St Mary's School, Gerrards Cross

St Mary’s School, Gerrards Cross is an independent day school for girls aged 3–18[1] situated in the heart of Gerrards Cross in South Buckinghamshire, England.

St Mary's School, Gerrards Cross
Address
Packhorse Road

Gerrards Cross
,
Buckinghamshire
,
SL9 8JQ

England
Information
Former namesSt. Mary's College, Lancaster Gate
MottoEcce Ancilla Domini (Behold the handmaiden of the Lord)
Established1872
HeadmistressPatricia Adams
Age3 to 18
Houses  Butler
  Temple West
  Kirk
  Latham
Websitestmarysschool.co.uk

The current Head is Patricia Adams.[2] There are around 350 pupils, 110 of whom are in the Prep Department.[3]

History

St Mary’s School was established in 1872 by the Anglican Foundation of The Sister of the Community of St. Mary the Virgin in Paddington, London.[4]

The school relocated to Lancaster Gate[5] in 1911, where it was known as St. Mary’s College.[6] In 1937 the school relocated to its present site, Orchehill House,[7] in Gerrards Cross.[8]

The religious teaching in the school has changed since it was first established by the Community of St. Mary the Virgin but the school remains associated with the Church of England, though girls of all religions and denominations are admitted.[3]

In 2016 the Sixth Form facilities were upgraded with the opening of Cedar House and a new classroom block, Cherry Tree House, was added in 2018.[9]

Facilities
St Mary's School, 1900

The school has traditional buildings with period features as well as new classroom blocks, providing a wide range of facilities. Pre-Prep are in Paddington House, whilst the remaining year groups of the Prep Department are in the Oakdene and Smith buildings.[10]

Senior House is in Orchehill House, the original building, as well as Cherry Tree House. The Sixth Form is in a dedicated facility, Cedar House.[10]

Co-curricular

There is a range of co-curricular clubs available in both the Prep Department and Senior School including tap dancing, chess, gymnastics,[11] crafting, a wide variety of sports, language clubs, cookery, puzzle club, football,[12] Economics Society, media club, dance, playwriting, choirs, orchestra and bands, book club, drama club, street dance, debating, the Duke of Edinburgh awards.[13]

Headteachers
  • Sister Kate (C.S.M.V), 1874[14]
  • Sister Mary Louisa (C.S.M.V), 1876
  • Sister Mary Monica (C.S.M.V), 1877
  • Sister Geraldine (C.S.M.V), 1885
  • Sister Louisa (C.S.M.V), 1885
  • Sister Mary Margaret (C.S.M.V), 1886
  • Sister Madeline (C.S.M.V), 1886
  • Jane Latham, 1901-1909
  • Helena Powell, 1909-1925
  • Dorothy Apperson, 1925-1942
  • Winifred Joan Chalk, 1942-1967
  • Hazel Thomas, 1967-1969
  • Victor Joseph Bailey, 1969-1973
  • Audrey Timberlake, 1973-1984[9]
  • Joan Lilwall Smith, 1984-1995
  • Fanny Balcombe, 1995-2010
  • Jean Ross, 2010-2018[15]
  • Patricia Adams[16]

Notable alumnae
  • Gwyneth Bebb, the first woman to graduate from Oxford with a First in Jurisprudence; she was the only woman in her undergraduate class of 400. She argued Bebb v. The Law Society (1913) which, while the judgement was against her, led the way to women being admitted to the legal profession in Britain in 1919.[17][18]
  • Tessa Hilton, a British magazine executive and former newspaper editor.[19]

References
  1. "St Mary's School (Girls Only - Independent)". Buckinghamshire Family Information Service. Buckinghamshire, England: Buckinghamshire County Council. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  2. St Mary's School, Gerrards Cross (19 June 2018). "New Head for St Mary's School, Gerrards Cross". Attain. Chapel Studios Limited. ISSN 2045-6867. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  3. "St Mary's School Gerrards Cross". The Good Schools Guide. London, England. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  4. Baker, T F T; Bolton, Diane K; Croot, Patricia E C (1989). "Paddington: Education". In Elrington, C R (ed.). A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 9, Hampstead, Paddington. London. pp. 265–271. Retrieved 7 December 2018 – via British History Online.
  5. Wyburn-Powell, Alun (2015). Political Wings: William Wedgwood Benn, first Viscount Stansgate. Pen and Sword. p. 70. ISBN 9781473848153.
  6. "Catalogue description – Paddington: Lancaster Gate: St. Mary's School (formerly St. Mary's College) (S 5624)". UK. Retrieved 7 December 2018 – via The National Archives.
  7. Buckinghamshire County Council (2011). "Gerrards Cross Buckinghamshire Historic Towns Assessment Report" (PDF). Buckinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  8. South Bucks District Council (April 2009). "South Bucks District Council Character Appraisal" (PDF). South Bucks District Council. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  9. St Mary's School Gerrards Cross (19 October 2018). "We were delighted that Miss Timberlake, Head at St Mary's from 1973-1984, joined us today to open our state of the art classroom block, Cherry Tree House. We were also pleased that Mrs Ross joined in the celebrations". Retrieved 7 December 2018 – via Facebook.
  10. "St. Mary's School – Candidate Information Brochure" (PDF). RS Academics. UK. September 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  11. St Mary's School, Gerrards Cross (23 January 2018). "More Success for St Mary's Gymnastics Team". Attain. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  12. "SCHOOL SPORT: St Mary's and Gateway School reach national finals". Bucks Free Press. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  13. "St Mary`s School Gerrards Cross Packhorse Road". Education Base. UK. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  14. "Internet Archives".
  15. "Bucks Free Press".
  16. "Attain News".
  17. Rosemary Auchmuty (10 June 2011). "The tragic case of the legal star history forgot". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  18. St Mary's School, Gerrards Cross (10 October 2018). "Girls attend tribute to an inspirational St Mary's alumna". Attain. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  19. Sleeman, Elizabeth (2001). The International Who's Who of Women 2002. Psychology Press. p. 248. ISBN 9781857431223. Retrieved 7 December 2018.

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