St Mary's School, Colchester

St Mary's School
Motto Scientia et veritas
(Knowledge and truth)
Established 1908
Type Independent day school
Headmistress Mrs.H.Vipond
Location 91 Lexden Road
Colchester
Essex
CO3 3RB[1]
United Kingdom
Coordinates: 51°53′18″N 0°52′42″E / 51.8884°N 0.8784°E / 51.8884; 0.8784
Local authority Essex
DfE number 881/6008
Students 400~
Gender Girls
Ages 2–16
Houses Abbeygate
Headgate
Balkerngate
Schergate
Website St. Mary's School

St. Mary’s School is an independent day school for girls in Colchester, Essex, England. St Mary's is a member of the Girls' Schools Association.

History

Originally based at St. Mary’s Terrace East on Lexden Road, the school moved to its current Victorian premises in Lexden Road in 1923, into a house known as Glen Mervyn. It purchased the neighbouring castle-style property called The Turrets in 1974.

Owing to the school’s ongoing success and continued growth, it bought another large Victorian residence three miles from the Senior School, Comrie House, which opened as the Lower School in 1982. This is located in the village of Stanway, on the western edge of Colchester.

Curriculum

St. Mary’s School is an independent day school for girls in Colchester, Essex. The Lower School, based at Comrie House on London Road, accepts pupils aged 4 to 11 while the Senior School on Lexden Road welcomes pupils from 11 to 16. In January 2011 a kindergarten opened at the site of the Lower School, and is named St. Mary's Kindergarten.

Senior School

St Mary's Senior School pupils achieved the best GCSE results of any independent school in North Essex in 2012 and 2013 and the second highest of any independent school in the county of Essex. In 2013 95% of St Mary's candidates achieved grades A-C in five or more GCSE subjects, including English and Mathematics. Alongside the academic curriculum, pupils are encouraged to develop a wide range of interests, from sport and the arts to community and charity activities. St Mary's is an Ambassador Eco School, hosting events and sharing knowledge and practical advice on sustainability with other schools and organisations as well as the local community. In 2013 the school was nominated for the Independent School Award for Outstanding Community Initiative.

Lower School

St Mary's Lower School is included in the Sunday Times' list of the UK's Top 100 preparatory schools. SATs results are above the national average and several pupils each year progress to the state selective senior (grammar) schools. Some achieve scholarships to independent senior schools, including St Mary's Senior School. The Lower School has its own Forest School - an outdoor classroom and learning area in the school's grounds which is used to encourage pupils' connection with their environment and to develop confidence through physical challenge.

Kindergarten

St Mary's Kindergarten is set in the grounds of the Lower School in a purpose-built facility with its own enclosed outdoor learning and play area. It prepares boys and girls aged rising-three to four for school by introducing early literacy and numeracy skills and developing children's confidence through sessions in music, drama, dance, art and sport, among other activities.

Motto and Houses

The school's motto, Scientia et Veritas, translates from Latin as Knowledge and Truth.

St Mary's pupils are allocated to Houses for which they try to gain house points to win various awards and trophies. The Houses are named after some of the historical gates of Colchester:

References

  1. ↑ Contact Archived March 4, 2009 at the Wayback Machine

Contact

External links

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