St Mary's School Ascot Explained

St Mary's School Ascot
Coordinates:51.3943°N -0.6703°W
Motto Translation:For the greater glory of God
Established:1885
Type:Private day and boarding school
Religious Affiliation:Roman Catholic
Head Label:Headmistress
Head:Danuta Staunton
Chair Label:Chair of the Governors
Chair:Clementine Vaughan
Founder:Mary Ward
Address:St Mary's Road
City:Ascot
County:Berkshire
Country:England
Postcode:SL5 9JF
Local Authority:Windsor and Maidenhead
Dfeno:868/6002
Urn:110120
Enrolment:386 pupils (2019)
Gender:Female
Lower Age:11
Upper Age:18
Website:st-marys-ascot.co.uk

St Mary's School Ascot is a Roman Catholic independent day and boarding school for girls in Ascot, Berkshire, England.[1] It is a member of the Girls' Schools Association. It was named 2015 "Public School of the Year" at the annual Tatler Schools Awards.[2] It was ranked No. 1 in the U.K. by The Daily Telegraph in the 2018 GCSEs.[3]

History

St Mary's School was founded by the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM). The school chapel was built in 1885 and funded by Cecilia Marshall, and the First Mass was celebrated there on 2 July 1896. The Chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of Humility and St Cecilia. It was consecrated by Bishop John Baptist Cahill in 1906.[4]

Since 1984, it has been run by the St Mary's School Ascot Trust. In 1998 the school had its first lay Headmistress, Mrs Mary Breen.

In 2006, the school opened its new sports centre, named the Orchard Centre after the Catholic family from which the school's twoprevious headmistresses came. The Centre was opened by ballerina Darcey Bussell. A Performing Arts Centre has also been built named the Rose Theatre. It opened in April 2009.

In 2018, the school inaugurated its new Upper Sixth (Year 13) Courtyard: new boarding houses area for girls.

Curriculum

St Mary's has enjoyed success in both GCSE and A Levels examinations.

It was listed in The Independent's top 100 schools for 2012 based on the most recent A Levels results.[5]

In 2018 the girls' school achieved 1st place in the U.K. based on their GCSE results with a 97.5% A*-A or 9-1 rate - one of four schools to surpass 97% for the top grades, according to the Independent Schools Council (ISC).[6]

In 2018, girls placed 21st in the U.K. in their A Level results according to the Best Schools: UK School League Ranking based on their 75.77% A*-A results.[7]

In 2019, girls placed 12th in the Top U.K. Boarding School Ranking based on their 77.1% A*-A results.[8]

In 2022, the girls' school achieved 10th place in the U.K independent school GCSE table with 94.7% of girls achieving 9-7 grades.

Pastoral care

As St Mary's is a Catholic school, girls are required to attend chapel and worship services. Throughout the Liturgical year the whole school community gather together to celebrate Feast Days and Holy Days of Obligation. Spiritual retreats are also organised for each year.The boarding areas are stationed around the school and the girls sleep within their year group.

Houses

Most pupils at St Mary's are boarders. The house system is based on the boarding programme and each house has a mix of boarders and day girls. Each girl between Year 7 and Lower 6th (Year 12) belongs to one of the six main houses - Babthorpe, Bedingfeld, Dawson, Poyntz, Rookwood and Wigmore - which are named after Mary Ward's fellow nuns.[9] Only girls in Upper Sixth (Year 13) are members of the Mary Ward house.

Each house has a captain, vice-captain and other leadership roles (e.g. prefects, drama captain) who are elected by house pupils.

HouseColour
Babthorpe
Bedingfeld
Dawson
Poyntz
Rookwood
Wigmore
Mary Ward

The Heads of House are the first point of contact for girls and parents and most also teach at the school. All Heads of House have an office in the main body of the school and live on site with their families. Every house organises activities and social events on the weekends, which parents are encouraged to attend.[10]

Notable former pupils

External links

Notes and References

  1. 2011 ISI Inspection Report
  2. News: TATLER SCHOOLS AWARDS 2015 - THE WINNERS: Public School of the Year. Tatler. September 2015.
  3. News: Best independent schools in 2018: Full league table for GCSE results. The Daily Telegraph. 1 September 2018.
  4. Web site: St Mary's School Ascot - Chapel. www.st-marys-ascot.co.uk. 20 March 2018.
  5. News: The Top 100 Independent Schools at A-Level. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/secondary-tables-2012/the-top-100-independent-schools-at-alevel-6294994.html . 24 May 2022 . subscription . live. independent.co.uk. London. 26 January 2012.
  6. News: Best independent schools in 2018: Full league table for GCSE results. telegraph.co.uk. London. 1 September 2018.
  7. News: A Level Passes Grade A* and A. Best Schools. London.
  8. News: Top UK 100 boarding schools by A-levels results. ukuni.net. London.
  9. Web site: St Mary's School Ascot - House System. www.st-marys-ascot.co.uk. 20 March 2018.
  10. Web site: St Mary's School Ascot - Weekend Activities. www.st-marys-ascot.co.uk. 20 March 2018.
  11. Web site: London: Sexism and the City. Harriet. Agnew. Patrick. Jenkins. 16 January 2015. Financial Times. 20 March 2018.
  12. Web site: St Mary's Ascot. tatler.com. 20 March 2018.
  13. Web site: St Mary's Ascot. tatler.com. 20 March 2018.
  14. Web site: > 1 CROWN OFFICE ROW (Chambers of Philip Havers QC) > London, ENGLAND > Lawyer profiles > Philippa Whipple QC . The Legal 500 . 30 June 2017.
  15. Web site: 26 famous people who went to school in Berkshire. berksandbuckslife.co.uk. 20 March 2018.
  16. Web site: Lady Amelia Windsor's posh boarding school costs £39,000 a year. Emily. Hodgkin. 28 December 2017. express.co.uk. 20 March 2018.
  17. Web site: Obituary: Zena Marshall. Gavin. Gaughan. 26 July 2009. the Guardian. 20 March 2018.
  18. Web site: Absolutely fabulist. 22 January 2000. the Guardian. 20 March 2018.
  19. News: Antonia Fraser: Interview. The Daily Telegraph. 30 April 2009. Andrew. Roberts.
  20. Web site: No Ordinary Lady - Town & Country Magazine UK. www.townandcountrymag.co.uk. 20 March 2018.
  21. News: La infanta Elena en Londres con Victoria Federica y Froilán. diezminutos.es. 29 September 2012. Diez. Minutos.
  22. Web site: Qui est Amelia Windsor, la figure montante de la famille royale d'Angleterre ?. Marie Claire. fr. 2020-04-28.
  23. Web site: 2022-08-18 . Lady Louise Windsor takes job at garden centre before starting at the University of St Andrews . 2022-08-19 . Tatler . en-GB.
  24. Web site: Where Are They Now: Five Years After Prince William and Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding. eonline.com. 20 March 2018.

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