History of St Mary's School Cambridge: the 1970s

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About St Mary’s

The 1970s

1970

22 IBVM sisters
600 pupils
107 girls in the 6^th form
116 boarders (including 44 Junior School boarders of 9-10 years old)
Junior School boarders at Mary Ward House (just off Hills Road)
Junior School at Babthorpe House (in Cavendish Avenue)
International pupils from Australia, Venezuela, India and Africa
20 subjects offered at A Level, including 7 languages
Prize Day, but no formal speeches
Breakfast and supper cooked by the IBVM sisters
“Dec: Reverend Mother Gregory left us to return to St Mary’s Convent, Shaftesbury, early in September. She gave six devoted years as Superior of the Community and gave a great amount of her time and energy to improving the school premises and adding to the boarding accommodation. It is during her time that the number of boarders has increased from 30 to 120. ... In September we welcomed Reverend Mother Clare who came here from Shaftesbury. ... This school year began with 592 pupils — 128 juniors (no five–year olds) and 464 in the senior department including 114 in Sixth Form — and 27 full–time and 14 part–time staff. ... There are two new classrooms in use: these were put on top of the 1928 block...” M. Christopher, IBVM, from letter in The Pastonian

1971

Junior School entry age raised from 5 years old to 7 years old
“Dec: The new building, so long talked of, was begun in September: the still longer talked of disappearance of the old gym has actually taken place. Barnes’ building (to many of us known as the ‘old lab’) has been demolished and, with it, the horse chestnut tree beside the tennis court ... do you remember how our tennis balls used to be impeded by it? or in our early years how it supplied us with lovely shiny conkers? ...it is our most ambitious building scheme to date. Perhaps I may mention that with the long delays enforced on us the cost has nearly doubled and if you are able to make a donation or, still better, a covenant, we shall be most grateful.” M. Christopher, IBVM, from letter in The Pastonian

1972

Sister Dominica, Headmistress 1972-1977.
Many of the numerous school activities have become annual events over the years, including: the Easter exchange holidays; Geography and Biology field–trips; visits to Stratford; inter–form drama competition; English–Speaking Union Public Speaking Competition; concerts, carol service and more...
The PTA awarded a travel–bursary for the first time: to be given annually for the best project submitted by a member of the Lower VI.
“Nov (from Mary Ward House, Salisbury, Rhodesia): ...for me, having been in Cambridge since 1940, it was a big change. I went to see Sister Paul in the summer and we reminisced over our happy memories of the struggle and the growth of the school; we calculated that between us we looked after St Mary’s for 55 years — Sister Paul from 1917–49 and I from 1949–72.” M. Christopher, IBVM, from letter in The Pastonian
The ‘new block’ is built, with new classrooms, music rooms, gym and laboratories.

1975

Mary Ward House and Babthorpe House sold.
Nos. 7 and 8 Brookside purchased for the Junior School and some of the boarders.

1977

Sister Christina, Headmistress 1977-1989.

St Mary's School, Bateman Street, Cambridge, Cambs, CB2 1LY, UK
tel: +44 (0)1223 353253
Bursar tel: +44 (0)1223 224136
fax: +44 (0)1223 357451
enquiries@stmaryscambridge.co.uk
admissions@stmaryscambridge.co.uk

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