Pastoral care

At St Mary’s we understand that girls’ wellbeing matters and is critical to achieving. We are experts in supporting girls and know that for them to thrive they must feel confident, relaxed and secure.

We provide an environment that is safe in every respect – to experiment and question, to take risks and follow passions, to innovate and lead – free of judgement and stereotypes, and full of respect and support.

An individual approach

Every child at St Mary’s is known and understood. Before children even start at St Mary’s, we take time to get to know them and their families. In addition, we have initiatives in place from induction programmes to buddy systems to help pupils settle.

St Mary’s Vice Principal and Head of the Lower School, Mrs Emma Stanhope, meets every family prior to them joining our prep school. As well as familiarisation sessions for those joining Prep (Reception), the class teacher also takes time to meet each girl and her parent/s prior to them joining.

St Mary’s Principal, Mrs Nicola Griffiths, interviews every prospective Senior School pupil. In addition to the induction for Year 7 pupils, our Phase Lead visits each pupil at their current school, or elsewhere if needed, prior to them joining. This enables us to get to know the girls before they start at St Mary’s Senior School and helps create a smooth transition to senior school.

A positive environment

St Mary’s girls are not only confident and capable, but also kind and responsible. There is a positive culture at St Mary’s which enables pupils to develop the strength of character and self-belief they need to thrive.

Through our charity and outreach work, the students develop a strong sense of community. Being a leading Eco School means the students get a strong sense of caring for the environment. And as a member of the Round Square Organisation, St Mary’s pupils gain a global perspective as a result of our international links.

Focus on wellbeing and mental health

We know wellbeing matters and is critical to achieving. The wellbeing of every individual, pupil and staff member is of paramount importance at St Mary’s. It is in the supportive, caring atmosphere we provide that girls are able to thrive.

Every girl at St Mary’s has access to, and support from, a network of staff who are highly trained in pastoral matters. The size of the school means we are able to have regular, meaningful interactions with each pupil, and our staff know the girls incredibly well. The atmosphere is calm, supportive and nurturing, allowing girls to develop self-confidence.

The wellbeing hub

As fostering an environment that supports pupil mental health and wellbeing is a top priority, we have invested in The Wellbeing Hub, an expert-led, evidence-based resource for meeting the social, emotional, and educational needs of young people. The platform is designed to provide guidance to empower educators and support the entire school community in nurturing students’ mental health and wellbeing.

The Wellbeing Hub also provides St Mary’s parents with free access to valuable resources such as webinars, Q&As, specialist support and parenting courses.

The ‘Girls on Board’ approach

St Mary’s is proud to be a ‘Girls on Board’ school. This means that when pupils experience some turbulence in their friendships – which is inevitable from time to time – we take an empathy-based approach to supporting them. Further detail on the Girls on Board website.

Girls on Board has won many national prizes since its creation in 2017. The approach has been adopted by over a thousand schools worldwide and has proved to be a very effective way of creating lasting harmony amongst girls in school.

Peer support

Year 6 pupils complete the peer-led Head Smart Wellbeing Ambassador programme. This initiative highlights to the girls how to help others think about their own mental health and the practical things they can do to promote positive wellbeing.

All Senior School pupils take on a pastoral role as ‘Buddy’ to a girl in the year below, helping her to settle into the school and offering support during her time at St Mary’s. Selected girls in Year 11 are also trained as ‘Listeners’; peer mentors who lend an ear to pupils with minor problems to discuss.

St Mary’s has been awarded Anti-bullying Ambassador Status from The Diana Award. The programme’s trainers work with pupils aged 11-15 to change the attitude surrounding bullying. It has a strong peer-to-peer focus, with trainers giving young people the skills and confidence to become Anti-Bullying Ambassadors within their schools.

Benefits of all-girls education

Studies from around the world have shown there to be many benefits of an all-girls education. Research indicates that girls from all-girls’ schools are generally more confident and emotionally in control, and this mental toughness correlates with attainment, aspiration and wellbeing. Girls in single-sex environments have been shown to develop life skills such as taking positive risks with their learning, greater participation in discussions and increased competitiveness.

Single-sex schools have been shown to encourage improved self-esteem and help ease social anxieties girls may experience. Studies have shown girls to find an all-girls environment more supportive and the incidence of bullying for girls to be lower in single-sex schools. The environments created by all-girls’ schools can also mean girls are less likely to be influenced by negative gender stereotypes.

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