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Home | St Mary`s Colchester Senior School

St Mary's Colchester Senior School

91 Lexden Road, Colchester, Essex, England CO3 3RB

Private School (Fee Paying) Girls 3 - 16 Years Day

St Mary’s Senior School is situated in impressive historic buildings on Lexden Road, Colchester. We’re the only truly independent secondary school in Colchester with charitable status, meaning all fees go to providing the outstanding education we...

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Word From The Head

Head Photo

Anwen Jones


Welcome to St Mary’s Senior School, situated in impressive historic buildings on Lexden Road, Colchester. We’re the only truly independent secondary school in Colchester with charitable status, meaning all fees go to providing the outstanding education we offer here, with no profits to owners or shareholders.

We’re also the only independent provider of single sex education in Colchester. We’re part of the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) and are experts in contemporary girls’ education.

The following pages will give you a sense of the academic excellence, endless opportunities and outstanding pastoral care provided at St Mary’s Senior School. But nothing will give you a better insight into our vibrant school than taking a look around. So please arrange a virtual tour or reserve a place at an upcoming Open Morning.

Academic excellence
At St Mary’s, every girl is not just known but understood. In our small classes we’re able to tailor our teaching to each and every student, not just in terms of level but also preferred method of learning. We also monitor progress closely to ensure each girl in fully supported, encouraged and stretched in every area.

Despite not being a selective school, we saw a 12% improvement in level 9-7 results from 2019- when GCSE papers were last sat, 98% of results were level 9-4 (equivalent to C grade and above), 48% of results were level 9-7 (equivalent to A grade and above) and St Mary’s results are well above the national average of 73% at level 9-4 and 26% at level 7-9.

We believe in providing a balanced education and as a result don’t just see excellent academic results, but success across the board, from The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) to public speaking.

Caring community
Our pastoral support is at the centre of all we do. We spend time getting to know every girl and their families, and when students join us at the Senior School they are assigned a buddy and become part of a buddy family consisting of a girl from each year.

Carefully chosen and trained Year 11 girls act as Listeners to provide peer support, and staff are all trained in the area of wellbeing. We have many initiatives in place to support the welfare of our students and really do believe that happy girls are high achievers.

Miss Anwen Jones, Head of St Mary’s Senior School

What We Offer

  • IGCSE - International General Certificate of Secondary Education
  • SATs (UK) - Standard Assessment Tests
  • Business studies
  • Classics
  • Drama/Theatre
  • ICT
  • Painting/Sculpture
  • Photography
  • Chinese - Mandarin
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Latin
  • Athletics
  • Badminton
  • Basketball
  • Cross-Country
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics
  • Hockey
  • Netball
  • Rounders
  • Rugby
  • Squash
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Adventure Training
  • Ballet
  • Chess
  • Dance
  • Drama
  • Duke of Edinburgh
  • Public Speaking
  • Rock Climbing
  • Skiing
  • Dyslexia or Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)
  • Aspergers Syndrome (AS)
  • After School Club
  • Before School Club
  • School Bus Service
  • Special Diets

Admissions

  • Assessment
  • Interview
  • Academic
  • All-rounder
  • Art
  • Drama
  • Music
  • Siblings
  • Sport
  • All denominations welcome
  • English

    Age Range & Fees

    Age Range3 to 16
    Annual Day Fees *£10950 to £16635
    Annual Weekly Boarding Fees *£0 to £0
    Annual Full Boarding Fees *£0 to £0
    * Currency: GB Pound

    Number Of Pupils

    0Day370
    0Full Boarding0
    0Weekly Boarding0
    0Total370
    Boys Girls

    Number Of Staff

    Full-time: 28
    Part-time: 27

    % Pupils Gaining
    GCSE/IGCSE Passes 5 - 9

    % Pupils Gaining
    A Level Grades A – C

    % Pupils Going
    To University

    School Reviews

    St Mary's Parent


    Our daughter looks forward to school every day and we think this is a product of the teaching and care she receives daily  

    ISI Inspection Report


    The many leadership opportunities within the school enable pupils to develop a strong understanding of their responsibilities to each other and the local community  

    St Mary's Parent


    St Mary’s is a wonderful school of exceptionally high standards. Our daughter will have fond memories for many years to come  

    St Mary's Parent


    My daughter has made such progress since joining St Mary’s – not only has her academic work improved, but she is confident and happier in her own skin  

    St Mary's Parent


    There is such an atmosphere of kindness and care at St Mary’s  

    Year 11 Student


    The friends I have made at St Mary’s will be friends for my whole life!