St Mary's Catholic High School

Friday 18 July 2025 End of Year Assembly - St John Bosco House Triumphant On Friday, 18th July—the final day of the academic year—the entire school community gathered for the annual end-of-year liturgy and assembly.

Wednesday 16 July 2025 End of Year School Mass Celebration On Wednesday morning, the entire school community gathered at St Mary’s – Our Lady of Reparation parish church to celebrate our End of Year Mass

Wednesday 16 July 2025 Games Day 2025 – A Celebration of Team Spirit and Fun! Blessed with glorious weather, pupils and staff came together to enjoy our much-anticipated annual Games Day.

Friday 4 July 2025 A Warm Welcome to St Mary’s 175th Intake Friday, 4th July The first Friday of July has long been recognised as Transition Day in local secondary schools – a special moment when Year 6 pupils visit their new schools in preparation for September. This year, Transition Day held extra significance at St Mary's: the incoming cohort marks our 175th intake, a remarkable milestone for a school that has proudly served the Croydon and wider community since its founding in 1851.

Tuesday 1 July 2025 Year 7 Pilgrimage to Aylesford Priory Braving the hottest day of the year so far, pupils embraced the opportunity to experience life in the Carmelite Priory.

Thursday 26 June 2025 Year 11 Leavers’ Celebration On Thursday, 26th June, we bid a fond farewell to our Year 11 pupils following the completion of their GCSE examinations and their Skills Week activities, delivered in partnership with Palace for Life Foundation.

Monday 23 June 2025 Year 10 pupils receive CPR training On Monday, 23rd June, fourteen Year 10 pupils participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme undertook additional first aid training, delivered by dedicated volunteers from the Red Cross.

Sunday 15 June 2025 Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions: An Unforgettable Adventure This term has been a busy and exciting one, with teams of pupils successfully completing a series of Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions. Across four separate trips, students participated in both Bronze and Silver practice and qualifying journeys, covering locations throughout the south of England — including East Grinstead, Guildford, Brighton, and the New Forest.

Friday 13 June 2025 Past Pupil Jacob Taitte Returns to St Mary’s St Mary's was delighted to welcome back former pupil Jacob Taitte during his recent visit home from the University of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. The University, a Christian institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition, is dedicated to educating students in the humanities, sciences, and professions. Its longstanding motto, Culture for Service, reflects its commitment to academic excellence and personal growth.

Tuesday 22 April 2025 Pope Francis RIP On Tuesday morning, the first day of the new term, pupils and staff gathered for a whole-school assembly to reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis and to pray for the repose of his soul. This assembly formed part of a global response to the passing of Pope Francis, who died on Monday, 21 April 2025, at the age of 88. His death marks the conclusion of a papacy defined by humility, compassion, and a deep commitment to social justice—particularly for the marginalized and the poor.

Friday 4 April 2025 St Mary’s Student Leadership Team Election 2025-2026 Once again, students at St Mary’s have cast their votes in the annual election for the new student leadership team for 2025-2026.

Thursday 3 April 2025 Lent Charity 2025 - The Catholic Children's Society Pupils across the school have been raising money for the Catholic Children's Society as part of their Lenten commitments to prayer, abstinence, and almsgiving. Through a variety of activities – including raffles, quizzes, and cake sales – pupils in each House have found creative and meaningful ways to support this important charity.

Thursday 27 March 2025 Oscar Romero Trust Award Presentation We were delighted to be presented with The Oscar Romero Trust Award – Participator Level certificate by Archbishop John Wilson at the now annual Oscar Romero Trust Award Mass at St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, on Thursday, 27th March.

Saturday 22 March 2025 Young Citizens Magistrate’s Mock Trial Competition 2025 Pupils from Years 9 to 11 participated in the regional heat of the prestigious Young Citizens Magistrate’s Mock Trial Competition on Saturday, 22nd March, held at a local magistrates' court

Wednesday 19 March 2025 GCSE History pupils visit The Old Operating Theatre Year 11 GCSE History pupils had an insightful and immersive visit to The Old Operating Theatre, located in the attic of the Old St Thomas' Hospital in Southwark.

Tuesday 11 March 2025 Year 11 watch Macbeth at The Globe Theatre Year 11 pupils at St Mary’s Catholic High School had an unforgettable experience when they visited The Globe Theatre on London’s Bankside on Tuesday, 11th March,

Wednesday 5 March 2025 Ash Wednesday Service in our local Parish Church Today, our entire school community participated in an Ash Wednesday service at our neighboring parish church of St. Mary's (Our Lady of Reparation).

Sunday 2 March 2025 Archbishop John signs a copy of The Romero Rosary for our school On Wednesday, 12th February, our Headteacher, Mr. Shields, attended the launch of Archbishop John Wilson’s new book, The Romero Rosary, at Amigo Hall. We were delighted when Archbishop John personally signed a copy of the book for our school.

Friday 28 February 2025 Sarah Jones MP at St Mary's Question Time We were delighted to welcome our local Member of Parliament for West Croydon, Sarah Jones, who also serves as Minister of State for Industry, to our school for a Question Time event on Friday, 28th February.

Thursday 6 February 2025 Sustainability Club News - Sock Animal Toy Project Pupils in Years 8 and 9 have been taking part in a sock toy project as part of the Sustainability and Upcycling Co-curricular Club on Friday afternoons this half-term, led by Mrs Wiseman. Building on last term’s work, where students created Christmas decorations from upcycled materials, this term they have had the opportunity to make sock toys for younger children.

Wednesday 29 January 2025 Staff training with The Santa Marta Group on Human Trafficking We were honoured, on Wednesday, 29th January, to warmly welcome Alexander DesForges and Miriam Cakebread from The Santa Marta Group, along with John Coleby from Caritas Southwark, as they led a workshop with staff to raise awareness of the critical issue of Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery.

Monday 27 January 2025 Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 Prayers for victim of the Holocaust were held as staff gathered before school on 27th January 2025, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest of the Nazi concentration camps.

Saturday 21 December 2024 Pupils watch Archbishop John's Christmas Message As part of the end of term whole-school assembly, all pupils watched Archbishop John Wilson’s annual Christmas message in which he called on all people to turn to the Lord Jesus in hope. The Archbishop reminded us that, "In a world that seems so divided, it can be easy to lose hope; even to lose faith...

Friday 20 December 2024 End of Michaelmas Term 2024 House Competition On the last day of the Michaelmas Term the whole school gathered in the Sports Hall for the traditional Christmas Liturgy and the announcement of the end of term inter-house awards and the individual attendance & achievement awards.

Friday 20 December 2024 Michaelmas Term Star Pupils 2024 Congratulations to the following pupils who had the most achievement points and no recorded absences in the Michaelmas Term 2024.

Thursday 19 December 2024 St Mary's Annual Visit to the Pantomime Thursday, 19th December, the penultimate day of the Michaelmas Term, saw the school, once again, visiting Croydon's Fairfield Halls for the now annual trip to the pantomime. For the third year running, our school has taken all pupils to experience a traditional, fun-filled pantomime, and this year certainly lived up to expectations with the cast of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs putting on a magnificent performance. This was a perfect way to relax and unwind after what has been another busy term for our school community.

Tuesday 17 December 2024 Carol Service 2024 At the start of our last week of term, and in the third week of Advent, the school’s annual Carol Service was held on Tuesday, 17th December, attended by pupils, parents and all members of staff in our school Assembly Hall.

Monday 2 December 2024 Advent Charity 2024 - The Manna Society This Advent, we are proud to once again support The Manna Society, a charity that has been serving the homeless community in London Bridge since 1982.

Tuesday 12 November 2024 Belgium School Exchange 2024 For the third year, fourteen pupils, girls and boys, from Year 11 have taken part in the school’s now annual exchange with students at a Catholic secondary school in western Belgium — Spes Nostra Kuurne School, situated on the outskirts of the Belgian city of Kortrijk, just a short distance from the border with France. The pupils visit from St Mary’s to Belgium took place between Tuesday, 12th November and Friday, 15th November.

Friday 18 October 2024 Macmillan Cancer Support annual cake sale at St Mary's Friday 18th October, once again saw St Mary's school community supporting the annual Macmillan Cancer Support fundraising appeal. Traditionally, this takes the format of a coffee morning, with St Mary's pupils encouraged to supply cakes and biscuits, whether homemade or shop bought, for a cake sale that takes place in the school's court yard at break and lunch time.

Monday 7 October 2024 St Mary's Awarded the Oscar Romero Award St Mary’s Catholic High School has been awarded the prestigious Oscar Romero Award - Participator Level in recognition of the school’s work in raising pupils’ awareness and understanding of Catholic Social Teaching and social justice issues.

Thursday 26 September 2024 Beginning of the School Year Mass Senior students from St Mary’s represented our school at the annual 'Beginning of the School Year Mass' at St George’s Cathedral, Southwark on Thursday, 26th September.

Sunday 15 September 2024 St Mary's Year 11s at Hindleap Warren, 2024 For the fourth consecutive year, St Mary’s Year 11 pupils participated in the school’s annual Residential Revision and Activity Weekend at Hindleap Warren Outdoor Centre, nestled in the heart of Ashdown Forest.

Friday 6 September 2024 Mission Statement - Whole School Review The first Friday of the new school year proved to be an exciting challenge for all members of our school community. Instead of normal lessons, all pupils and staff embarked on a day-long range of activities with the aim of reviewing our existing Mission Statement and where appropriate create a new statement for our school which reflects our community’s core values and purpose as a Catholic school for the years ahead.

Thursday 22 August 2024 GCSE Results 2024 Thursday, 22 August was a most memorable day at our school with the publication of GCSE and BTEC exam results. Overall, the results show a pleasing improvement on our already good record with an increase in the percentage of pupils awarded grades 4 and above compared to recent years.

Friday 19 July 2024 Summer Term Star Pupils 2024 Congratulations to the following pupils who were the top three in each year group for gaining achievement points in the summer term.

Friday 19 July 2024 House Competitions 2024 - Results The end of term assembly this year included added spice with the announcements of the results of the inter-house competitions.

Monday 15 April 2024 Student Leadership 2024 - 2025 On Thursday, 28th March, the whole school gathered for a special end of term Easter Liturgy which was followed by the announcement of the new student leadership team for 2024 – 2025.

Monday 25 March 2024 St Mary's Pilgrimage to Rome - March 2024 In the week before Holy Week, a group of St Mary’s pupils, staff and Governors took part in the school’s first pilgrimage to Rome in its history.

Wednesday 20 March 2024 Year 11 History pupils visit The Old Operating Theatre On 20th March, Year 11 pupils visited The Old Operating Theatre in preparation for their forthcoming GCSE History examinations, where ‘Medicine Through Time’ is a key component of their course. Our pupils were taken back to the Victorian era, exploring the surgical procedures that were once carried out at the old St Thomas’ Hospital in Southwark.

Sunday 17 March 2024 The Big Lent Walk 2024 - £341.00 raised for CAFOD During the week beginning 11th March, the whole school took part in CAFOD’s Big Lent Walk 2024. As with last year, pupils walked, or ran, laps of the upper playground, and on a couple of wet days did their walk around our large sports hall.

Tuesday 16 January 2024 Pupils deliver donations to The Manna Society This week, pupils from St Mary’s delivered the large quantity of donations that they had collected during Advent to The Manna Society, a charity based at London Bridge that supports the homeless.

Wednesday 10 January 2024 Year 10 History pupils visit Hampton Court On Wednesday, 10th January, Year 10 GCSE History pupils visited Hampton Court Palace as part of their study of Elizabethan England. In their visit, pupils were able to use a range of physical and documentary evidence to explore how Queen Elizabeth I used Hampton Court Palace to create and consolidate her presentations of power, identity, and legacy.

Thursday 21 December 2023 Building the Christmas Crib end of term liturgy Our end of term, whole-school Christmas Liturgy, took place on the last day of the autumn term on Thursday, 21st December. The school gathered together in our sports hall as a culmination of our Advent preparations to celebrate the birth of Our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Wednesday 20 December 2023 All pupils share Christmas Lunch In two mammoth sessions, every pupil in our school sat down to a traditional Christmas lunch on Wednesday, 20th December in what has become a tradition at our school. Nearly 600 turkey lunches*, with traditional Christmas pudding, were served to our pupils by members of staff in our canteen and assembly hall,

Tuesday 19 December 2023 Will Aladdin save the day? St Mary's trip to the Panto. Will Aladdin save the day, and will he marry the beautiful Princess Jasmine? Will the Genie be freed? There was only one way to find out – take the whole of St Mary’s Catholic High School to The Fairfield Halls to see the pantomime ‘Aladdin’!

Monday 4 December 2023 Year 11 Awards Evening 2023 On Thursday, 1st December, we welcomed back last year's Year 11 students, along with their parents, to our annual prize-giving celebration evening.

Monday 13 November 2023 Year 11s at Hindleap Warren On Friday, 10th November, our Year 11 pupils embarked on the now annual residential weekend trip to the outdoor pursuits centre, Hindleap Warren, where they participate in a variety of team building activities, led by the centre staff, and specialist subject lessons delivered by our teachers who accompanied them.

Friday 3 November 2023 November - Month of Remembrance 2023 In the month of November, as a Catholic community, we remember all those who have died.

Friday 20 October 2023 Macmillan Cancer Support Fundraising 2023 Thank you to everyone who supported our pupils' cake sale for Macmillan Cancer Support on Friday, 20th October. Our school have traditional supported Macmillan Cancer Support in the first half-term as one our whole-school charity campaigns.

Thursday 24 August 2023 GCSE and BTEC Results 2023 Warmest congratulations to our Year 11 students who collected their GCSE and BTEC Statements of Results earlier today.

Friday 23 June 2023 New Head Girl & Boy and Deputies Elected Warmest congratulations to our new Senior Student Leadership Team who were elected on Thursday and announced, to great acclaim, at a whole-school assembly on Friday, 23rd June.

Wednesday 14 June 2023 Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme News Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme is thriving at St Mary’s Catholic High School. It is fantastic that in our school’s second year of running the scheme we have seen a doubling of students taking part in the programme.

Monday 12 June 2023 Year 10 footballers at the 'Cut It Out' Tournament On Monday, 12th June, our Year 10 football team represented St Mary’s at the annual ‘Cut It Out’ football tournament, held at Selhurst Park.

Friday 9 June 2023 St Mary's sends £1,310 to CAFOD We are delighted to report that our school has sent an amazing £1,310 to CAFOD, including money raised by students for The Big Lent Walk 2023.

Tuesday 6 June 2023 St Mary's Rewarded for Attendance St Mary’s is delighted to have been awarded the Fischer Family Trust (FFT) Attendance Award for Spring Term 2023, placing us in the top 10% of similar secondary schools in England.

Wednesday 22 March 2023 The Big Lent Walk 2023 On Wednesday 22nd March, our entire school community took part in CAFOD’s The Big Lent Walk 2023 in support of those across the world who suffer from global poverty and the victims of the recent earthquake in Syria and Turkey.

Saturday 18 March 2023 Runners-up in the Mock Trial Competition On Saturday, 18th March, students from Year 8 to Year 10 in our school’s Debating Club entered The Young Citizen’s Magistrates Mock Trial Competition, which is a prestigious national competition.

Wednesday 8 March 2023 GCSE Geographers on Brighton Beach On Wednesday, 8th March, Year 11 GCSE geography students visited Brighton in order to carry out fieldwork investigations as required for the examination.

Friday 3 March 2023 Belgium School Exchange 2023 For the very first time in our school’s history we undertook a school exchange with a Catholic secondary school in western Belgium — Spes Nostra Kuurne, situated on the outskirts of the Belgian city of Kortrijk, just a short distance from the border with France.

Thursday 2 March 2023 World Book Day 2023 Thursday, 2nd March, saw students and staff at our school dressed as characters from their favourite books, poems or plays, joining students across the world to celebrate World Book Day 2023. The theme of this year’s World Book Day was Changing lives though a love of books and reading.

Wednesday 22 February 2023 Ash Wednesday Students and staff received ashes on their foreheads to mark the start of Lent, and as an external symbol of repentance. We are grateful to Fr Michael for distributing ashes to those who wished to receive them, and well over 200 students, along with members of staff, did so.

Wednesday 21 December 2022 St Mary's supports Croydon Care4Calais' Christmas Appeal St Mary's has a proud tradition going back many years of supporting the most vulnerable and needy in our local community, especially during the season of Advent. This year, students and staff donated items in support of Croydon Care4Calais Community Group’s Christmas Appeal in order to offer emergency aid to refugees and asylum seekers in our local area. They help to provide dignity and comfort in an otherwise overwhelming situation. They aim this Christmas to give as many children a ‘box of joy’, and adults a ‘bag of hope’.

Thursday 15 December 2022 Students enjoy a rewards trip to the Pantomime A trip to the pantomime was the reward for 100 students at St Mary's at the end of the Autumn Term. On Thursday, 15th December, twenty students with the highest number of achievement points from each year group were treated to a visit to the Fairfield Halls to enjoy ‘The Further Adventures of Peter Pan – the Return of Captain Hook’.

Thursday 8 December 2022 Advent Carol Service On Thursday, 8th December, we held our annual Advent service of readings and carols in our school hall, full of parents, pupils and staff. After having to postpone the carol service last year due to the concerns of the Covid Omicron virus, it was wonderful to resume our normal Advent celebrations this year.

Wednesday 7 December 2022 St Mary's hosts the annual Croydon Deanery Schools' Mass St Mary’s Catholic High School was delighted to host this year’s annual Croydon Deanery Schools’ Mass. Staff from all the Catholic schools in our deanery were invited to celebrate Mass in our local parish church of St Mary’s, West Croydon, followed by a reception in the parish hall.

Friday 2 December 2022 Year 11 Awards Evening On Thursday, 1st December, we welcomed back last year's Year 11 students, along with their parents, to our annual prize-giving celebration evening.

Wednesday 23 November 2022 St Mary's lights up for Red Wednesday We lit up the front of our school on Wednesday, 23rd November in support of Aid to the Church in Need's Red Wednesday campaign. Red Wednesday is a global campaign highlighting the need to break the silence on the persecution of Christians and all faiths, globally.

Monday 14 November 2022 Year 11's residential weekend at Hindleap Warren Year 11 is a really important year for students as they prepare for their public examinations as well as looking forward to their post-16 choices, and we at St Mary’s Catholic High School are committed to putting as much support in place for them as possible. Once again, we took Year 11 on a residential weekend trip to an outdoor pursuits centre, Hindleap Warren, where they participate in a variety of team building games led by the centre staff, and specialist subject lessons delivered by our teachers who will accompany them. The purpose of the weekend is partly to help students gain a deeper understanding of the significance of revision and also to build relationships and a team ethos in the year group as they go into the most important year of their education so far.

Sunday 30 October 2022 Wicked Rewards Trip On Wednesday 19th October, fifty students embarked on a journey to the Apollo Victoria Theatre to watch Wicked, the musical. The fifty lucky students were chosen because they have a high level of achievement points - in fact, they are the top twenty from each year group. After half term, if will be the top twenty students from Year 9 and 10, along with the remaining Year 11s who get to go.

Thursday 20 October 2022 Students visit St Bernadette's relics On Thursday, 20th October, students selected from Bernadette House travelled to St George's Cathedral to visit the sacred relics of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes. The relics have been on a national tour of England and Wales and were at St George's Cathedral for just two days this week. This was a unique experience for our students, and one which will live long in their memories.

Wednesday 5 October 2022 Student Leadership Training Event Our Head Boy, Head Girl, Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl attended a leadership training event at Christ the King Sixth Form on Wednesday, 5th October. The student leaders participated in events such as: what it means to be a leader; how to be an effective leader in our school; how to communicate effectively; project planning; and tasks to help develop teamwork.

Friday 30 September 2022 St Mary's students attend The Beginning of New School Year Mass Our students attended the Start of New School Year Mass, on the Feast of St Jerome, at St George's Cathedral this morning, along with other schools in the Archdiocese of Southwark. The annual Mass is a wonderful opportunity for our School and College communities in the Archdiocese of Southwark to come together, as the body of Christ.

Tuesday 27 September 2022 Fr Michael celebrates our Year 7 Welcome Mass On Tuesday, 27th September, we welcomed Fr Michael to our school as the celebrant at our Year 7 Welcome Mass for new students and their parents.

Tuesday 20 September 2022 Fr Patrick commissions our new Student Leaders On Tuesday, 20th September, in front of a whole school assembly, our new Student Leadership Team and House Captains were commissioned with a blessing from Fr Patrick, our parish priest. our Chair of Governors Bernard Tomkins also came to meet them all. They will be living out our core values of Welcome Hard Work and Service.

Friday 16 September 2022 BBC100 - 'Share Your Story' visits St Mary's On Friday, 16th September we had guests from the BBC in to talk to all year groups as part of their 100-year celebration 'Share Your Story'.

Thursday 25 August 2022 St Mary's students achieve outstanding GCSE results On Thursday, 25th August, Year 11 students collected their GCSE and vocational examination results. While the news media reported a national drop in GCSE grades this year, particularly in the higher grades, it is wonderful to report that our students received the best set of recorded results in the school’s 170-year history.

Friday 24 June 2022 Duke of Edinburgh Award Practice Expeditions This week saw the inaugural Duke of Edinburgh Award cohort at St Mary's go out for the practice and training aspect of the final section of the Award: The Expedition. For successful completion of this section of the Award, participants are required to complete a two-day, self-sufficient hike with a night camping. Participants must plan the route they will walk in lowland countryside, prepare their own food, and master the necessary camp-craft.

Tuesday 21 June 2022 Year 7 Retreat to Aylesford Priory On Tuesday, 21st June, Year 7 students went on retreat to Aylesford Priory for the day. For most this was their first school trip since Year 4 in primary school.

Tuesday 3 May 2022 St Mary's raises £1035 for CAFOD during Lent 2022 Students and staff raised an amazing Â£1035 for CAFOD's 'Walk against Hunger' and CAFOD's 'Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal' during Lent this year. Our school has a rich tradition in supporting CAFOD over the Lent period going back many years, but this year there was special impetus because of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Students and staff donated coins each day during form time, and in the last week of term a special non-uniform day raised the bulk of the money raised.

Thursday 28 April 2022 Young Citizens Mock Magistrates' Court Trial Students from Years 8, 9 and 10 competed in a virtual Young Citizens Magistrates Court Mock Trial on Wednesday, 27th April. They were competing against other schools from across South London.

Friday 8 April 2022 Year 8 Walk Against Hunger In thislast week of term, all Year 8 students took part in CAFOD’s Walk Against Hunger, by walking laps of our upper playground in solidarity with our poorest sisters and brothers around the world. Solidarity is a key element of Catholic Social Teaching, with students aware that their actions and prayers for those less fortunate are of great importance in fighting our world’s inequalities.

Monday 4 April 2022 'Growing Against Violence' Workshops St Mary's continues its effective work in supporting our students counter youth violence. Welcoming 'Growing Against Violence' into school to deliver their workshop to students across KS3 to explore themes around Youth Violence both locally and nationally is just part of our ongoing effective work around this important issue. The workshop was delivered by a group of professionals across a number of fields from the organisation ‘Growing Against Violence’; each delivering their own unique insight and experience of youth violence.

Wednesday 30 March 2022 Our Lenten Liturgy, with local primary schools This year's Lenten Liturgy was made even more special by the attendance of pupils from St Mary's Catholic Junior School and St James the Great RC Primary School, who both contributed beautifully with hymns and readings, focusing on Jesus fasting and praying in the desert, through to the Resurrection.

Friday 11 March 2022 National Careers Week 2022 This year's National Careers Week was a great success at St Mary’s with every student having access to a range of Careers activities across the curriculum, and also several inspirational guest speakers at various House assemblies each day.

Thursday 3 March 2022 World Book Day 2022 Thursday, 3rd March saw scores of students at our school dresses as characters from their favourite books, joining students across the world to celebrate World Book Day 2022. All week, students had special assemblies, led by Miss Garrett, Head of English, in preparation for the big day.

Wednesday 2 March 2022 Ash Wednesday at St Mary's With the reduction in COVID restrictions, celebrating Ash Wednesday in a more customary manner was especially important for our school community, being the start of the most important season in the Church’s year - Lent.

Monday 21 February 2022 Early Birds at the Maths Booster and Breakfast Club! Well done to the 46 students, and their teachers, who attended the first session of the Maths Booster and Breakfast Club from 7.30 - 8.30am this morning.

Sunday 20 February 2022 Empower Me at St Mary's Empower Me is a session run after school each Wednesday which is open to all year groups. Here you come to talk and write about your dreams, aspirations, and goals and how to achieve them with timelines.

Friday 11 February 2022 Jordanne Returns We are delighted to welcome back to St Mary’s former Head Girl, Jordanne H. Since leaving our school in 2017, Jordanne studied Inclusive Theatre at the Chicken Shed Theatre Company and is now studying Educational Studies at Greenwich University.

Monday 31 January 2022 Celebrating the Feast of St John Bosco Today, Monday, 31st January, students in St John Bosco House in our school celebrate the feast day of their patron saint. To mark the special day, each studentwill be given a special prayer card to remind them of the significance of 'Don Bosco', the“Father and Teacher of Youth.”

Friday 21 January 2022 St Mary's inspection reports published We are delighted to report that, within days of each other, both reports from our recentinspections have been published, to great acclaim. In November, Ofsted carried out a Section 8 Inspection, closely followed in December by the equally important Diocesan Section 48 Inspection.

Thursday 20 January 2022 Great St Mary's Bake Off kicks off in style! The inaugural Great St Mary's Bake Off was held on Wednesday 19th January. Contestants were tasked with making chocolate brownies and were given an array of additions to make their brownies stand out in taste, texture, and appearance, in order to be crowned Star Bakers.

Tuesday 11 January 2022 Year 11s study skills workshops with Elevate On Tuesday 11th January, we were delighted to welcome the team from Elevate to our school. The team offered workshops on revision, study skills and time management to all our Year 11 students as they prepare for their upcoming mock examinations and the summer public examinations.

Wednesday 22 December 2021 The Manna Society - our Advent Charity At Advent, St Mary's school community has always collected for the poor and hungry. This year we have been supporting The Manna Society, a charity which helps the homeless in London.

Wednesday 15 December 2021 Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme at St Mary's For the first time in our history, St Mary's Catholic High School has been accredited to run the Duke of Edinburgh's (DoE) Award Scheme. Whereas many of our students have achieved the award over the years, this has always been done through outside youth organisations, such as the scouts, guides, police cadets, etc.

Tuesday 7 December 2021 'Go Green Day' for CAFOD On Tuesday, 30th November St Mary's students and staff raised Â£193 towards our CAFOD 'Go Green Day'. We asked students to wear their normal uniform on that day, but to wear one item of bright green clothing as part of their uniform - hats, ties, gloves, t-shirts, scarfs, socks, jumpers, hoodies and more were worn.

Wednesday 24 November 2021 Macmillan Cancer Support Cake Sale Thank you to everyone who supported last week's student lead cake sale for Macmillan Cancer Support. We have raised nearly Â£500, which is a magnificent effort. Students have also learnt about teamwork and leadership as well as economics and business.

Wednesday 17 November 2021 Student Leadership Training On Wednesday, 17th November, our Student Leadership Team took part in an online training afternoon organised by Unloc and Christ the King Sixth Form College. It is a delight once again to work with Christ the King Sixth Form College; an important partnership with a Catholic post-16 provider in developing the potential of our senior students.

Tuesday 16 November 2021 Year 11 Careers Event Year 11 students and their parents had the opportunity to meet with representatives from a range ofpost-16 providers at this week’s parents’ consultation evening. Organised by Miss Delaney, the representatives set up theirdisplays in the school’s dining roomin order that all students and their parents couldvisit them as they arrived for meetings with their subject teachers.

Thursday 11 November 2021 Remembering the Fallen On Thursday, 11th November our school once again remembered those who have died in the First and Second World War, and inconflicts since then.

Wednesday 20 October 2021 Sarah Jones MP visits St Mary's We were delighted once again to welcome our local MP, Sarah Jones, to St Mary's this morning. Having been a great supporter of local schools since being elected to Parliament in 2017, Sarah is currently Shadow Minister of State for Police and Fire Service. She met with a group of senior students who were keen to talk to her about her role as the MP for Croydon Central. Sarah spoke about the importance of listening to the concerns of the local community in order to inform those directing the national agenda and, in light of the tragic death of David Amess, the importance of dealing with extremism and reducing the rise in online hatred as well as the physical intimidation of those who may have different views or beliefs.

Saturday 16 October 2021 Former Head Girl, Breea, returns to inspire Year 10 students Former Head Girl Breea was a welcome guest speaker today for our Year 10 Business Studies groups. She was able to speak to the students about her time since leaving St Mary’s, including starting her own successful cake business ‘Brees Bakes’ from scratch. Sheoutlined how she started her business from the initial idea; market research; finance; marketing; and production. Breea answered a full range of questions about her business, including the challenges she has faced.

Wednesday 6 October 2021 Open Evening welcomes Year 6 parents and pupils On Tuesday, 5th October, St Mary?s was delighted to welcome prospective pupils and parents to our Open Evening. With the relaxation of COVID restrictions, it was wonderful to see so many take the opportunity to visit our school in person, to tour the school, chat with staff and pupils, and listen to a talk from Mr Shields, our Headteacher, along with the Head Girl and Boy.

Monday 4 October 2021 Proud2Be - Black History Month at St Mary's As part of Black History Month students will be following the Croydon theme Proud2Be. Local events have been organised by Croydon BME Forum in partnership with Croydon Council.

Tuesday 21 September 2021 Year 7 Welcome Mass On Tuesday, 21st September we were delighted to welcome Fr Peter Sebastian from our local parish church of St Mary’s, West Croydon to celebrate a Welcome Mass for all Year 7 students, along with their parents and teachers. This was the first Mass celebrated at our school since the COVID restrictions were imposed. As a result of missing their Mass last year, Year 8 students and their parents were also invited to join the Year 7 families, and we are pleased to see that many took up the offer.

Monday 20 September 2021 CAFOD's 'Eyes of the World' Campaign This summer, all Year 7 students took part in an art project, organised by Mrs Goodwin, in support of CAFOD’s ‘Eyes of the World' campaign. Using either cool and warm colours, each student created a small jigsaw segment of these four large eyes.

Monday 20 September 2021 Year 11 at Hindleap Warren Eighty-eight Year 11 students took part in the Residential Revision and Activity Weekend at Hindleap Warren outdoor centre in Ashdown Forest, from Friday, 17th to Sunday, 19th September. The staff from the centre were full of praise for their behaviour, support for one another, and explained that they were a pleasant group to host. Our students, yet again, proved to be great ambassadors for our school, and for their families.

Monday 6 September 2021 Summer School 2021 In August 2021, fifty students from the current Year 7 and 8 cohorts embarked on a journey of performance, art, cookery, and wellbeing. Tasked with preparing a performance of one of Shakespeare?s most famous comedies,

Thursday 2 September 2021 St Mary's School celebrates its 170th Anniversary On Thursday, 2nd September 2021, St Mary's celebrates the 170th anniversary of its foundation, making it one of the longest established schools in Croydon, and one of the oldest Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Southwark.

Thursday 12 August 2021 Year 11's collect their GCSE Results Warmest congratulations to our Year 11 students who collected their GCSE and BTEC results at school today. These students deserve much praise for their hard work, enthusiasm and commitment towards their studies, despite both years of their courses being severely disrupted by the enforced lockdowns. We are especially proud of the resilience that each one has shown, being determined to do their best at all times, meeting, or in most cases, exceeded expectations.

Friday 16 July 2021 Year 11s leave in style! Year 11 students completed their time at St Mary?s in real style, and deservedly so, as this group has had both years of their important Key Stage 4 severely disrupted. Despite the setbacks to their GCSE and BTEC examination courses, students in this year group will be remembered for their positive attitude, engagement and resilience. During the enforced lockdown, they engaged fully with remote learning, and since the return to school, their attendance has been remarkable - the highest of any Year 11 cohort for many years.

Thursday 15 July 2021 It's a Bugs Life in the Art Club! Key Stage 3 students have had a great time in the Art Club enrichment activity this term making a wonderful display of exotic bugs for display, with Mrs Goodwin and Mrs Wiseman. Constructed of papier-m?ch?, wire and tissue students used the brightest colour paints available to enhance their fantastic bugs.

Tuesday 13 July 2021 Year 7 enjoy their 'Animal Experience' On Tuesday 13th July, as part of Year 7's 'drop-down' day, we welcomed The Animal Experience once again to our school. Our students had a unique opportunity to learn about a wide variety of rare and endangered creatures within the safety of the classroom.

Friday 2 July 2021 Euro 2020 motivates St Mary's students in their school work Over the course of the ongoing Euro 2020 football championship, St Mary’s has been holding a ‘Euro 2020 Rewards’ scheme for all students. At the end of each lesson, teachers nominate one student as ‘Star Player’ for their hard work, effort or commitment. As well as their parents/carers being informed, the names of all the nominated ‘Star Player’ students are put into a weekly draw, and 10 winners are selected to win a special healthy lifestyle prize. Prizes include: sports equipment; footballs; drinking bottles; skipping ropes; kit bags; art materials; reading books; and much more.

Thursday 17 June 2021 Year 11 summer term careers activities success While many schools simply waved goodbye to their Year 11 students at the end of their recent examinations at half-term, St Mary?s Year 11s spent their last few weeks at school engaged in a whole range of challenging and developmental activities. All students took full advantage of the range of opportunities available in a carefully crafted programme of events with a variety of on and off-site activities, all possible despite the ongoing COVID restrictions.

Monday 31 May 2021 Students respond to Pope Francis' call for a 'Marathon of Prayer' During the past month, St Mary’s students have responded to Pope Francis’ call for a ‘Marathon of Prayer’ to bring about an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic, which has seen so many people in our own country fall sick, and sadly, many thousands have died, is now really affecting our poorest sisters and brothers across the world.

Monday 10 May 2021 Enrichment activities resume at St Mary's After school on Thursdays, St Mary’s students are once again able to choose from a full range of extra-curricular activities in which to participate. Music, arts, sports and much more are on offer for all students.

Sunday 25 April 2021 National Survey of Children - The Big Ask St Mary’s Catholic High School is encouraging everyone in our school community - pupils, parents, staff and governors - to take part in the new Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza’s The Big Ask – the largest ever consultation with children aged 4 to 17 in England. It aims to find out children’s concerns and aspirations about the future, so that we can put children at the heart of our country’s recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Sunday 18 April 2021 St Mary's students and staff donate over £1000 to charities at Easter This Easter, St Mary’s donated over £1000 to five charities from money collected by students and staff this academic year. Despite the interruption caused by the national lockdowns, St Mary’s school community once again rose to the challenge of providing much needed support to these important local and national charities.

Saturday 17 April 2021 St Mary's joins with four local primary schools for virtual Lenten Liturgy Following the great success of our virtual Christmas Liturgy, St Mary’s worked with four local primary schools in the production of a virtual Lenten Liturgy which has been viewed over three hundred times, as well as being the basis for end of term assemblies. Using the educational resources of the Catholic charity Missio, the liturgy focused on the fourteen Stations of The Cross, along with two Easter appropriate hymns - Christ be our Light and Lord of the Dance.

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