St Mary's Catholic School is a Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England.[1]
| St Mary’s Catholic School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
Windhill Rd , , CM23 2NQ England | |
| Coordinates | 51°52′11″N 0°09′10″E / 51.869801°N 0.152650°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1896 |
| Founder | Four sisters from St Mary of Namur |
| Local authority | Hertfordshire |
| Trust | St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust |
| Department for Education URN | 148499 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Headteacher | D McHugh |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Houses | A, B, J, K, M, R and T |
| Colour(s) | Navy Blue and Light Blue |
History
editIn 1896, four nuns from the Congregation of St Mary of Namur came from Belgium to Bishop's Stortford and established a school with nine students. These sisters were the first to provide Catholic education for the district, and the school grew. As it was a fee-paying school, a free smaller school was set up in what is now St Mary's music block. The school, St Joseph's Primary School, grew until, in 1914, it was teaching 57 pupils with only 3 teachers. As St Mary's accumulated more pupils it bought surrounding buildings and land until it had enough classrooms to teach all of their pupils.
As of 2024 there have been a number of new builds and renovations within the site with new tennis courts, classrooms and renovated facilities. It also has around 50 classrooms with multiple ICT suites, a 10,000 book library, a large sports hall and refectory.[2][3]
Previously a voluntary aided school administered by Hertfordshire County Council, in September 2021, St Mary's converted to the academy status. The school was a founding member of the St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust.[4] It continues to be a Catholic school under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster.
Present day
editThere are approximately 1150 students.
Notable alumni
edit- Sophie Austin (b. 1984) - actress[5]
- Sam Smith (b. 1992) - singer-songwriter[6]
References
edit- ^ "Home". stmarys.net.
- ^ Infosite, stortfordhistory.co.uk; accessed 14 February 2015.
- ^ Corr, Sinead (17 January 2019). "St Mary's embarks on third phase of £5m redevelopment programme". Bishop's Stortford Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
Little did [Andrew Celano] realise when he was a student at St Mary's, that he would return as headmaster…
- ^ "St Mary's Catholic School - GOV.UK".
- ^ Corr, Sinead (3 December 2018). "Sophie Austin and Shayne Ward raise cash for Little Havens Hospice for children". Bishop's Stortford Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
The actress, who was a student at St Mary's Catholic School in Bishop's Stortford…
- ^ "Sam Smith's former school drops music GCSE due to lack of interest". BBC News. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
The Grammy Award winner and chart-topper attended St Mary's Catholic School, in Bishop's Stortford.