"We aim to provide the best possible education for each child within a caring Christian community."

Welcome to St. Mary's Prittlewell

Church of England Primary School.

We are a Voluntary Aided Primary school for 5-11 year olds
based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

Head Teacher: Mrs Frances Neil

Our Address:
Boston Avenue
Southend-on-Sea
Essex
SS2 6JH

Phone: 01702 354012
Fax: 01702 354016

Please E-mail us at:

office@st-marysprittlewell.southend.sch.uk

And welcome to our website!

The site is intended for children and adults alike.
Please look all around the site to learn more about the school, what is going on and who's who.
To find out what is going on in the future visit our on-line 'Calendar' which will keep you up-to-date with events taking place.
To see what has been going on visit the 'Photo Album' and the 'SMASH' page. Suggested websites can be found in 'Links'.
Please feel free to visit the 'Guestbook' and add any comments you wish about site content, the school or just to say 'Hello!'
'Enquiries' can also be made through the Enquiry button on the navigation panel.

We hope you find the site both interesting and informative.

Our School Building

St. Mary's moved to this stunning newly refurbished building in March 1999. Before being home to us the building was used as a resources centre for the Local Education Authority.

Before this, the building was occupied by Dowsett High School. And further back still, it was home to Southend High School for Girls, for whom it was originally built in 1912!

For a map of where we are, click here.

A Letter From Mrs Neil

Welcome to our web-site. Thank you for showing an interest in our school. We hope you will enjoy your visit. Our school is a happy and busy place situated in the urban area of Central Southend. You will have admired our beautiful school building (in the photograph) and our school grounds and we try hard to ensure that it is as pleasant on the inside as it is on the outside, so that it is a nice place in which to work and play.

Our main aim is to ensure that the children are happy and safe while they are in school as we believe that if they enjoy school and feel that they have ownership of it they will be able to achieve their highest possible level of attainment. We encourage the children to take part in decision making through a School's Council which meets regularly throughout the school year to debate and discuss every aspect of school life.

We plan and deliver a rich and varied curriculum through which we provide a wide range of activities for the children. This includes all the usual subjects of the National Curriculum but we also have staff skilled in teaching art, pottery and French, drama and music. We plan special events for the children such as 'One World Week,' 'Science Week,' and 'Holy Week' through which we deliver a whole range of exciting activities through which children can use and apply their basic skills.

Through this broad and balanced programme children have the opportunity to discover, explore and develop their special gifts, talents and individuality. Each and every child can discover a subject at which they excel and which they enjoy. This helps to build self-esteem and self worth so the children can meet learning challenges with confidence. We believe that children learn effectively from their peers and from taking responsibility for themselves so we build upon these beliefs from an early age by encouraging the children to think of others, and to be caring, helpful and thoughtful in all they do.

We are fortunate to have many hard working, dedicated and talented staff members, who provide a wide range of extra-curricular activities for the children. These include football for boys and girls, netball, athletics, cross country, choir and French, drama, the School Band, and ecology. Many of our teams take part in competitions and tournaments and our trophy cabinet is usually well-stocked as a result! We also take part in local cultural events such as the local music and dance festivals.

We are fortunate to have a drama studio and a beautiful wood-panelled Main Hall that has a full-sized stage. The stage, which is equipped with curtains, lighting, microphones and a music system, is regularly used for worship and class assemblies and each year we provide opportunities for children to take part in Nativity plays and a summer production. These are always of a high standard and are very well supported by parents and staff and are thoroughly enjoyed by all.

The children and staff have access to an ICT Suite that is fully equipped with up-to-date PC's and a projector. The school is networked throughout and all rooms have access to the internet while many have interactive white-boards, which are skilfully used by staff to enhance the delivery of the curriculum. Staff members use ICT and other teaching aids to provide a range of learning opportunities to suit every type of learner (from aural to kinaesthetic) so that we can offer activities that maximise the children's progression and engagement throughout the curriculum.

We work closely with parents and encourage them to be part of the school life as we believe that we can only serve the children by serving their families. We are also fully involved in the life of the local community through close links with our parish church, St Mary's, Prittlewell, other local churches and community groups and other schools nearby. All this gives life to our stated values and aims to be a 'caring Christian community' and brings a richness and variety to our school life .


Mrs F. Neil

Headteacher