Home > St Mary’s School, Gerrards Cross. Where girls go further.

St Mary’s School, Gerrards Cross. Where girls go further.

At St Mary’s School Gerrards Cross, every girl arrives with her own starting point. But, through exceptional teaching, high expectations, stretch and challenge, and individual support, we accelerate learning and unlock confidence meaning our girls progress beyond initial expectations. This is our Value Added approach to teaching; the additional progress, learning and enrichment St Mary’s provides. The result is visible progress: academically, personally, and socially.

Value Added is the measure of how much better a student performs in their examinations, compared to their predictions – the “value” that St Mary’s adds to their academic journey. On average, our students achieve one grade above their initial GCSE predictions.

Value Added is also the opportunity for Year 12 students to work towards their Extended Project Qualification in addition to the traditional pathway of 3 or 4 A Levels. Worth half an A Level the EPQs allows students to explore their passions and interests and independently research a topic of their choice, developing university-level skills like critical thinking, project management, and independent study.

Our focus on a Value Added approach has enriched our co-curricular programme. St Mary’s has a wide range of academic societies and clubs, from Literary Society and Robotics Club to Japanese and History Club, Scholars’ lunches, Music Theory sessions, and bespoke GCSE and A Level study support. Students are encouraged to enter local and national competitions in a range of subjects, often with great success.

At St Mary’s our Value Added approach helps each girl move forward faster than predicted. Be it academics, sport, confidence or self-belief, St Mary’s helps girls go beyond their own expectations.

Value Added Explained

Academic Value Added at St Mary’s 

At St Mary’s, every student is recognised as an individual with unique strengths, talents and aspirations. Our academic philosophy is simple: we support every child to achieve their personal best and take pride in their successes. 

A key part of this commitment is our focus on Value Added. This term refers to the additional progress, learning and enrichment a school provides beyond what would normally be expected. In other words, it measures the difference a St Mary’s education makes. 

Adding Value to Academic Performance 

Students complete nationally standardised assessments that establish a baseline of predicted outcomes in Year 7*. From this starting point, we support and track progress carefully. Targeted support and challenge to develop literacy and numeracy begin in Year 7, with a range of activities such as daily Maths Challenge in Year 7 tutor time, Literary Society and recommended reading lists for avid readers, and additional reading support from Oracy-21 trained Year 12 Literacy Ambassadors.  

In relation to examination outcomes, Value Added is the measure of how much better a student performs in their GCSE examinations, compared to those predictions – the “value” that St Mary’s adds to their academic journey.  

Students take additional standardised assessments in Year 10 and Year 12, at the start of their GCSE and A Level courses*. 

Why does Value Added matter?
It is one of the most meaningful indicators of a school’s success because it measures progress for the individual, not just headline grades. At St Mary’s, we are proud that our students consistently exceed their baseline projected grades: 

  • On average, GCSE students achieve almost one grade higher than predicted by baseline assessment 
  • 30% of GCSE results are at least one grade above baseline projections 
  • 10% are two grades higher than the baseline projections 

Case Studies: GCSE 

Last year our current Year 12 students achieved strong results at GCSE, with an average value added of almost one grade higher per subject than their projected grades. Annabelle achieved impressive GCSE results, with grades 9-6 across all her subjects. Even more impressive was the fact that on average, she achieved almost two grades higher than her baseline predictions. She is now studying English Literature, Psychology and Drama at A Level.  

Ramini was also delighted with her GCSE results; her value-added score was on average two grades higher across her subjects than her baseline predictions. She is now studying Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology, and taking an EPQ on her chosen topic of Neuroscience. Ramini will be applying to study medicine at university following her A Levels.  

Building on Success at A Level
The strong Value Added achieved at GCSE is the foundation for continued success in the Sixth Form. At A Level, our students thrive in an environment that combines academic challenge with exceptional support. The competitive, aspirational university courses they go on to demonstrate what can be achieved in the right setting – including Medicine, Law, a range of Engineering disciplines, Mathematics and Psychology. Over half of our leavers progress to Russell Group universities, a testament to the academic ambition and resilience nurtured at St Marys. 

Case Studies: A Level 

Sophie, as well as leaving her mark as St Mary’s Head Girl in 2025, achieved A Level results of AAB in Drama, Sociology and Religious Studies. These grades gave her an average value-added score of over one grade per subject. Sophie is now studying Journalism and Communication at Cardiff University.  

Amelia achieved A Level results of AAB in Business Studies, Physical Education and Psychology. Her grades reflected on average a value-added score of almost two grades above her grades predicted by her GCSE scores. Amelia is now studying Business Management at the University of Leeds.  

The St Mary’s Advantage 

Value Added is about more than exam grades. It reflects the quality of teaching, the learning environment, and the breadth of opportunities that shape each student’s experience. In our smaller class sizes, we can assess regularly and provide personalised feedback that helps students respond to mistakes as learning opportunities. Students joining St Mary’s for their GCSE and A Level courses thrive in an environment where they are known as individuals and develop strong, supportive relationships with their teachers. This approach fosters a growth mindset, encouraging resilience and confidence in tackling academic challenges.  

Our aim is not only to help students achieve outstanding results and secure places at their first-choice universities, but also to nurture the qualities embodied in our TAKE CARE values: teamwork, curiosity, ambition, resilience, kindness and enthusiasm. When students study Mathematics, History or Chemistry, they are not simply acquiring knowledge and skills – they are developing character strengths that will enable them to thrive throughout life. These qualities give them the confidence to succeed beyond the safe environment of school and prepare them to embrace the challenges and opportunities of the wider world. 

At St Mary’s, academic value comes from the dedicated and passionate teachers, high quality learning and digital resources, and a rich programme of academic enrichment.  

All students in Year 12 can work towards the Extended Project Qualification. This is an independent project qualification, worth half an A Level that allows students to explore their passions and interests and independently research a topic of their choice, developing university-level skills like critical thinking, project management, and independent study. The culmination of their hard work is a major project (a 5,000-word essay or an artefact), a production log, and a presentation. Guided by their mentor, our students have achieved 50% A*-A and 75% A*-C in recent years.  

We offer a diverse range of carefully planned educational visits designed to deepen subject knowledge, provide authentic learning experiences and foster curiosity. In the past year, students have experienced the following:  

  • GCSE History Tour to Berlin 
  • GCSE and A Level Geography and Science trip to Iceland 
  • A Level History of Art trip to Paris 
  • Year 8 Religious Studies to a gurdwara 
  • Year 9 Mathematics Challenge trip in Windsor 
  • Year 10 Spanish trip to the BFI, London 
  • Year 7 History trip to Warwick Castle 

Our co-curricular programme features a wide range of academic societies and clubs, from Literary Society and Robotics Club to Japanese and History Club, Scholars’ lunches, Music Theory sessions, and bespoke GCSE and A Level study support. 

Students of all ages are encouraged to enter local and national competitions in a range of subjects, often with great success! Competing against thousands of others across the country, our students have entered competitions run by the likes of The Royal Geographical Society, The Sidgwick Trust, Cambridge, and the John Locke Institute. Students have achieved Highly Commended recognition in the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators and the Minds Underground Year 12 Essay Competition in Biology and won their age categories in the Gerrards Cross Rotary Club Creative Writing Competition. Each year our GCSE and A Level students enter science Olympiads run by The Royal Society of Biology and the Cambridge Chemistry Olympiad, with students placing in the top five per cent of national entries to gain Gold, with students also receiving Silver, Bronze, and Highly Commended awards, in. Students across the whole of Senior House (Years 7-13) take part in the UK Maths Trust Challenges, and again, we regularly celebrate their success and recognition of achievement as they receive gold, silver, and bronze awards.  

* Developed by CEM at Durham University, MidYIS assessments are baseline assessments for secondary students (ages 11-14) measuring underlying potential in Vocabulary, Maths, Non-verbal reasoning, and Skills (proofreading, speed/accuracy). They are curriculum-independent, adaptive (adjusting difficulty), and predict future academic performance, helping schools personalize learning by identifying student strengths/weaknesses beyond taught material. The Yellis test is an adaptive, computer-based baseline assessment for students aged 14-16 (Years 10 and 11). Developed by the Centre for Evaluation & Monitoring (CEM), which is part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, the test measures a student’s developed ability and potential for learning rather than specific learned knowledge, helping schools set targets and evaluate progress at GCSE and IGCSE levels. The Alis test is an adaptive baseline assessment which empowers schools to unlock the full potential of students. Specific to Key Stage 5, Alis helps you gain an objective perspective of students’ strengths and areas for improvement and see how they are likely to perform at A Level.