St. Mary’s College hailed as an ‘Outstanding’ school by Catholic Schools Inspectorate

6 Dec 2023

St. Mary’s College has been hailed as an ‘outstanding’ school in a new report by the Catholic Schools Inspectorate.

Inspectors gave St. Mary’s an ‘outstanding’ rating in all three categories they assess.

According to the report, as well as fostering high levels of academic achievement, the school is committed to the education of the whole person, encouraging the spiritual and moral development of its students and the serving of others.

However, many other features of life at St. Mary’s are singled out for praise by the inspectors in the report which has a particular focus on the quality of religious education. They say that the school provides ‘a strong, tangible sense of family and community, in which a warm welcome is felt throughout the college, whoever you meet’.

Similarly, the report highlights how ‘students clearly articulate their understanding of how they are valued, and speak confidently about how they feel happy, safe and loved’. Students also believe they are encouraged to develop their talents and to make the right choices in life by their teachers, who they clearly regard as role models.

Meanwhile, inspectors praise students for their ‘exceptional behaviour’ which they say shows ‘deep respect for their own and other’s personal dignity and beliefs’. They are also ‘actively engaged in their learning’, and ‘approach their lessons with great interest, passion and enthusiasm’. As a result attainment levels in examinations are ‘consistently strong’ with students making good progress by ‘knowing more, remembering more and doing more’.

Elsewhere in the report St. Mary’s College is praised for its charity, advocacy and outreach work, and for the excellent links it has developed with the local community.

Commenting on the report St. Mary’s Principal, Mike Kennedy, said: “Everyone at the school is delighted that we have received this ‘outstanding’ rating from the Archdiocesan inspectors, as our preparatory school also did following an inspection earlier this year. We believe these assessments reflect the success of our twin-track approach which is to focus on the importance of academic excellence, while at the same time encouraging achievement in a wide range of other challenging and meaningful activities. We are particularly pleased that the report places such emphasis on St. Mary’s being a ‘joyful, welcoming community’ which we believe is the ideal environment in which to learn and achieve.”

Mr Kennedy also pointed out that while around two thirds of pupils at St. Mary’s are Catholics, the college also welcomes children of other faiths or no faith at all, and that their contribution to the school’s spiritual and moral life is equally valued.