Open Night 2020
We recently held our Open Night to the many prospective P7, P6 and some P5 students and their Parents/Guardians. This is a night for us to celebrate our students achievements and to showcase the high class education we deliver here in St. Mary's High School. We were so pleased to see just how many people attended.
For many the decision of where to go in 2020-2021 has already been made. The outstanding achievement at GSCE and A-level, especially in this record breaking year, and the outstanding pastoral care we provide each individual pupil has contributed to the decision making process. We offer a high class education with the added bonus of being a local school.
Our Principal, Ms R. Mc Laughlin spoke to prospective Parents/Guardians on the night and said;
"We recognise that if our girls are happy they will succeed in their learning and in all aspects of school life. We are a non-selective all ability school. Our ethos is one of high aspirations for every child from the gifted and talented to those who need additional support. Our school motto, ‘Every Child Matters’ is lived out on a daily basis in the care of our children. We demand high standards in all aspects of school life in terms of work ethic, the standard of work produced, behaviour and uniform. We make no apologies for demanding high standards because we believe that it will prepare our girls for later in life
We are very proud of our recent GCSE and A Level results because this was the culmination of hard work, determination and a mindset to succeed. When your daughters come here you will hear the girls talking about a ‘Can do Attitude’ which is very much the norm in St Mary’s. In the past 2 years the school has featured in the top 25 non-selective schools in Northern Ireland. This year we had the best GCSE results in the history of the school with 93.2% achieving 5 GCSEs and when we include English and Mathematics it is 83.1%. At A Level we had a 100% pass rate. In a recent inspection by ETI in November 2019 this high performance was acknowledged and praised. The inspectors reported back to me that our students speak very highly of their teachers and the support they receive in their learning. The inspectors stated that the girls engaged in discussions with them with confidence and were very capable of reflecting maturely on their learning, the targets that they had set with their teachers and their life chances in terms of employment aspirations. Some parents commented on the outstanding support that their children had received and on the high quality teaching and learning that takes place. Another parent stated, ‘I’m glad my daughter is in St Mary’s. You can be assured that a very nurturing atmosphere permeates life in our school to ensure that our girls reach their potential.
At GCSE we offer a vocational and academic curriculum that meets the needs and aspirations of our students. At GCSE the students have access to a broad range of subjects of 21+ to choose from. At A Level we are in collaboration with St Patrick’s Grammar School and De La Salle High School. This means that the students from the 3 schools have access to between 25-30 subjects. Many of our girls go to Queen’s, University of Ulster, Leeds, John Moore’s in Liverpool to name but a few. Our past pupils are well represented in all the professions, businesses and in all walks of life. We know that our girls as 21st century learners are well prepared for university and the world of work. But apart from that they leave us with strong values that shape their lives.
Apart from the normal timetabled classes we place a great emphasis on the students availing of opportunities to take part in extra-curricular activities such as Gaelic, netball and cross country. This is the second year in a row that the under 16 Gaelic team has made it to the Ulster Final. Last year we were very narrowly beaten when the match went into extra time! You have heard our choir singing this evening. We are very fortunate to have such talent.
the strong volunteering culture that exists in our school because we believe that the formation of a young person’s character at this stage is so important. The Sisters of Mercy established St Mary’s in 1957 and their values of showing compassion for the less fortunate are lived out on a daily basis in the huge range of fund raising activities undertaken throughout the school year. The girls organise coffee mornings, collections for Trocaire, food banks, supporting the work of Sr Mary in Zambia, sponsored walks for multiple sclerosis. Before Christmas we had the young entrepreneurs donating all their profits to charities such as PIPs. The list is endless. We are also part of 2 Shared Education programmes. One partnership is with Nendrum College in Cumber. The other partnership is with Blackwater Integrated College and De la Salle High School marking our commitment to reconciliation, respect and tolerance across our communities. We want to play our part in a shared future in Northern Ireland.
I know that you will be aware from coverage in the media regarding consultations that took place with staff, governors, parents and pupils in St Mary’s, De La Salle and St Patrick’s Grammar schools in 2018 that the date to amalgamate and form a new 11-19 voluntary grammar school is September 2021. Public consultation has also taken place. St Mary’s has shown that it has the ability to deliver.
We are very proud of our school as a centre of excellence and we look forward to this new opportunity of proposed change to serve all the young people in this area."
We hope the decision making process is an easy one. Thank you to everyone who attended our Open Night.
We look forward to meeting our prospective Year 8 pupils soon.
