St. Mary's School Hadleigh

As a Church of England Voluntary Aided School, the Church of England (through the school's Governing Body) is responsible for:

The religious direction of the school.
The appointment of all staff.
Major repair and development work relating to the school building (which it owns).

The Church’s responsibility is administered through the Diocesan Board of Education at the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. We have close links with the diocese and with St Mary's Church in Hadleigh, the rector of which is an ex officio member of the school's governing body.


Since the 1944 Education Act, church schools are part of the state system; our Local Authority, Suffolk County Council, therefore gives us a budget to cover fuel, building and grounds maintenance, salaries, equipment, services, cleaning, in-service training of staff, swimming and instrumental music. The authority retains some funds for special educational needs, school meals, inspection, advice and central administration.



Our aims:
To live by our Christian values;
To show positive attitudes to other people, ourselves, the school environment, the wider environment and the community;
To make sure our school is welcoming and well cared for;
To ensure we all see and experience a stimulating and challenging environment;
To make sure children are praised for their achievements and encouraged to do their best;
To ensure that resources are well managed, well cared for and accessible to children and staff;
To achieve the highest possible standards in relation to age and ability;
To provide well planned work, with lessons which have a clear sense of purpose and are well structured;
To ensure that everyone reflects on their practice with the aim of improvement;
To make sure all staff believe they can make a difference and have a positive impact on pupil achievement;

St Mary's Church School exists to serve the children that pass through it. The whole life of the school is a continuing process and constant evaluation and appraisal is taking place, especially in the curriculum and class work.