It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you to St Stephen’s RC Primary School.

At St Stephen’s, we believe that every child should feel that they belong, every child should be truly included, and every child should have the opportunity to flourish.

That belief sits at the heart of who we are.

We are a happy, ambitious and inclusive Catholic primary school, proudly serving the families of Droylsden and our wider community within the Diocese of Salford. Our children and families come from a wonderful range of backgrounds, cultures and experiences, and we believe this diversity makes our school community stronger.

Our mission, “Love one another, as I have loved you” (John 13:34), guides everything we do. We want our children to experience those words every day – in how they are welcomed, how they are taught, how they are supported and how we encourage them to care for one another.

Every child. Every chance. Every day.

These words are our promise to our children.

We have high expectations and ambitions for every child who comes through our doors. We want our children to achieve academically, but education at St Stephen’s is about so much more than results. It is about developing the whole child: their faith, character, confidence, talents and sense of responsibility for others.

We want children to leave us knowing that they are valued, knowing what they are capable of and believing that their future is full of possibility.

A school where everyone belongs

Inclusion is not something separate from what we do at St Stephen’s – it is part of who we are.

Alongside our mainstream classes, we are incredibly proud of our TLC SEND provision, which provides specialist support for children with additional needs as part of our wider St Stephen’s family.

Whether a child learns within one of our mainstream classrooms, accesses our TLC provision, needs additional support at a particular point in their journey, or simply needs someone to believe in them that little bit more, our starting point remains the same:

You belong here.

We recognise that children do not all need the same things in order to succeed. Our responsibility is to understand each child, remove barriers wherever we can and provide the right support, challenge and opportunities so that they can flourish.

The St Stephen’s Way

Our CARES values – Compassion, Ambition, Rejoice, Excellence and Service – help our children understand the people we want them to become.

Together with our simple expectations to Be Ready, Be Respectful and Be Safe, they form part of the St Stephen’s Way: the shared culture that runs through our classrooms, corridors, playgrounds and wider community.

We want St Stephen’s to be a place filled with joy, kindness, ambition and opportunity; a place where children are proud of themselves, celebrate the achievements of others and understand that they can make a positive difference to the world around them.

One family, one shared mission

St Stephen’s is proud to be part of Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust, a family of Catholic schools working together in one shared mission.

Being part of Emmaus strengthens our school. It gives us opportunities to learn from and work alongside other Catholic schools, sharing expertise, celebrating success and supporting one another, while remaining deeply rooted in our own St Stephen’s community.

Together, we are united by our Catholic faith and by a shared commitment to ensuring that the children entrusted to our care receive an excellent education and are given every opportunity to flourish.

Our relationships with our parents and carers, our parish, the Diocese of Salford, Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust and our wider community are incredibly important to us. We are one team and one family, working together for our children.

If you are already part of St Stephen’s, I hope you feel enormously proud to belong to our school community. If you are considering St Stephen’s for your child, I warmly invite you to come and see us. Walk through our doors, meet our children and staff and experience for yourself what makes our school so special.

At St Stephen’s, there is a place for you.

You belong. You are included. You can flourish.

Welcome to #TeamStStephens.

Connor Lavin
Headteacher