Introduction

Hilary Vipond, Principal

WELCOME

St. Mary’s School has been educating girls for over 100 years and is now the only independent day school for girls in North Essex. St. Mary’s prides itself on offering an education that is second to none, and which is reflected in our pupils’ excellent exam results and the girls’ achievements in the sports, arts and music.

St. Mary’s girls enjoy the experience of being educated in a safe, nurturing environment. At Alumni get-togethers, our past pupils fondly recall St. Mary’s family atmosphere and the lifelong friendship bonds they made. During a recent ISI inspectorate, the inspectors reported that “St. Mary’s pastoral care is excellent" and that “pupils commented on how teachers provide both care and support for them”.

St. Mary’s aims to discover, promote and nourish the talents and skills of every girl. From prep through to Year 11, pupils are encouraged to do their very best and strive to fulfil their potential. The recent inspectorate noted that “St. Mary’s School provides a broad and balanced curriculum, which supports girls’ developments and turns them into self-confident and articulate young people as well as teaching them knowledge and skill.” St. Mary’s girls are constantly achieving and the school’s GCSE results are consistently higher than the national average.

All of the girls’ merits, large or small, are celebrated throughout the school community. This commitment to your daughter will begin as soon as she starts her education at St. Mary’s. We were delighted that this was recognised by the recent inspectorate, as for the second time, the inspector awarded St. Mary’s with the statement, “Provision within the Early Years Foundation Stage is outstanding.”

St. Mary’s pupils take pride in showing that they care. They enthusiastically and imaginatively embrace fund raising for a variety of charities. St. Mary’s operates a buddy system which helps new girls fully integrate into school life with the help of older students. A Listeners Scheme has been formed with pupils offering up their own time to listen to concerns a fellow student may have. The inspectorate recognised that “St. Mary’s girls are respectful of to the values and views of others” and “even the youngest pupils see where help is needed and rise to the challenge of responsibility.”

In January 2011, St. Mary’s Kindergarten was opened, situated in a beautiful log building in the stunning grounds of the Lower School. The kindergarten is run by award winning Springlands nursery and is open to girls and boys aged from 2. The kindergarten also provides after school and holiday care for children aged up to 8 years of age.

Choosing the education your daughter deserves and deciding which school can enable her to fulfil her potential is not an easy task. Hopefully this website will give you a taste of the exciting events and activities that St. Mary’s girls enjoy. Please also feel free to book an appointment to tour our school to get a taste of the atmosphere and education our pupils enjoy so greatly.