Welcome

Our school has a history that goes back more than 400 years, to our foundress, Mary Ward (1585-1645), who dedicated her life to providing educational opportunities for girls.

Mary Ward is a personal heroine of mine: radical and strong, she was the prototype early feminist believing that by God's grace, women in time to come will do much: this is the mantra by which we live at St Mary's and by which I seek to encourage our girls to do and be all that they can both at school and beyond.

As many schools in Cambridge have turned away from their founding roots as boys or girls' schools, I feel strongly that there is a place for single-sex education alongside co-educational schools, since it offers the student and parent a choice.

Educated myself at St Paul's Girls' School, and thereafter at St Anne's College, Oxford, I joined St Mary's School, Cambridge as Headmistress in 2007, having spent two decades of my career focusing on how best to serve the educational needs of young women. I am consequently delighted to have been peer elected as the President and Vice-President of the GSA Schools’ Association.

In Senior School, we offer a dynamic, nurturing environment, in which every girl is valued, supported and inspired. Our approach to learning allows intellectual and social confidence to flourish, empowering girls to aim high, to follow their dreams and to make a positive contribution to society.

As a Mary Ward School, we balance tradition with innovation. Traditional Christian values such as integrity, justice, hard work and freedom sit at the heart of our forward-looking approach to education.

Life at St Mary's is full of joy and opportunity; whether through drama, rowing, music, debate, archery, Japanese or the Duke of Edinburgh Award horizons are definitely expanded and life-long friendships are forged.

I warmly invite you to visit us to discover more about life at St Mary's School.

Charlotte Avery, Headmistress

"St Mary's is really helping my daughter to be her best self and to increase her self-confidence. The headmistress' motto 'YES, she can' is absolutely true. I'm extremely thankful for it." Parent survey