Boarding FAQs

St Mary's School and Mary Ward House are within a 5 minute walk of Cambridge Rail Station.

We can also arrange for airport transfers for Boarders arriving at any of the London Airports and all taxi drivers are DBS checked.

• London Stansted - 35 minutes by car
• London Luton - 55 minutes by car
• London Heathrow - 1 hour 20 minutes by car

Our younger girls will share with up to five other girls in bright and spacious dormitories. Students in Year 10 to Lower Sixth will share a room with one other student of a similar age. In the Upper Sixth, girls will usually then move to single rooms for their final year at the school.

Living at Mary Ward House

We do not have Exeat weekends. However, boarders can arrange to visit their guardians or go home at the weekend, providing written permission is given to the Housemistress at least 48 hours in advance.

Mary Ward House has space for 90 students, therefore we advise applying for a boarding space at least 12 months before your intended starting date at St Mary's.

Students who do not have a family member in the UK are required to have a guardian living in the UK. A guardian must be appointed, before we can accept a student to the school.

Often education agents include the arrangement of guardians in their service to families; alternatively families can apply direct to AEGIS. It is the responsibility of each family and not the school, to ensure that the guardian is in place.

AEGIS

We are licensed as a Tier 4 Sponsor by UK Visas and Immigrations (UKVI) and offer child student visa sponsorship for full boarders.

Students from outside the European Union must apply for permission to come to, or remain, in the UK as a student.

Please contact UKVI to help you choose the correct route for you.

UKVI

We welcome girls with a broad range of academic abilities, who are enthusiastic and have a desire to engage in learning.

We accept direct applications to our admissions team or applications made via an educational agent. You can apply to join all year groups (except Year 11 and 13).

Places for international students are offered on the basis of an individual interview (in person or via Skype), alongside a selection of age-appropriate activities and assessments, plus a reference from a current school.

How to apply

International applicants can apply all year round. We advise applying at at least 12 months before your intended starting date at St Mary's.

We want to understand the unique potential of each girl. Our international application process and entrance tests are chosen to evaluate current knowledge, understanding and skills.

We test age-appropriate learning and therefore no special preparation is needed and our process is designed to put applicants at ease.

Assessments for international students

Students need to have strong speaking and written, reading and listening skills to be clear, fluent and confident communicators in English.

This is required, to enable them to access the curriculum and to work collaboratively with teachers and other students, and to ensure success in public examinations.

Although we do not ask for a formal qualification before starting with us, but the following offer approximate levels:

• Joining Senior School in Year 7 and Year 8: IELTS level 4.0
• Joining Senior School in Year 9 and Year 10: IELTS level 5.0
• Joining Sixth Form: IELTS level 6.0

Yes, our excellent English tuition is included in our school fees, at no additional cost. 

More about English tuition

We sometimes place students in a year below their peers, to more appropriately reflect their ability in, and comprehension of, the English language. If your daughter requires a visa then she must be under 18 on the first day of the year in which she begins her studies with us.

UK school system