Senior School Admissions
The main entry point to St Mary’s Senior School is at the start of Year 7, at the age of 11. Girls may join us later in Year 7, or in Years 8 or 9 if a place becomes available. It is not usual for students to join us in Years 10 and 11 as the GCSE courses have already begun.
Meet a group of new Year 7 St Mary’s students who gave an insight into their time at St Mary’s in the first few weeks, and what to expect as a new starter.
Visit
Prospective pupils are invited to attend one of our Open Days, which are held every year in Spring and Autumn or families are welcome to book an individual tour with our Registrar. Prospective Year 7 joiners usually come along for an Open Day during Year 4 or 5. These give a chance for girls and their parents to tour the school and chat to staff and pupils.
Register
The next step is to register your daughter by completing the registration form and paying a non-returnable Registration Fee of £125. If your daughter may be joining us in Year 7 and has a particular talent, you may consider applying for a Scholarship – Art, Music, Drama or Sport. Academic and Miss Comrie Scholarships cannot be applied for. For more information on Scholarships, please visit our Scholarships and Bursaries page.
Senior School Admissions timeline
For full information and a schedule of the admissions procedure for entry to Year 7 in the coming years, please see the Year 7 Admissions Timeline. Parents looking to secure a place for their daughter in other year groups are invited to contact our Registrar, who will advise on the availability of places and explain the admissions procedure and timescale.
Taster Day
Once registered, your daughter will be invited to be a ‘St Mary’s girl for a day’ at one of our Taster Days for prospective Year 7 pupils, or if she is applying to join another year group, to take part in a day of lessons with her own year group.
Entrance Assessment, interview and report
St Mary’s is not an academically selective school, but we do ask girls who might like to join us in Year 7 or any other year to sit an Entrance Assessment. This enables us to ensure that St Mary’s is able to offer just the right amount of challenge and support to every new student. We also identify our Academic Scholars on the basis of their performance in the Year 7 Entrance Assessment.
The one-hour online Entrance Assessment takes place at St Mary’s Senior School and ascertains candidates’ underlying potential in literacy, numeracy and verbal reasoning. It is not possible to coach for the assessment.
The Entrance Assessment is just one element of St Mary’s Senior School admissions process. We also request a report from the current school and invite each candidate to take part in an informal interview with the Principal, Mrs Nicola Griffiths.
Prospective Year 7 Scholars will be assessed at this time. For more information on Scholarships, please visit our Scholarships and Bursaries page.
Acceptance of a place
Once a place is offered, parents are asked to complete and sign the Acceptance Form, issued by the Registrar, and return it to the school along with an Entry Deposit of £400, which is returned when your child leaves us (subject to meeting the terms and conditions issued along with the offer). If your daughter is transferring from St Mary’s Lower School, the Entry Deposit paid when she joined the Lower School continues to the Senior School, so there is no need to pay it again. Year 7 Scholarships are offered at the same time as the offer of a place. Bursaries may be applied for once a place has been offered.
Joining
Once your daughter is a pupil of St Mary’s, her form teacher will keep in touch with you as she settles in and will be happy to answer any questions.
