Our faith calls us to love God and to love our neighbours in every situation, especially those living in poverty. Following in the footsteps of Christ, we hope to make our love and peace present.

Catholic Social Teaching is based on the belief that God has a plan for creation, a plan to build his kingdom of peace, love and justice. Catholic Social Teaching provides a moral framework for addressing social issues. Following this practice will aid us in developing each individual child to contribute positively to our immediate community and the world around them.  

The Catholic Church has seven principles of social teaching that we share with our children through all that we do, through the curriculum, special events, activity and through our ordinary actions in school.

At St Mary's Infant School we have chosen to focus, primarily, on these principles with the children across the year.  As a staff, we have chosen the ones that we find most relevant to the children of St Mary's Infant School to enable them to have a deep understanding and demonstrate these principles through their everyday lives. 

Everyone is Special -  

God made each person, so every life is important and should be protected. 

At St Mary’s we uphold the human dignity of others in various ways:

• Demonstrating respect in all our interactions.
• Treating others as we ourselves would want to be treated. 
• Acknowledging and celebrating the individual uniqueness and specialness inherent in each person. 
• Fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcomed and valued. 
• Promoting empathy by following the 'St Mary's Way'. 
• Celebrating acts of kindness, compassion and respect weekly in our celebration assemblies. 

Thinking of everyone - 

God made us to be part of communities, families and countries, so all people can share and help each other.

At St Mary's we show we are part of a community by:

• Embracing a collective approach to living and learning, where every member of our community contributes to our shared growth and success. 
• Faith Leaders and Student Council think of ways we can help others that are not as fortunate as us. 
• Cultivating an ethos of empathy and solidarity where each individual is encouraged to consider the needs and well-being of others in our community and beyond. 
• Ensuring that across our curriculum we encourage collaboration as well as in our prayer and liturgies. 

Sharing Fairly -

Work is important in God's plan for adults and their families, so job and pay should be fair. 

At St Mary's we exemplify the importance of sharing by: 

• Encouraging a culture of generosity and collaboration, where resources, opportunities, and talents are shared amongst members of our school community.
• Engaging in service projects that address inequalities and promote social justice, instilling a sense of responsibility to contribute to the common good.
• Emphasising the value of empathy and compassion, fostering a deep understanding of the needs and challenges faced by others, and taking proactive steps to support and uplift one another.

Showing people we care-

God made everyone, so we are all brothers and sisters in God's family wherever we live. 

At St Mary's we show we care about our wider community by:

• Helping others when we see they need help.
• Raising money for our brothers and sisters around the world who do not have the things we do. 
• Cultivating a culture of empathy and solidarity, through the 'St Mary's Way'. 

Putting people most in need first - 

God wants us to help people who are poor, who don't have enough food, a safe place to live, or a community.

At St Mary's we show we are part of a community by:

• Working together
• Working hard to help others
• Fundraising for others to help them.  

Caring for God’s Creation -

The world was made by God so we take care of all creation. 

At St Mary's we show we care for creation by:

• Taking responsibility for our environment
• Observing and asking questions about the natural world
• Thinking of ways we can help keep God's world beautiful
• Integrating environmental education across the curriculum.
• Engaging in outdoor learning and recreation.
• We incorporate elements of environmental stewardship into our prayers and liturgies. 

Being Peacemakers -

God wants us to live in peace and harmony.

At St Mary's we show we are people of peace by:

• Being kind and thoughtful to everyone
• Making the right choices
• Sharing things with others
• We uphold the Golden Rule as a guiding principle in our interactions, encouraging students to treat others as they themselves would like to be treated.
• We teach students constructive conflict resolution skills, emphasising communication, empathy, and compromise as key components of peacemaking.