Experience St Mary’s

People often find the best way to get to know St Mary’s is by visiting us. You can attend Open Days to find out more about how we empower girls to thrive. Alternatively, private tours are also available.

In addition, we hold a number of events to give prospective families an insight into all we offer at St Mary’s.

Free classes for pre-school children

Throughout the year we hold free Early Learners classes for children aged 2-4. These one hour sessions are designed to help provide solid foundations for children starting school. They are also a great opportunity for you and your child to get to know St Mary’s in an informal setting.

Early Learners sessions are held at St Mary’s Lower School, London Road, Colchester, CO3 8LT. Following the sessions, individual tours are available if you would like to find out more about St Mary’s Kindergarten and Lower School. Please indicate your interest on the Early Learners event registration form and our Registrar, Mrs Justine Tierney will be in touch.

To find out more about upcoming events. please get in touch with our Registrar, Mrs Tierney, at registrar@stmaryscolchester.org.uk or on 01206 594256. Please note that places for these events are limited and can fill up fast. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to see details of events as soon as dates are published.

Lower School and Senior School events

Throughout the year we hold various events and those looking to join St Mary’s are welcome to attend. Events include interactive workshops covering a range of subjects from science and ICT to music and art. Prospective families are also invited to watch productions, such as whole school drama performances, music concerts and our spectacular Fashion Show, where Textiles students model their creations.

In addition, we hold Empowering Girls talks where inspirational speakers explore topics such as leadership and creating environments for girls to flourish.

These events are held during the school day, evenings and weekends. To find out more about what’s coming up please get in touch with our Registrar at registrar@stmaryscolchester.org.uk or on 01206 594256. Please note that places for these events are limited and can fill up fast. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to see details of events open to the community as soon as dates are published.

Familiarisation sessions and taster days for pupils starting at St Mary’s

Once registered, those looking to join the Kindergarten attend a Familiarisation Session. These are a great opportunity for us to get to know your child and help them settle in smoothly.

For girls registered for our Preparatory (Reception) Class, we invite them to attend a series of Familiarisation Sessions, starting in the spring term before they are due to start school in the September.

We invite pupils registered for Year 7 to attend our Taster Day, where the girls will get to experience some of what we have on offer at St Mary’s and meet other girls looking to join us.

For those interested in joining any other year, we invite the girls to spend the day with their own year group, where they will have the opportunity to take part in all aspects of school life during the day. They will get to meet the other pupils and get a real flavour of what it’s like to attend St Mary’s.