Welcome to St Mary’s, a vibrant, happy school, where new students join a warm and welcoming community and, through our transition programme, settle in very quickly.
We hope you are finding our website useful and informative as you explore St Mary’s and all it has to offer. We truly believe the best way to see our school, however, is to come for a visit. We can arrange an individual tour, and meeting with our Headmistress Mrs Adams, on a week day to suit you, or you can join one of our many Open Events.
Our main entry points are Nursery (once girls are 3), Reception, Year 6, Year 7 and Year 12. You can read more about our different entry points and the process for each here. It is the norm for girls in Year 6 to progress through to Senior House at Year 7, and Year 7 is also our most oversubscribed entry point.
We appreciate that changing schools can be an unsettling time for parents and students alike, and our aim is to make the whole process as easy and stress free as possible. I look forward to working with you, and taking you and your daughter through our admissions process.
Please contact me, via email, for further information, to book a visit and for information regarding the availability of places.
Mrs Liz Szczerbiak
We welcome applications for all year groups. We currently operate waiting lists for most year groups and therefore encourage applications at least 12 months in advance.
If you are thinking about applying to St Mary’s, we would urge you to come and visit the school. This can be arranged by contacting the Registrar, Mrs Szczerbiak, on 01753 883370 or via email. You will have a tour of the school and spend time with the Headmistress, Mrs Adams, who will be happy to talk to you about the experience we offer and answer any queries you may have. You might also like to attend one of our Open Days.
The next step is to register your daughter. We take registrations for girls from birth and at 2 years old she will be invited to a Stay & Play. For older girls we will arrange for her to come in for an assessment. The format of this varies according to her age but we always try to make this occasion as enjoyable and ‘stress free’ as we can! There is a non-refundable accompanying registration fee of £100, plus an additional non-refundable assessment fee of £100 (assessment fee is for Year 3 upwards).
Please click here to download the registration form for Nursery to Year 11.
Please click here to register for Sixth Form 2024 (External applicants only).
Alternatively, if you would prefer to complete the registration online, then please click here.
In Early Years, parents, who have registered their daughter, are invited to bring her in for a Stay & Play session during which the Early Years staff will observe the child within the Early Years setting and assess their suitability. A report will be prepared, for the Headmistress, as a result of which an offer will be made if it is felt that the child would thrive and flourish at St Mary’s. A familiarisation session follows acceptance of the offer.
Later entry to the Preparatory Department involves an informal assessment day, during which girls are assessed in Numeracy, Literacy and (from 7+) Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Entry is selective at 11+ by assessment (English, Mathematics, Non-Verbal Reasoning) and interview appropriate to the age/year of pupils. At other stages and times the same process will apply, as appropriate to the age of the candidate seeking entry.
Parents are welcome to contact the Registrar for more details.
A small number of places are available each year in the Sixth Form. At 16+, entry is based on academic ability, a minimum of 5 GCSE grades 9-5, and a minimum of grade 6 in any subjects to be studied at A Level.
At each stage of entry (except Early Years) references are required from the applicant’s current school and will be influential in the decision-making process.
An offer of a place is usually made within two days following the assessment day, except for entry into Year 7 when an offer is made within 2-3 weeks.
Payment of your deposit confirms acceptance of the offer.
You can find full details in our admissions policy here.
“…The view from parents and those in the know is that St Mary’s is a strong all-rounder all-through school – academically parents know not to worry, but pastorally the school blows the barn doors off too…” – Muddy Stilettos Review – 2022
| Year 7 2024 Admission Dates | |
|---|---|
| Saturday 7th October 2023 | Whole School Open Morning |
| Friday 27th October 2023 | Registration and Scholarship Application Deadline |
| Saturday 11th November 2023 | Year 7 (11+) Entrance Examination |
| Monday 13th November 2023 | Year 7 (11+) Art, Drama, Music & Sports Scholarship Examination |
| Friday 17th November 2023 | Year 7 (11+) Academic Scholarship Examination |
| Friday 1st December | Offer Letters Posted |
| Friday 1st March 2024 | Offer Acceptance Deadline |
| Year 12 2024 Admission Dates | |
|---|---|
| Saturday 7th October | Whole School Open Morning |
| Tuesday 10th October | Sixth Form Open Evening |
| Friday 10th November 2023 | External Applicants Registration Deadline |
| Friday 10th November 2023 | Scholarship Application Deadline - internal and external |
| Wednesday 22nd November 2023 | Art Scholarship presentation/interview |
| Thursday 23rd November 2023 | Academic Scholarship Assessment |
| Thursday 23rd November 2023 | Drama, Dance and Music Scholarship presentation/interview |
| Friday 24th November 2023 | Sport Scholarship Interview |
| Monday 27th November 2023 | Academic Scholarship Presentation and Interview |
| Friday 8th December 2023 | Scholarship and External Offer Letters Posted |
