--- description: "At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle, our aim is to ensure that all of our children are inspired to learn, laugh and love- through the image and likeness of Christ. We are incredibly proud of the caring and nurturing environment where every child is valued and respected for who they are." url: "https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/" school: "St. Mary's Catholic Primary School" --- Admissions Consultation BHCET schools in County Durham [Click Here](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/governance/admissions-consultation) **Tel:** 01833 637029 **Email:** office@stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk ### Everyone is welcome at our school If you are interested in joining our school family, applications are now open for Reception places for September 2027 entry. Please contact us for more information. [Apply for a place at our school](https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/2189/Apply-now-for-a-primary-school-place-deadline-15-January-2027) ### Everyone is welcome at our school If you are interested in joining our school family, applications are now open for Reception places for September 2027 entry. Please contact us for more information. [Apply for a place at our school](https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/2189/Apply-now-for-a-primary-school-place-deadline-15-January-2027) ### Nursery Places A gentle, welcoming environment designed to help our youngest children feel safe, happy and ready to explore [Find out more](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/little-wrens-nursery/nursery-brochure) ### Nursery Places A gentle, welcoming environment designed to help our youngest children feel safe, happy and ready to explore [Find out more](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/little-wrens-nursery/nursery-brochure) ## St Mary’s Catholic Primary School & Little Wren’s Nursery, Barnard Castle **Welcome to St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and [Little Wren’s Nursery](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/little-wrens-nursery/nursery-brochure) in Barnard Castle -** a warm, nurturing and community‑focused school where children aged **3 and above** begin their learning journey with confidence, curiosity and joy. Set in the beautiful market town of Barnard Castle, County Durham, we provide a caring environment where every child can explore, grow and thrive. ## Latest News ![Image of School Council Helps Shape Toilet Refurbishment Project at St Mary's Catholic Primary School](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/imagecache/720x440c/news/858569740_1130612506141833_4831520569143926166_n.jpg) 26 October 2026 ### [School Council Helps Shape Toilet Refurbishment Project at St Mary's Catholic Primary School](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/news/2026-10-26-school-council-helps-shape-toilet-refurbishment-project-at-st-mary-s-catholic-primary-sch) Pupils from the School Council at St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Barnard Castle recently visited William Smith for a design briefing as part of an exciting toilet refurbishment project. Working alongside Pippa, the children shared the colour preferences that pupils across the school had voted for over the previous week. During the session, they explored a range of design options and viewed digital before-and-after images to help them visualise how different choices could transform the spaces. ![Image of Pupils Lead Exciting School Improvement Project at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/imagecache/720x440c/news/849161986_1123210950215322_7639339226403110803_n.jpg) 20 October 2026 ### [Pupils Lead Exciting School Improvement Project at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/news/2026-10-20-pupils-lead-exciting-school-improvement-project-at-st-mary-s-catholic-primary-school) St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Barnard Castle is delighted to be working in partnership with William Smith to transform its pupil toilet facilities through an exciting, pupil-led improvement project. Through pupil voice activities, the school identified that the current toilet areas were beginning to look dated. As a result, plans are now underway to completely refresh the spaces with new vinyl wraps, creating modern, welcoming environments for all pupils. ![Image of Wrens and Robins Enjoy Fire Station Visit](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/imagecache/720x440c/news/853155856_1124835826719501_3907921047787655161_n.jpg) 19 October 2026 ### [Wrens and Robins Enjoy Fire Station Visit](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/news/2026-10-19-wrens-and-robins-enjoy-fire-station-visit) Children from the Early Years Wrens and Robins classes at St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Barnard Castle enjoyed an exciting visit to the local Fire Station this week as part of their 'People Who Help Us' topic. The visit gave pupils the opportunity to find out more about the important work carried out by firefighters and how they help keep people safe in the community. As part of the experience, the children explored the fire engines, learned about the equipment used by the Fire Service and even had the chance to have a go with a fire hose. [View All](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/news) ### Admissions [admissions-policy](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/information/admissions-policy) ### Catholic Life [our-faith-journey](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/catholic-life/our-faith-journey) ### Little Wrens Nursery [about-little-wrens-nursery](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/little-wrens-nursery/about-little-wrens-nursery) ### Term Dates [termdates](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/termdates) ### Become a Teacher ### Contact Us [contact](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/contact) ## Watch our school video [YouTube video](https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/kDlWw2ovHAQ?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0) ![](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/images/images/St_Mary-s_BC_Photography_July_25-33.jpg) ## A Nurturing Start for Children Aged 3+ At Little Wren’s Nursery, we offer high‑quality early years provision for children from age 3, giving them a gentle, supportive introduction to school life. Our dedicated Early Years team provides personalised care, play‑based learning and meaningful experiences that build early communication skills, independence and a lifelong love of learning. Families seeking nursery places in Barnard Castle appreciate our warm atmosphere, small‑school feel and strong focus on wellbeing. [**Find out more**](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/little-wrens-nursery/about-little-wrens-nursery) ![](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/images/images/St_Mary-s_BC_Photography_July_25-01.jpg) ## Outdoor Learning and Forest School With our beautiful outdoor spaces, including a school garden, our much‑loved chicken coop, and a thriving Forest School area - children enjoy hands‑on, nature‑rich learning every day. These experiences support curiosity, resilience and essential life skills, helping children develop confidence while learning to care for the world around them. [**Find out more**](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/curriculum/curriculum-content) ![](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/images/images/St_Mary-s_BC_Photography_July_25-10.jpg) ## A Broad, Enriching Curriculum Our curriculum combines the full National Curriculum with a wide range of extra opportunities that enrich children’s learning. Through our Enjoyment and Enrichment programme, pupils take part in exciting activities that build skills, interests and confidence. We are proud to hold both the Rights Respecting School Award and the Investing in Children Award, reflecting our commitment to promoting respect, high expectations and positive relationships across our school. [**Find out more**](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/curriculum/our-curriculum) ## Social Media Feed - ![Health Aware](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/images/partners/02_Health_Aware.png) - ![Healthy School](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/images/partners/Healthy_School.png) - ![Unicef](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/images/partners/Unicef.png) - ![Investing in Children](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/images/partners/Investing_in_Children.png) - ![International School Award](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/images/partners/International_School.png) - ![Local Offer](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/images/partners/Local_Offer.png) - ![Ofsted](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/images/partners/Ofsted.png) - ![PSQM](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/images/partners/PSQM_2021.jpg) - ![Quality Mark](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/images/partners/OIPX791F4HY.jpg) - ![live simply](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/images/partners/Live_simply_award_logo_web.png) - [![Jubilee Pledge School](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/images/partners/POH_Sticker.png)](https://cafod.org.uk/jubilee-schools?j=968339&sfmc_sub=303437503&l=52_HTML&u=17165999&mid=500009474&jb=10&utm_source=the%20catholic%20agency%20for%20overseas%20development%20(cafod)&utm_medium=email&u) ![St. Mary's Catholic Primary School](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-rc-primary-2/images/logo/Bishop_Hogarth_and_Hexham_Logo_new_(1).png) ### St. Mary's Catholic Primary School Birch Road Barnard Castle County Durham DL12 8JR 01833 637029 - [Online Payments](https://www.mychildatschool.com/MCAS/MCSParentLogin) - [Teams FAQs](https://bhcet.org.uk/information/teams-faqs/) - [Office 365](https://outlook.office365.com/carmel.org.uk) - [Remote Access](https://remote.carmel.org.uk/) - [Liturgy](https://liturgy.bhcet.org.uk/) ### Social Media - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/StMarysPrimaryBarnardCastle/) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/stmarys_barnardcastle/) ### Translation ### Office 365 [Sign in to Office 365](https://outlook.office.com/) © Copyright 2025–2026 St. Mary's Catholic Primary School School & Trust Websites by [ ![Schudio logo](https://stmarysbc.bhcet.org.uk/img/logo/light.png) ](https://www.schudio.com/)