Contact Details

School Name: / St Mary’s Primary School, Inglewood
Principal’s name: / Mr John Brohm
Phone: / 5438 3075
Email: /
School C Number:

Validation Panel Members

Name / Role/Position / Nominee of
Phil Billington / Deputy Director – Leader of Catholic Education / Director (Chair)
Christine Turner / Education Officer – Religious Education / St Mary’s, Inglewood
Date of Review Validation / 27 November 2008

GENERAL COMMENTS

St Mary’s primary School is an outstanding Catholic Primary School – small in numbers but big in vision, commitment, imagination, participation and deep education. Catholic identity is alive and flourishing at St Mary’s and is manifest in many and varied ways.

There is s strong sense of hospitality from the front office through to the smallest child. The panel was welcomed warmly and then a presentation of the history of the school from 1907 until today was presented. This had been prepared by a staff member and it was excellent. It was detailed and contained the essence of the Nano Nagle charism that has guided the school.

The presentation of the School Vision and Mission of St Mary’s by the Principal and DPRE was insightful, comprehensive and clearly made the links between the vision and the ways in which the mission is brought to life throughout the many aspects of school life.

Welcoming liturgy and the classroom liturgies are exemplary. The students led the liturgy, prepared the sacred space and prayed spontaneously with meaning. The three classroom liturgies were diverse yet focused, meaningful and reflected the best of liturgical practice.

Family gathering is the name given to the assemblies throughout the day. The strong community spirit both within the school and in the school’s relationships in the wider community is extraordinary. The Hostel program of weekly visits and also with the elderly visiting the school once per month is excellent. The reflection on action process with the senior students ensures that this is a life-changing event for both the students and the elderly. There is a very strong sense of care and compassion which is lived throughout all aspects of school life.

Student leadership is a strength of the St Mary’s school. This is a strength not only because St Mary’s is a small school but because the staff all commit to working in a very positive and developmental way with the students. The youngest child has the opportunity to exercise leadership – it is a natural way of life at St Mary’s.

The staff have a strong sense of purpose and commitment, capacity and competence, a willingness to work together to achieve the best for the students and families. There is a very strong cohesion among the staff who display an open commitment to each other both professionally and personally. They cooperate in using their many and varied talents to achieve the best learning experience for the students and the school in the broader community. Their capacity and commitment to responding to the spiritual needs of the students in a very pastoral and imaginative way in a challenging situation is to be applauded.

The panel applauds the excellent level of documentation and the obvious follow up on the Whole School Review of 2007. Each recommendation has been followed up and completed. The panel was extremely impressed by both the process and the outcome of the preparation for the review of Catholic identity.

COMMON ELEMENTS

1 / VISION AND MISSION OF THE CATHOLIC TEACHING AND LEARNING COMMUNITY

General comments

This is an outstanding feature of the school. It is very well documented and displayed throughout the school and lived. It guides all aspects of the school which was evident in the overview presented by the Leadership. There is alignment of commitment to the vision and mission in all aspects of school life.

Commendations

The panel endorses all the commendations of the Self Review and would include the following:

·  The evidence of the lived Vision, Mission and Graduate Outcomes not only in the documentation but in the daily rhythm of the classroom and playground.

·  The induction of new staff into the culture of St Mary’s.

Recommendations

The panel endorses all the recommendations of the Self Review and would include encourage St Mary’s to acknowledge that they are already achieving in wonderful ways the celebration of Liturgy of the Word and the engagement of families in understanding the school vision, mission and graduate outcomes.

2 / PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR CATHOLIC IDENTITY

General comments

St Mary’s is very committed to supporting Diocesan professional learning initiatives and programs. Staff members are involved on Diocesan teams and networks –a very big commitment for a small school.

Commendations

The panel endorses all the commendations of the Self Review and applauds St Mary’s on its commitment to professional learning at all levels.

Recommendations

The panel endorses all the recommendations of the Self Review and would include the following:

·  The continuation of the Staff Spirituality program

·  The engagement of staff in the Christian Meditation workshops and the Making Jesus real program for Grades 5/6 in 2009-2010.

·  The engagement of parents in Godly Play workshops and other programs which are faith-based.

3 / POLICY DEVELOPMENT FOR CATHOLIC IDENTITY

General comments

The policy development at St Mary’s is first rate. Recommendations from the Whole School review of 2007 had been followed up thoroughly. The policies are set out clearly and are very instructive, relevant and appropriate.

Commendations

The panel endorses all the commendations of the Self Review.

Recommendations

The panel endorses all the recommendations of the Self Review.

CATHOLIC IDENTITY – SPECIFIC FINDINGS

General comments

Catholic identity is the jewel in the crown at St Mary’s. The student population is diverse but the children meet Jesus and learn about his life in a deeply meaningful way not only in Religious Education classes but also throughout the curriculum and in the pastoral care life of the school. The Catholic faith tradition is core to the lives of the teachers and this is manifest in many ways in their daily professional lives.

Commendations

The panel endorses all the commendations of the Self Review and would include the following:

·  The exceptional commitment to the spiritual welfare and development of the students

·  The attention to detail in all matters of Catholic Identity – the presentation of the Prayer Table cloths at Assembly was dignified and obviously a core part of the ongoing ritual in the school.

·  The attentiveness and devotion of the students while praying.

·  The leadership of the students in prayer – this was outstanding. The students were reverent, focused and very present to the action and word of prayer.

Recommendations

The panel endorses all the recommendations of the Self Review and encourages the staff in the future directions they have mapped.

In conclusion, the leadership of Frank Dullard as the substantive principal and John Brohm as the Acting Principal for Terms 3 and 4 of 2008 is be highly commended. The preparation for the Review of Catholic Identity has been integral to the life of the school as is evident in both the documentation and the lived experience. The outstanding commitment and leadership of Andrea Brookes as DPRE permeates all documentation and life within the school. The commitment of the staff to meeting the requirements of the Parish Priest is acknowledged, appreciated and applauded. They ensure that the light of Jesus Christ is present in the lives of the students and families at St Mary’s.

CERTIFICATION

This Report on the Validation of the Catholic Identity School Self-Review contains 4 pages and reflects the findings of the Validation Panel.

Panel Chair / Date: December 3 2008

InglewoodCI-ReviewValidatorsReport2008-2.doc Page 4 of 4