St Mary's is unique in a number of ways. For example, we are a Catholic day and boarding school for girls, the only school of this type in Cambridge. Additionally, St Mary's is now the only all-girls' school in Cambridge, which is widely acknowledged to be the best learning environment for girls. We educate girls from ages 4-18, providing a seamless transition at every stage of your daughter's education.

We always encourage and warmly welcome you to visit. Don't just take our word from what you read on these pages, do come and see us! In the meantime, here are a few snapshots of the School:

In the cortile reception area, there is a little knot of girls sitting on a cluster of chairs discussing how Phillipa is getting on with making the dreamcoat for the forthcoming production of Joseph, the discussion punctuated by snatches of songs they are learning. There is some difficulty with remembering the sequence of colours!

Caroline is just unlocking the wagon which holds the fair trade biscuits which are sold at Break and a few Sixth Formers are already making a queue with some Year 7. The Year 7s are looking at the plasma screen and asking about the Sixth Form Ball, pictures of which are displayed on the screen.

A few girls are taking to Doris the receptionist, telling her about what they have to do for homework task and asking her what she thinks about the ceramics piece they are in the process of making.

In the library a Year 8 class is having a library lesson; there is comfortable silence as they read broken by the odd shuffle. Some girls look as if they are sitting in the middle of the flowering Magnolia tree which seems to creep into the library through the windows. In The Elms, Amy is reading her story book with the help of Miss Kate, sitting in the reading alcove.

If you walk out into the school garden, you might hear the sounds of the Reception class chattering as they discover new evidence of the changing seasons in the University Botanic Garden. Troy is having a fierce tennis rally on the tennis court with Miss Gregg, with lively support from her classmates.

Back inside, you might hear shouting from the hall, sounding like an argument. But it's actually Year 10s on their Day of Reflection, exploring conflict resolution through role play. In Room 7 you can hear spirited renditions of passages of Latin prose being read in preparation for the Classical Reading competition which is next week.

In the Sixth Form Centre there is the clacking of keyboards in the study room as there is a rapidly approaching deadline to complete personal statements for the UCAS forms. There is the occasional burst of laughter as an entertaining typo is shared.

In the Common Room downstairs all is quiet except for the sound of beads being shuffled in the process of making beaded bags to sell for Young Enterprise. In the distance the sound of the rowing machine can be heard, accompanied by the odd grunt!

All will be quiet on one of the extra-curricular afternoons in the dining room, as the Year 4 upward chess club concentrate on their next chess move. There is a deep furrow in the forehead of the one of the Sixth Formers, who has come to challenge the teacher to a match.

Over the road at No2 Brookside, the school Prep, you can hear the Year 4 first communion candidates preparing, accompanied by their classmates who are assisting in the celebration. In the Year 6 classroom next door, there are lots of enthusiastic hands up to ask questions about their forthcoming trip to Greece.

Back in the Senior School, in one of the Biology labs, there are a few shrieks emerging from the lab as the Year 9s are introduced to dissection. Mrs Ratcliffe can be seen turning a diagram on the whiteboard and wielding a skilful scalpel. In the Chemistry lab, Dr Jackson's Year 10s are giving presentations on subjects of their choice. In Physics, someone's hair is standing on end!

There is chanting coming from the drama Studio and if you listen carefully you can hear the sound of someone practising their drumming in the drum room above. Emily can be heard playing her flute and Mrs Gears is clapping a rhythm. As you wander downstairs, the sound of table tennis balls increases in pace, as Afnan brings her game to a glorious conclusion.

In Miss Drew's form room, the girls are putting the final touches to their Power Point presentation for an assembly on different types of love. There is much swooning over Hugh Grant and in one corner, a group is rehearsing their extract from ‘Far From The Madding Crowd'.

There is splashing in Art as Harriet is working on a piece based on the work of Jackson Pollock. In Ceramics, Junior School children are making their first experiments with clay…. In Textiles, one of the Sixth Form is constructing a bustier with beading and another is making a dress out of recycled materials including crisp packets.

We could go on, but we've run out of page! Please come and visit us and see, hear and enjoy the actual sights and sounds of St Mary's.