Pupils at St Mary’s show exemplary leadership qualities by the time they leave. They organise major school events such as our Shrove Tuesday celebrations, charity and fund-raising events, and supporting younger girls as minders and buddies. As House Captains, they organise House events and prepare younger girls for House competitions in areas such as drama, music and sport. Clubs and societies are usually run by Sixth Form girls, who also help to run the school committees such as the Charities Committee, the Social Committee and the Cyber and Tech Committee. They lead the school in prayer and liturgy, and the prefects meet regularly with the Senior Management Team for feedback and discussion.
The Lower Sixth live in their own boarding courtyard of five houses built around a central landscaped square. Each house has a living and kitchen area, and the courtyard has its own residential staff to look after the girls’ welfare. The Mary Breen Courtyard is our stunning development of Upper Sixth houses, each with a well-appointed kitchen, a generous living and dining space, and en-suite bedrooms. This complex includes a Pastoral Centre, consisting of a lecture hall, a multi-use space for modern dance, yoga and entertaining, and further rooms for meditation, prayer and reading, with clear views across the fields and open spaces beyond.
The Lower Sixth Electives Programme offers the girls the choice of completing two short courses, consisting of five 45-minute sessions, during the Michaelmas and Lent terms. These elective courses explore broad areas of interest such as Anthropology or Linguistics, contemporary issues such as Black History, Law or Entrepreneurship, skills such as Public Speaking or Mental First Aid, and even the World of Tea. They are designed to complement the existing core curriculum and Skills for Life programme.
The Sixth Form Academy is a self-selecting group that pursues a programme of reading, discussions, lectures and independent research designed to assist and challenge pupils who are thinking of making an Oxbridge, Ivy League or similar application. It is, however, open to any girl who wishes to benefit from the intellectual richness that it offers. Recent topics have included Enhancing human relationships using game theory, How to be an antiracist, Leadership, and Paradoxical puzzles: Escaping the prisoner’s dilemma.
