for our staff.

Quality of Education

We want every pupil to improve their writing skills and become confident with multiplication facts.

Teachers will work together regularly to check writing and plan lessons.

Extra help will be provided for pupils who need it.

We welcome your involvement in supporting your child’s learning at home.

Early Years Provision

Your child’s safety and wellbeing are our top priorities.

We are fully implementing updated safeguarding and welfare practises for our youngest pupils.

Staff are trained in paediatric first aid and all safety records are kept up to date

Personal Development

We want your child to grow in confidence, resilience, and kindness, reflecting the Gospel values we hold dear.

Pupils will have opportunities to take on leadership roles and build strong friendships.

We support their spiritual and emotional wellbeing through various activities.

Religious Life of the School

We are developing a prayer room to help pupils grow spiritually and continue our Religious Education Development (RED) programme.

The prayer room will be a special place for reflection and prayer.

Pupils will engage actively in religious activities and events.

How You Can Help

• Talk with your child about their day and the values we promote at school.
• Support your child’s learning by encouraging reading, writing, and number work at home.
• Attend school events and meetings when you can, to stay involved in your child’s education.
• Communicate with us if you have any questions or concerns.

Keeping You Informed

Our governors regularly review our progress and meet with staff and pupils to ensure we are on track. We will keep you updated through newsletters, meetings, and our website.

Thank you for being a vital part of our school community. Together, we can help every child at St Gerard’s to love learning, grow in faith, and achieve their best.