St Mary's School, Cambridge
 | |
| Established | 1898 |
|---|---|
| Type | Independent day and boarding school |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Headmistress | Miss Charlotte Avery |
| Location |
6 Chaucer Road(Junior Sch) Bateman St (Senior Sch) Cambridge CB2 1LY England 52°11′43″N 0°07′37″E / 52.195225°N 0.126891°ECoordinates: 52°11′43″N 0°07′37″E / 52.195225°N 0.126891°E |
| Local authority | Cambridgeshire |
| DfE URN | 110912 Tables |
| Students | 613 (2010) |
| Gender | Girls |
| Ages | 4–18 |
| Former pupils | Old Pastonians |
| Website | www.stmaryscambridge.co.uk |
St Mary's School, Cambridge is an independent Christian school run in the Catholic tradition, offering day and boarding provision for girls aged four to 18. The school occupies two sites within walking distance of Cambridge city centre, close to the University Botanic Gardens, with sports fields a short distance away. There are approximately 160 junior school pupils, 400 senior school pupils and 100 sixth-form students.
History
St Mary's School, Cambridge was founded 1898 by the sisters of the Venerable Mary Ward and the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who had also founded a school of the same name in Ascot, Berkshire 13 years earlier. The Sisters started out with two-day girls and two-day boarders. In 1904 the swelling numbers necessitated a change of venue and the Elms on Bateman Street was purchased for £6,000. The house had a tradition which was very much in keeping with Mary Ward's vision. It had previously belonged to Dr B H Kennedy, former Regius Professor of Greek at the University. As the school continued to grow other premises were added. Paston House was purchased in 1909.[1]
The junior school was part of St Mary's School, Cambridge until it closed in 1987, when it reopened as St Catherine's Prep School and was governed by a group of parents who became the board of directors. In 2006 St Catherine's became St Mary's School, Cambridge's junior section. Both schools are governed by a single Board.
Academics
The St Mary's School, Cambridge community celebrated another cohort of confident students receiving the GCSE and A Level results required to propel them into a range of academic, creative and philanthropic pursuits. The school emphasises each young person's uniqueness, and places substantial value on instilling in the girls a curious, creative and confident spirit that will, alongside their academic accomplishments and the skills they have gained, motivate and equip them for life beyond school – to create and pursue their own path to fulfilment.
The 2016/2017 GCSE and A Level cohorts demonstrated academic diversity by performing consistently well in public examinations across a remarkably broad range of subjects. At GCSE level a fifth of students achieved all A*/A grades or equivalent (grades 9 – 7 under the new system), and 86% of all papers were awarded at A* – B. Sixth Form students' results were equally celebrated, with a quarter of students achieving all A*/A grades, and almost three-quarters of all papers awarded at A* – B.
Boarding
The school offers a full, weekly, or flexi boarding programme for Years 7 to Upper Sixth.[2] Approximately 20% of Senior School pupils board.[3] In 2016 the school purchased a new dedicated boarding house on Brooklands Avenue, 'Mary Ward House', to replace the two buildings previously used: Bateman House for Sixth Formers and The Elms for girls from Years 7–11.[4]
Old Girls
Former pupils are known as Pastonians, named after Paston House.[5]
- Emerald O'Hanrahan, actress[6]
- Maisie Ward, writer and publisher[7]
References
- ↑ History
- ↑ Boarding Options
- ↑ Boarding at St Mary's
- ↑ Accommodation at St Mary's
- ↑ Alumnae
- ↑ "Archers actress visits her old school". ITV Anglia. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
- ↑ Greene, Dana. "Ward, Mary Josephine". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/45905. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)