St Mary's School Calne
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How many pupils are in the school?
A. Around 300.
Q. How many in each year group?
A. In the lower year groups there are normally between 30 and 35 and in the upper groups, between 45 and 50 in each year.
Q. What is the usual class size?
A. Class sizes are small and supervision is close and caring. Generally classes have up to 15 girls, but may sometimes go up to 16 or 17 and are often smaller, especially in the Sixth Form.
Q. Do girls mainly join at 11+ or 13+?
A. Mostly at 11+ but we also have a dedicated intake at 13+. As boys develop later than girls they have traditionally gone on to 13 in their Prep Schools. Girls mature earlier and most are ready for new challenges at 11+. It really depends on the individual and parents have the choice. Settling in to the school and into friendship groups at 11 works very well. The proportion of those coming in at 11+ to those at 13+ is two thirds to one third.
Q. Do girls coming in at 13+ have difficulty settling in?
A. No, not at all. Sometimes the girls find it easier at 11+, but we are very careful to make sure our 13+ girls integrate fully.
Q. How many stay on to Sixth Form?
A. Practically all. Sometimes there may be family reasons for leaving at the end of UV Form and sometimes girls are attracted by co-ed, but really it’s a bad time for them to move if they want to do well at A Level.
Q. What is the percentage going on to University?
A. All go on to university except for one or two opting for Art or Drama Foundation Courses. This year girls secured places at universities such as LSE, UCL, Royal Veterinary College, Bath, Bristol, St Andrews, Newcastle and Leeds, with all girls holding Cambridge and Oxford offers making their places.
Q. How many foreign students do you have?
A. Around 12% of our students come from overseas. They come from a variety of locations including, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Monaco, Africa, Japan, Russia and China. We welcome cultural diversity, but will continue to limit overseas students to this percentage.
Q. How many day girls are there and how well do they integrate?
A. Approximately 20% of our pupils are day girls. We take pride in the way our day girls are integrated into the whole of school life and actively encourage them to enjoy all of the facilities of the boarders, including participation in evening and weekend activities. Day girls are invited to stay overnight whenever it is convenient for them or their parents.
Q. How many share a dormitory?
A. This varies from house to house and dormitory to dormitory. On average four share a room. Housemistresses change the groups sharing each term to give each girl opportunities to get to know other girls in the year group, but we do take into account firm friendships.
Q. At what age do they get single rooms?
A. At 15 when they move into UV Form.
Q. Why are some girls not wearing uniform?
A. Sixth Formers do not have to wear uniform. We encourage them to develop a sense of self at this age. We want them to be relaxed and comfortable with themselves. It is part of growing up.
Q. Which sports do you offer?
A. Our main winter sports are lacrosse, hockey, netball and in summer, tennis, athletics and rounders. We regularly have county players and the school is currently represented nationally in athletics and lacrosse and internationally in horseriding. Girls can swim all year round and use of the pool and fitness suite is very popular with the senior girls, especially first thing in the morning.
Q. How often do girls do PE?
A. Sport is very important and in practice there is some form of sport evey day. Everyone is encouraged to participate in team and in individual sports. Each year group has a Games afternoon each week. This includes the Sixth Form, who can choose from a wide range of activities including golf, squash, badminton, footballl, aerobics, Pilates, riding, basketball, sailing (at the Costwold Water Park), rock wall climbing (at the Link Centre, Swindon), and fencing.
Matches against other schools are held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.
Q. How many girls use the Sports Centre?
A. The Centre is much enjoyed by all girls for sport and leisure. It is particularly popular with the UV Form and Sixth Formers who use it early in the morning and in the evenings.
Q. Does the Public has access to the Sports Centre?
A. Yes. The Sports Centre is open to the community, but to members only, at times when it is not being used for lessons. Access is strictly monitored.
Q. What languages do the girls study?
A. All girls entering the school in LIV Form study French, Mandarin and Latin. In MIV Form, Spanish is taught alongside French and Latin. Girls then have the opportunity to add either German or Greek in UIV Form, if they so wish. We can arrange for any particular language requested to be available.
Q. How long has the current Headmistress been here?
A. For 5 years.
Q. Has she made many changes and what is she like?
A. Dr Wright is a very dynamic and caring Headmistress. She works tirelessly at the centre of the school, driving it forward and creating an atmosphere in which the girls can develop their potential and thrive. There have been many improvements and developments in the last five years, but the ethos of the school and its focus on the individual remains the same. She has very strong leadership skills and is well-liked by the girls. She is firm but fair.
Q. Do you have any problems with bullying, anorexia, alcohol, smoking or drug taking?
A. Obviously there are some occasions when girls are unkind to one another. Our aim is always to identify any problem very early on so that it can be dealt with before it escalates. Our pastoral care system is second to none. In a recent Boarding Inspection Report, inspectors remarked on the high number of girls questioned who had never enountered bullying throughout their time at St Mary's.
Cases of anorexia and bulimia occur very occasionally. They are usually the result of a lack of self esteem and here again, early identification is esssentail so that it can be dealt with appropriately. Girls are signed in to all meals and their general well-being is very closely monitored.
Smoking is a perennial issue amongst teenage girls. We are very tough on girls found smoking in school. If caught, they are interviewed by Dr Wright, a letter is sent home, the girls concerned lose privileges, and are fined.
We do not have problems with alcohol or drug-taking. The rules are made quite clear to the girls and they do abide by them. Drug-taking would result in immediate expulsion.
Q. How many male teachers are there?
A. We have a large number of male teachers mainly in the Geography, Science, Economics, Music, RE, ICT and Modern Languages departments.
Q. What weekend and evening activities are offered?
A. There are excellent facilities offered for a wide range of evening and weekend activities, from horse riding and polo to fencing and pottery. Drama, music, art, and sports are hugely popular in the girls' free time, as is The Duke of Edinburgh's Award; virtually all girls work for the Bronze Award and large numbers go on to higher levels. The extensive weekend programmes include a combination of in-school activities and outings. We are prepared to offer almost any activity girls may request.
Q. Which area would you describe as a particular strength of the school?
A. Real focus on the individual in everything she does. The ability to recognise each girl’s talents and support and stretch her accordingly.
Q. What are the advantages of horizontal grouping for boarding houses and do all year groups then mix?
A. In a small school, vertical boarding restricts the number of friends girls can make within their own year group. Horizontal boarding gives maximum exposure to all girls and means they can really bond as a year group, so supporting one another and developing lifelong friendships. On entering the school, each girl becomes a member of one of the five School Companies, and she remains in this Company throughout her time at the school. This provides the opportunity to mix with and work together with other year groups, encouraging a spirit of teamwork and friendly competition.
Q. Are you a very “academic” school?
A. Whilst academic study is our priority, we believe passionately in the value of an all-round education and life at St Mary’s is packed with opportunities outside of the classroom. We are not an academic hothouse. We know that parents may worry about entry standards, however, we look for potential to do well and not simply what a girl has already been taught. If your daughter is doing well at a good school and is an enthusiastic and able learner, she may have the potential to become a successful pupil at St Mary’s.
Q. How secure is the school site?
A. Very secure. All the entrances have keypad locks. There are also two security guards with dogs patrolling at night.
Q. Do you offer DT, photography, pottery etc?
A. We do not offer these are stand alone subjects but they can be included within in the art syllabus which is designed to be creative and flexible.
Q. Do you offer Psychology and Business Studies A level?
A. We offer Psychology, but not Business Studies. We offer a very broad range of academic subjects at A level and are looking to offer girls the best possible opportunity to get to the top universities which all demand good, strong core A levels. For Business Studies, a girl will have better opportunities if she studies Economics and Maths.
Q. Where does St Mary’s stand in the league tables?
A. We do very well in the league tables - but frankly, the position in the tables is fairly irrelevant as there isn’t a common starting point. What is important is that each girl achieves her very best. We are proud of what we offer and what they achieve.
Q. What is the school doing to improve academic performance?
A. We have created a new Director of Studies post to further improve academic performance across the ability range. We have also recently improved our scheme for gifted pupils. We are continually improving teaching and learning resources, including a new IT suite, and refurbished our Science block and equipment last summer. We are renowned for our unique tutorial system offering individual care and support. Each girl has her own tutor from her arrival until after her GCSEs. This tutor will help each individual to fulfil her true potential. We have also improved communication of girls’ progress to parents by providing written reports in all subjects twice every term.
Q. Do you have a pass mark at Common Entrance?
A. No. The admissions process we have developed means that we have an expectation that those sitting the papers for us will do well. By the time girls sit CE we will already have developed a good sense of the individual girl through links with prep school Heads, attendance at Taster Days and Entrance Days. This should help to take the pressure off and we do not, under any circumstances, want to set up girls to fail. In practice, most girls will achieve 60 – 65% at least, although they may have one or two areas in which they still need to develop.
Q. Does St Mary's offer Scholarships and what are they worth?
A. We offer Academic and Music Scholarships at 11+ and 13+, a Bodinnar All-Rounder Scholarship at 13+ and various subject Exhibitions at 11+, 13+ and in the Sixth Form. Academic Scholarships, both internal and external, are also available in the Sixth Form. Further details are available from the Admissions Office.
Q. What Busaries are available?
A. As a charitable trust we do offer a limited number of Foundation places. Applications for such places should be sent to the Headmistress. Busaries are sometimes offered to help parents who have girls already in school, who may have reduced financial circumstances. All cases are considered individually.
Q. Where can we get up-to-date news about the school?
A. Our website provides a very thorough overview of the School. News of recent events is published in The Lily, our newsletter, which is issued at the end of each term.
Q. Are girls allowed out of school on their own?
A. Younger girls are allowed out into town at specified times and only in groups. Older girls up to UV Form may go out in pairs. All girls going out must have previous permission from their Housemistresses and sign out and back in again.
Q. Can older girls leave school unaccompanied at weekends and how do you know where they are?
A. Girls may only leave school if they have the right consents. Before they reach the Sixth Form they may only leave school at specified times and have to sign out and back in again so that we know exactly where they are at all times. The UVI Form do not need consent but still have to sign out and back in. We are very strict about this.
Q. Which schools do you have socials with?
A. We have very successful and lively socials with Eton, Radley, Winchester, and Downside. We aim to have at least two each term per year group.
Q. Do you have flexible boarding arrangements?
A. No. We are a fully boarding school. However, staged boarding is available to the younger girls to ease the transition to full boarding.
Q. Do you offer weekly boarding?
A. No. We have Saturday morning lessons and afternoon matches. We want our boarders to be drawn into a full academic, social and personal school life that only full boarding can offer.
Q. How many fixed exeats are there each term?
A. There are two, one in each half term.
Q. How often can the girls come home?
A. They go home for each fixed exeat, leaving school on Friday evening and returning on Sunday evening. There is one fixed exeat in the middle of each half term. The first and last weekend of the term and either side of Half Term are non-exeat weekends when girls must stay in school unless a special permission has been granted by the Headmistress. All other weekends are designated as "free weekends" when a girls may use a "floating" or a "day" exeat. A "floating" exeat is from 12 noon on Saturday, or after school commitments (matches, rehearsals etc.), until check-in time on Saturday evening or after Chapel on Sunday until check-in on Sunday evening. The number of floating and day exeats varies from year group to year group.
The UVI Form may go out at any time as long as they are up-to-date with their work, and the LVI Form may go out after lessons on most Saturdays, although there are a number of weekends when they are very much involved in school activities.
