A result for everyone as St Mary’s School, Cambridge embraces academic diversity

Members of the St Mary’s School, Cambridge community have collectively spent the 2015/2016 academic year focusing on the importance of ’Embracing diversity’ – one of the 12 Characteristics of a Mary Ward School – and today, on A Level results day 2016, the school is delighted to celebrate its academic diversity as Sixth Form students at the school – the only all girls’ school in Cambridgeshire – receive excellent results across a remarkably broad range of subjects: 50% of students’ results  were awarded at A* - A grade and 75% at A* - B grade – across 25 subjects.

The school’s ethos, underpinned by its Christian foundations, is based on a commitment to value the precious uniqueness of each individual – an integral part of which is recognising and supporting students as they pursue their passions in different areas. From the flexibility of timetabling in Sixth Form, with students encouraged that “the timetable is devised around individual choices so we are able to accommodate the subject combination that suits you, no matter how focused, or diverse, your interests”, to the school’s ‘sport for all’ mantra, which sees every girl have the opportunity to take part in physical activity in a way that she enjoys most, we reject any ‘one size fits all’ approach.

Cora L. is typical of St Mary’s School, Cambridge girls who have celebrated success across different academic disciplines, achieving straight A grades in each of her five subjects – History, Psychology, Chinese, Mathematics and Economics – and will go to King’s College London to read Politics.

Theology students achieved A* - A grades in 75% of cases, including student Melissa J. who now heads to the University of Cambridge to undertake the Theology and Religious Studies degree, thanks to her impressive clutch of four A* grades in Theology, Art, Classical Civilisation and English Literature. Melissa commented on the school’s dedication to support girls in their pursuits of a wide range of pathways: “I swapped from Physics to English Literature at half term during my Lower Sixth year. People are different and have different learning styles, and I am so pleased that the school enabled me to re-assess my choices after starting Lower Sixth and supported me in changing course”.

Melissa J. and Ms Avery celebrate Melissa's four A* grades

Students at the school have performed exceptionally well in the Performing Arts, with two thirds of both Music and Drama students achieving A* - A grades. Kathryn B. is delighted to be heading to Bournemouth University to read Film, having achieved A* grades in Drama and Photography as well as a B grade in Spanish. Kathryn praised the school, saying “I decided from a young age that I would like to study Film at university and the teachers have been so great – they get the right balance and push you just the right amount and the school is such a friendly place – and Ms Avery is such a firm supporter of the arts!”

Kathryn B. and Ms Esther Roberts, Head of Drama, celebrate excellent Drama results

With straight A* grades for Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology, Diane C. will now go on to read Biological Sciences at her first choice university, Imperial College, London. Having started at St Mary’s School, Cambridge in the Lower Sixth from China, where Biology is not studied, Diane said: “Biology is a relatively new subject to me; however my interest in Biology developed way before I could actually attend any lesson.” For Diane’s Extended Project Qualification (for which she achieved an A grade) she enjoyed the opportunity to combine her passion for Biological Sciences with her interest in Thi Chi, by investigating the biochemical explanations for Thi Chi treatments. Over half of the students taking Mathematics, 67% of those taking Further Mathematics, and 57% taking Biology, join Diane in achieving A* - A grades.

In our highly regarded Art department, 100% of Art and Design students achieved A* - B grades. Sisters Sukey and Lucca C. are rounding off a summer that featured the pair’s joint work experience placement at the Victoria and Albert Museum with the Head of woodwork, jewellery and silver, organised by the school, by celebrating Sukey’s B grade in Art, which has enabled her to head to Leeds College of Art to undertake the Art and Design Foundation course.

Younger sister Lucca moves into the Upper Sixth at St Mary’s Sixth Form, Cambridge to continue her studies in Art, English Language and Geography – and she intends to read Geography at university. Humanities and languages are heavily invested in at the school and results are equally impressive: 100% of students taking Chinese, Russian and Italian at A Level achieved grade A* - A, and 60% of Geography students were awarded A* - A grades. Lucca commented: “Our Geography teacher has been really inspiring – and the topics are so relevant to real life”.

Charlotte Avery, Headmistress of St Mary’s School, Cambridge said: “Congratulations to each and  every one of our girls who has worked so hard towards this collective feat of excellence. We invest in each student through pastoral provision, sporting opportunities, a wonderful range of adventure trips and extra-curricular clubs, cultural visits and skills workshops. Whichever combination of subjects students choose, the emphasis has been on instilling in the girls a sense of personal endeavour, intellectual curiosity and preparation for life beyond school – and as the Upper Sixth girls head off to their many and varied new adventures, we wish them the very best and urge them to keep in close contact, and to tell us of their incredible, and wonderfully diverse, accomplishments that are bound to follow.”