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About St Mary’s

Headmistress’s Prize Giving Speech 2004

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, Dr Tudor, Professor Palsule, governors, guardians, members of the CJ community, Pastonians, parents, staff and girls.

Let us picture the moment on 19 March, in the library, when I first heard these words:

“The young women who leave St Mary’s are a credit to themselves and their school. They achieve very good standards in relation to their abilities. They are intensely, and rightly, proud of their school. They are hard working, articulate and well adjusted; above all, they are inspired by the Catholic and Christian ethos of the school; they care for each other and the world outside the school. They achieve so well because of the skill, commitment, care and high expectations of the staff.”

They were the words chosen by John Marshall who led our Independent Schools Inspectorate Inspection. Nobody would describe John Marshall as a ‘soft touch’. Headmaster, HMI, director of international schools, indeed, the holder of a CBE, he means exactly what he says.

When towards the end of the Lent term John Marshall arrived with his team of 10 inspectors my biggest fear was that, with a snapshot of just one week, they would not have a chance to discover what makes St Mary’s such a glorious place. My fears were unfounded. It was obvious within hours that they felt at home here. It was clear at the end of the week that they wanted to affirm all that was so very good and help us plan a future that will be even better. You hear so many horror stories about inspections. The inspection at St Mary’s was a wholly positive experience.

The inspectors highlighted six major strengths of the school: its [Catholic] ethos, our excellent academic standards, the school’s leadership, pastoral care that has long been second to none, our committed and hard–working staff and the personal development of the girls. When St Mary’s girls leave the school, said the inspectors, they do so as ‘mature, confident and well adjusted young women’.

What else could we want for our St Mary’s girl, or our daughter, but to come into a school which is comfortable and at ease with the Christian values it stands for, where she will achieve high academic standards, be cared for with kindness, and be taught by excellent teachers so that she emerges with confidence, ready to face adulthood?

Don’t let us underestimate what this report signifies. This is St Mary’s first major inspection and it is a fantastic achievement. Every member of staff and every pupil has contributed to the creation of an outstanding school. Yes, it took immense preparation. The staff were unstinting. The girls were hugely supportive and understanding to their over–stretched teachers. The inspectors were kind enough to say that St Mary’s leadership was ‘strong and committed’. But strength and commitment are only possible when staff are loyal and supportive and the school that we all love inspires both vocation and vision day in and day out.

The religious education of the school was judged in a separate inspection — during the same week — called a section 23 Ofsted report. It was run by the Diocese of East Anglia. This was an optional inspection for an independent school. This report was also wonderfully positive: they too cited the overall strengths of the school — not six, but nine.

They found excellent relationships between staff and students and between the girls and praised the students’ excellent attitude and approach to school. They judged the moral education and role models provided by all the staff to be exemplary. The RE department was praised for their fine teaching, excellent planning and leadership. The inspectors applauded the contribution made by Father Tony as chaplain and the extensive fund raising for charity. It’s a wonderful endorsement of the school, and of the RE department in particular.

At a recent conference for Catholic heads I heard an extract from a speech by Archbishop Oscar Romero. He said:

“We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realising just that. This enables us to do something and to do it very well”.

St Mary’s is a school where everybody has a chance to achieve their something. And how extraordinary that something often turns out to be. Look at our examination results for 2003. Yet again they were outstanding. There was a 100% pass rate at A2 and GCSE. And A was the most common grade. At A2, over half of all the grades were A and two thirds of them were A and B. Special congratulations go to Elizabeth Church and Lynn Su who each achieved 4 grade As and to the other 7 girls who achieved at least three grade As at A2. At AS level, special congratulations go to Rosalind Brock, Katie Green, Lizzie Ingle, Livia Lai, Miriam Maschmeier and Katie Scott who achieved 4 or more grade As. We also congratulate Rosalind Brock on her conditional offer to read medicine at Lincoln College in Oxford.

At GCSE, every single girl achieved 5 or more grades A*–C and 71% gained 10 or more. 65% of all grades were A and A*. Special congratulations go to Amy Tippen and Lizzie Tuley, who each achieved 11A* grades and the 14 other girls who achieved As and A*s in all their subjects.

Both our Young Enterprise and our Duke of Edinburgh programmes were recognised by the inspectors as major contributions to the personal development of the girls. This year, for the second year in a row, our L6^th Young Enterprise Company won the Cambridgeshire area final. That really is something — and against opposition from many of the local schools, including the Perse Schools and Hills Road Sixth Form College. This year’s company was Zephyr, a team of 25 students, the largest in the competition. Led by managing director Charlotte Pindar they manufactured a range of high quality products: necklaces, macramé mats and key rings, cards and delightful beaded bookmarks in different designs. They even fulfilled a special order for crested newts! This year shareholders are looking forward to a 500% dividend. Thank you to the three staff that supervise the team but especially to Mrs Harris who retires this summer after 10 extraordinarily successful years as a Young Enterprise link teacher.

This year has seen the greatest number of Duke of Edinburgh Award participants ever at this school. That too really is something. 65 girls participated in Bronze, 31 at Silver and 32 worked on their Gold. This means that almost half of all students in years 10 and 11 and the sixth form are participating. D of E expeditions went to Cambridge, Ely, Suffolk, Yorkshire and the Lake District.

None of this would be possible without the girls’ willingness to dedicate time and energy to the Award Scheme and the help of the staff and parents who encourage, supervise, assess or just drive participants around. We say a big thank you to the school team — Andrew Dalwood and Fleur Spore (our leaders) and Richard Atkinson, Sue Brown and Jane Earley.

I am reliably informed there have been something like 85 educational visits this year, a large number of which have meant escaping from school and staying overnight. Girls from years 7 and 8 enjoyed a water sports experience in France. The historians trooped to the battlefields and the classicists attacked Hadrian’s Wall. The linguists talked their way through France, Germany and Italy and are soon off to Spain.

There have been six drama productions this year, including examination plays. Mrs Watling directed a visually stunning version of Beauty and the Beast for Years 7 to 9. Over 100 students were involved in acting, dancing, making costumes and props and lighting the show. It was a very special something. Mr Peachey directed the Senior School Play, which this year was Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia. It is an ambitious and challenging piece and the cast and crew responded wonderfully, showing themselves more than capable of rising to the heights demanded of them both by the playwright and by Mr Peachey.

We continue to take great strides in expanding musical experiences at St Mary’s. There have been some magical moments. We introduced a year 7 music workshop; we staged two large concerts. In December our choirs joined a choir from South Africa in a performance for the whole school. In January, 30 St Mary’s voices led the Mass at the national Catholic Independent Schools Conference. I was very proud. In the last couple of weeks our choir Allegro has led Evensong at Corpus Christi College and at our PTA barbeque we were entertained with a programme that stretched from baroque to bluegrass. A big thank you to Mr Benziger, Miss Chiam and Miss Fleming for their enthusiasm and expertise.

We have very exciting news about performing arts. St Mary’s has been chosen as one of the 100 settings in Great Britain that are to pilot a new Arts Award for young people. Ten committed students aged 14 to 19 will take part. The scheme runs for two years before becoming available nationally in 2006. It recognises a range of arts including dance, digital film, music, drama and journalism. Good luck to Mrs Watling and Miss Chiam who will be leading this pilot.

This year we have raised a stunning £14,000 for charity, a quite extraordinary achievement. The Lourdes fundraising fortnight — which happily coincided with the Inspection — was described in the report as ‘an outstanding commitment for a school of this size’. There was a sense of the surreal as the inspectors dutifully inspected the small pet show, starring Megan in year 7, with her giant snails. But this fortnight alone raised £2,500. We were delighted, at our annual Fun Run in October, to welcome back Sr Christopher, Headmistress of St Mary’s for more than 20 years. She was able to tell us in assembly how the money we raise is used in our CJ school in Zimbabwe. This year the Fun Run raised £6,750. Thank you to Meg Jackson for her endless good humour as she organises the charity events and teaches the girls ‘to care for the world outside the school’.

The inspectors described the boarding staff as ‘caring and supportive, always there to give advice, or just to listen’. Boarding continues to go from strength to strength; the many highlights this year included a five course Chinese feast entertaining staff and friends, a Bollywood night — girls dressed in saris and eating Indian delicacies, the extensive activities programme (including membership of a gym for the sixth form) and of course, the acquisition of the very large House Cat, Biggles. Thank you to Diana, Kay, Carole, Cheryl and Becs for creating the wonderful ‘family atmosphere’.

I rely on our two excellent sports captains to review the year’s sport but I should record the outstanding success of the staff A team on Sports day — in the relay against the sixth form, the parents and the German students. Well done to Mr Peachey and the rest of his athletes. Fear of humiliation and of heart attack meant I felt I had to pass on the invitation to take part!

It is always sad, and yet a privilege, to say goodbye and thank you to staff who are leaving us. Some of those who leave us this year have been with St Mary’s for many years.

We say goodbye and thank you to Maria Gordo and Geoffrey Robertson who have taught in our Spanish and Drama departments just for a year. We thank Rachael Pike, our Head of Spanish, who came to us as an NQT four years ago and has built up our Spanish department so much that we have had to increase staffing. Her exceptional teaching was cited in our ISI report. She moves on to be second in Modern Languages Department at The Leys. We wish her well.

Sue McConnell leaves us after 12 years as an inspirational Speech and Drama teacher, having transformed many shy 11 year old girls into confident 18 year old actresses. Mel Ward has amused and entertained, led animated discussions and cared passionately for her RE students for the last 12 years. We say goodbye and thank you as she devotes herself to her growing family.

Andrew Dalwood and I joke between us that it has taken 7 people to replace him. A passionate geographer, a patient and well loved Duke of Edinburgh Award leader (I will always picture him sitting in a tent in the field at Long Road), the librarian, assistant timetabler, stationery shopkeeper, examinations officer and also an ace quizmaster for the PTA. We thank you, Andrew, for your immense commitment and the breadth of interests you have shared with us over the last 13 years.

Hazel Harris is an outstanding mathematician and we have been blessed to have her with us for the last 12 years. She has inspired and cajoled and achieved fantastic grades year after year for students who were amazed and grateful by turns. It was only right and fitting that I appointed her as Head of Mathematics when the opportunity arose 2 years ago. We say thank you, goodbye and God speed as she retires and returns to her native Canada.

Peter Luard arrived as Bursar six months before me in 2001. He leaves us to take up a position as Bursar at King Edward’s School Witley in Surrey. It is hardly surprising he has achieved such a promotion. Peter has transformed both the finances and the appearance of the school. No job was ever beneath him. He was equally happy clearing up litter or discussing balance sheets. He has supported me through both dark and bright days. We are all immensely grateful for the part he has played in turning around the fortunes of the school.

Mary Schofield retires this year from the key post of Pastoral Deputy Head, but will stay with us next year as a part–time History teacher. Since Mary joined us in 1987, she has taught History, been head of year 7, a senior teacher and now Deputy Head. Many, many girls and staff have been grateful for her wise counsel and compassion. I have relied heavily on her clear–sighted advice in literally hundreds of situations in the last three years. She is also a very fine administrator and has been responsible for the smooth day–to–day running of the school in the last few years. Mary, we are deeply thankful to you for the wonderful service you have given to the school in the last seventeen years.

I also want to express our warm thanks to John Tudor, who is retiring as Chair of Governors. John has served us for eight years as a governor and six as Chair. These have been momentous years. He has overseen many changes of management and direction in the school. He has served us because he loves the School and believes in what St Mary’s has to offer. He has done so with good grace, wise counsel, magnificent courtesy and a steadfast, Catholic faith. I am so grateful that he has put up with me as I grew to understand my challenging role. On behalf of the school, I would like to thank you, John, for your unstinting service, to us over the last eight years.

There are so many people I should thank. Thank you to all the teaching staff for their huge efforts in this inspection year. Our outstanding report is very much your achievement. Thank you also to my senior management team for the many extra hours we have spent together and for the wisdom and experience you bring to the school. To the governors, the CJ community, the Pastonians and the PTA, we are so grateful for your support and kindness. To all the non–teaching staff — admin, catering, cleaning, marketing, site management, IT support and technicians, thank you for the crucial roles you all play in the School’s success. Thank you to the pupils for your ready participation and enthusiasm for all that we offer here and to the parents for working with us to educate your daughters and for entrusting them to us.

When I arrived three years ago, I knew there was much to do. That was the essence of the challenge and excitement of this job. Now I feel suddenly that I have come to the end of the first stage. Numbers go on rising — from 450 four years ago, we’ll be close to 500 next year. Boarding will be full again. We are expanding our scholarships and bursaries programme. Of course, our inspection told us that there were things we had yet to complete. We have work to do for the next two years to implement an action plan. We are ready to develop a staff appraisal scheme and strengthen the management structures for heads of department and heads of year. We will research different timetable structures to make room for our expanding curriculum. We, like so many other schools, need to integrate more ICT into our subject teaching. These were the points raised by the inspectors and we have no fear of any of them. But we have bigger ambitions too.

Archbishop Oscar Romero called us to achieve ‘something’. His own work was cut brutally short when he was shot dead at his own altar. It makes the words he wrote painfully poignant because he talks about our work that is always unfinished. Let me read a little more of that speech.

“We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete which is another way of saying that the Kingdom always lies ahead of [beyond] us. We are prophets of a future not our own.”

Here is the difference between what is good and what is excellent, what passes and what is brilliant. It is a kind of restlessness that pays attention to each detail and still has an eye for the skies. Above all it is a willingness to accept only what is clearly the very best and still to aim for the outstanding. Nobody who knows the electric charge of reaching the top — and beyond — ever again settles for less. And this is the faith we keep. To ‘unlock the genius of every individual’ means finding what it is that brings every girl and every member of staff to life and then reaching for the best that is beyond even our own expectations. From the simple homework that is beautifully done to the choir that takes our breath away, from a Young Enterprise design that is inspired to an A–level practical finished with accuracy and elegance — St Mary’s is becoming a community where every member can discover just how amazing they can be. Now that is something.

Last week I came to watch an ‘informal dance showcase’. It was creative, edgy, daring, raunchy even, and innovative. Some girls who would never normally dream of taking the stage entertained us with a genuine exuberance. There is a wonderful phrase deep in the inspection report which says ‘relationships throughout the school are positive, informal, good humoured and supportive. Staff are visible throughout the day, and pupils are thus encouraged to take risks and to experiment’. It is one of my favourite bits. I notice that some schools in Cambridge find themselves having to think hard about their identity. But we at St Mary’s are intensely, and rightly, proud of what we are, what we have achieved and what, with great confidence, we are setting out to do over the years to come. This is a school now ready to take risks, to push to the edges of our courage, to experiment with new ways of learning inside and outside school. We have no doubt at all that we have the breadth of experience, skill and vision to carry it through. Thank you for listening.

Mrs Jayne Triffitt MA (Oxon) Headmistress