St. Mark’s Church of England Primary School
Oxenholme Lane, Natland, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 7QH. Phone: 015395 60719. email: (click on) admin[at]st-
Headteacher:
Mr. Peter Barfoot
Deputy:
Mrs. June Grant
School Business Manager:
Mrs. Mary Illingworth
Website designed and maintained by Designs at Beck Cottage
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Information for Prospective Parents and Carers . . .
Choosing a school is one of the most important decisions parents and carers have to make in the early years of their child’s development. As well as our formal open day in the Autumn term parents are welcome to make contact to arrange visits to St Mark’s at any time. It is important to visit during a normal school day and to meet the Head and staff. A school is a human institution, one in which the people and their relationships are the most important factor for success. A child starting in the Reception class could spend seven years at the school and so parents need to be able to know and trust the staff to care for, nourish and develop their children.
St Mark’s is a small Church of England primary school with a distinctively Christian ethos. Children are cared for in an environment built on 15 core values:
Working in partnership with parents and the wider community we aim to equip children with the knowledge and skills necessary for life and successful future learning. We also work hard to provide as wide a range of opportunities as possible so that children can discover where their unique talents and interests may lie.
Our hope is that all children at St Mark’s are able to grow as confident individuals,
‘finding strength in God and soaring on wings like eagles.’
Our committed teaching team includes a large number of teaching assistants managed by our Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-
The school has strong links with the wider community, especially with Natland and Oxenholme Pre-
We are currently a Lead School, in partnership with the University of Cumbria, offering Post Graduate initial teacher training to up to 15 students a year on the School Direct programme.
A choice of healthy, hot meals is provided daily by Orian, a local catering company.
Our school serves families living in Natland, Oxenholme, the Oaks, the Beeches and Strawberry Fields developments..
We also have children on roll living in parts of Kendal and other surrounding villages.
Due to the unsafe walking routes into the village transport is provided by Cumbria County Council for some children living within the catchment (please contact school or see the Cumbria County Council website for more details).
We enrich our curriculum through the provision of a variety of extra-
All pupils wear school uniform which is available to buy or order from school – contact the office.
We aim for each child to leave our school happy, fulfilled and well prepared for the next stage of their education.
We are fortunate to have a selection of outstanding secondary schools locally. The majority of children move on to Kirkbie Kendal School (KKS) with smaller numbers moving on with smaller numbers moving on to Settlebeck School in Sedbergh, the Queen Katherine School (QKS) in Kendal, Dallam School in Milnthorpe or Queen Elizabeth School (QES) in Kirkby Lonsdale. Occasionally boys have entered the entrance exam to the Lancaster Boys Grammar School as weekly boaders. In September 2019 one child in Year 6 will be transferring to the Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School.
Our annual pupil admission number has recently been expended to 30. We currently have spaces available in all year groups. If you would like a place, please contact the school office and Cumbria County Council (http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/schooladmissions) to complete an admission form.
To arrange a visit to our school, or find out more, please ring or email, admin[at]st-