20th August 2020 — The sun shone on our St Mary’s School, Gerrards Cross, Year 11 girls as they arrived in school to collect their GCSE results this morning. In a year in which they did not have the opportunity to sit the GCSE examinations, the girls received the higher of the Centre Assessed Grades or the Ofqual moderated grade. We were delighted that after so much waiting, government u-turns and media speculation that the girls have a fabulous set of GCSE grades. The headline figures are: 15% were at Grade 9, the very highest A*grade, 35% at Grade 9 and 8, 62% at Grades 9-7, 84 % at Grades 9-6 and 99.77% at Grades 9-4.

My thanks go to all the staff, parents, governors and friends of the school who have supported the St Mary’s community in this most challenging of years. Congratulations to Year 11 class of 2020, we are so very proud of you!

Mrs Patricia Adams, Headmistress

13th August 2020 — It was a very happy morning at St Mary's this morning as the Year 13 leavers received their A level results. In an examination year full of uncertainty, the Year 13 leavers have been delighted that the majority have achieved their desired place at university. 50% of grades were A*-A, and 79% were A*-B. Their resilience, determination and positivity has been evident throughout their Sixth Form course and during lockdown, and in a situation that could not have been imagined, they now have what they need to pursue the next exciting chapter in their careers.

Mrs Adams , Headmistress said, "I am incredibly proud of the girls, staff and everyone who has supported the Year 13 Leavers throughout their Sixth Form course and during their whole time at St Mary's. Some of our girls have been with us from Reception and are now leaving to take their place in the world, full of confidence. Their achievements are so well deserved and I could not be happier for the Year 13s and their families today."

6th March 2020 — It was a pleasure to welcome local author, Andy Huxtable, to talk to our Early Years to Year 4 girls about his new book, The Cake, the first in a series about an ant called Sam. Andy told the girls about the story, and about why he decided to become an author, and then presented a signed copy of The Cake to the children, to be kept here at St Mary’s. A brilliant experience for our girls at the end of Literary Week!

9th February 2020 — St Mary’s was delighted to host the Floor and Vault Regional Gymnastics Competition on Sunday 9th February. Our two teams performed brilliantly with the Under 13s winning second place, and our Under 11 team coming in first! Huge congratulations to both teams and good luck to the U11 team who are off to the National Floor and Vault finals in May. A big thank you also to Mrs Deadman for running this event.

13th November 2019 — As you may remember, during Breast Cancer Awareness month in October last year, St Mary's appeared live on ITV's Lorraine. This was due to the work that Mrs Taylor has been doing with the breast cancer charity, Coppafeel!, in recent years and her commitment to including breast health onto St Mary's PSHCE curriculum. Coppafeel! invited Mrs Taylor to join their Educational Advisory Group and asked her to develop a pack for them (including detailed lesson plans, activities and resources), suitable for delivering to KS3/4/5 on the topic of breast cancer. When the new national PSHCE curriculum was revealed, it included the statutory requirement for schools to teach learners about cancer from September 2020: something that daunted many schools and thus making the Coppafeel! teaching resource all the more important. We are delighted to announce that Mrs Taylor's School Pack has been given accreditation by the PSHE Association which means that from early 2020, the pack will be rolled out to schools across the country to support their delivery of this invaluable educational message! Mrs Taylor continues to work alongside Coppafeel! to further support its educational provision and teacher training. Never one to miss an opportunity, a final reminder from Mrs Taylor: "know your boobs and check them regularly!"

11th November 2019 — What a tremendous afternoon Years 4, 5 and 6 experienced when the multi award winning author, Sita Brahmachari, came to visit St Mary's on Wednesday 6th November. Sita’s novel, Artichoke Hearts, won her the Waterstones Children’s Book Award for 2011, and since then Sita has become a prolific writer of children’s fiction. Sita told the girls how, in the past, she has been asked why she doesn't write for adults and her response was "I write for the most important people; the children". Sita won everyone's hearts with her answer! Our girls were mesmerized from there on in. Sita spent the entire afternoon talking to the children about her new book "Where the River Runs Gold" and bringing her book to life by involving the children through audience participation. The story is a dystopian futuristic tale where bees have become extinct so the dilemma for human beings is - who are the pollinators going to be now..? The children of course- because they have such tiny fingers and hands! In our Senior Hall a drama was unravelling; the children became "pollinators", "Luca Freedoms", a prime minister, and Shifa and Themba to name but a few of the characters. Sita’s passion regarding the important message about climate change and conservation was evident in everything she spoke about; she was a true inspiration to us all. Sita concluded her speech by sharing several artefacts and a banner made for her by refugee children with the message: Dare Dream Believe Imagine.

What a fantastic afternoon!