Year 8 Club 9 geographers

Throughout time, superpowers have been nations with global influence through military, economic, and political strength. While countries like the USA and the former USSR dominated in the past, emerging powers like China, India, and Brazil are now gaining global importance. In our recent Club 9 session, students created Top Trump cards to compare current and potential superpowers, examining factors like economy, military, resources, and culture. They also explored what affects superpower status, such as political stability, innovation, economic sector dominance and global challenges. The session showed how power shifts over time and the many factors that shape a nation’s global role.

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Year 7 geographers investigate air pollution levels on the school site

A group of Year 7 geography students carried out some fieldwork around site which linked their learning in geography to science. They put out slides to capture the air samples and then a week later they collected them in and analysed them under the microscopes to see how clean the air was. Students were fascinated with the detail that could be seen and the amount of particulates which were found on the slides. They were also slightly disturbed by the amount of particles which are floating in our air.

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Students support with Churchfield Primary Sports day

Thank you to our Year 10 and 12 students who helped support with Churchfield Primary school’s sports day.  Our Sports leaders helped run different events on the day as well as encouraging and guiding the younger students in their races.

Our leaders showed great organisational skills and dealt with every task they were given with ease, the teacher at Churchfield said they were a fantastic support and help on the day.

 

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Carers Week: 9th to 15th June — Celebrating Our Young Heroes!

Every year across the UK, Carers Week shines a spotlight on the incredible dedication and challenges faced by unpaid carers.

However, The Carers Trust estimates that 1 in 5 school-aged children could be young carers. Yet in Hertfordshire, the January 2025 School Census found that 60% of schools reported no known young carers and Identified only 1,483 young carers out of approx. 200,000 pupils

The 2021 Census recorded just 2,525 young carers aged 5–17

These figures show many young carers remain hidden and unsupported.

At St Mary’s CE High School, we believe our young carers deserve to be celebrated and rewarded for their strength, compassion, and hard work. This year, as part of Carers Week, we were thrilled to take our young carers on a fun-filled, action-packed trip — just for them!

Our bowling bash let our students trade the everyday stresses for strikes and spares! Enjoying a lively morning of bowling with friends, where laughter, friendly competition, and team spirit were the only goals. A meal and drinks were included and the staff at Hollywood Bowls in Stevenage were very helpful and attentive adding to a memorable day.

This special trip was more than just time off school — it was a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy being kids, free from the usual responsibilities of caring for others.

Are you a young carer or know someone who might be?

Don’t wait in silence — support is available! Reach out to Carers in Hertfordshire for a confidential assessment and tailored help: 📧 Email: young.carers@carersinherts.org.uk 🌐 Visit: https://www.carersinherts.org.uk/young-carers/

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Year 8 & 9 Girls Inspired by Airbus Trip for International Women in Engineering Day

A group of our Year 8 and 9 girls recently had the incredible opportunity to visit Airbus in Stevenage as part of International Women in Engineering Day celebrations. The visit aimed to raise aspirations, challenge gender stereotypes and highlight the exciting career opportunities available for women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths).

During the day, students explored the fascinating Mars Rover Yard, where they got to see a replica of the Mars surface and examine prototypes of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Rover. Developed by the European Space Agency, this rover is designed to search for signs of past or present life on Mars and is set to take part in the next mission to the Red Planet.

The girls also took part in a series of hands-on workshops, including one focused on drones and their many capabilities. They explored real-world challenges such as tackling space debris, before being set their own mission: design a drone. The girls could choose a number of scenarios from tracking polar bears, to mountain rescue, to monitoring the rainforest.

The creativity and teamwork on display were outstanding, with one group particularly impressing the team. Their innovative idea to design a drone that not only monitored illegal logging but also released seeds into sparse areas of the rainforest sparked real interest. One of the Raytheon employers even commented that in all his years running this workshop, he had never heard that idea before — a fantastic achievement for our students!

The day concluded with the chance to meet and talk to Airbus engineers and STEM ambassadors. Hearing directly from women working in engineering and technology helped to inspire the girls and show them that the STEM industry is full of exciting possibilities for everyone, regardless of gender.

We are proud of the enthusiasm, confidence, and creativity our students showed throughout the day. Hopefully, this experience has sparked new ambitions and shown that the next generation of women engineers and scientists could well be sitting in our classrooms right now.

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Year 12 Explore Their Future Pathways

Over the past few weeks, our Year 12 students have taken part in a series of events designed to help them explore the wide range of opportunities available to them after Sixth Form and to start preparing for life beyond Year 13.

The first of these was a visit to the UEL UCAS Discovery Day, where students had the opportunity to speak directly with representatives from a wide variety of universities and apprenticeship providers. This event gave students valuable insight into the different routes they can take, whether that’s heading to university, pursuing an apprenticeship, or exploring alternative pathways.

Following this, students attended a Taster Day at the University of Hertfordshire, where they got to experience university life first-hand. Students chose from a range of subject-specific taster lectures, including nursing, physiotherapy, engineering, law, and many more. They navigated the campus independently, attended informative talks, and toured the university’s impressive facilities — giving them a real taste of what it’s like to be a university student.

Finally, Year 12 took part in a Personal Statement Workshop, delivered in school by a representative from the University of Hertfordshire. This session helped students understand what makes a strong personal statement and how to stand out in competitive university or apprenticeship applications.

These experiences have provided Year 12 with valuable knowledge and practical advice, helping them feel more confident and informed as they plan their next steps.

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Art & Textiles Exhibition, Tuesday 1 July, 4-7pm

We are delighted to invite the St Mary’s community, family and friends to an inspiring evening showcasing the creative achievements of our Year 11 Fine Art, BTEC Art and Textiles students, alongside the exceptional work from our A Level Fine Art and Photography and Textiles groups.

This free exhibition features a diverse collection of art, ranging from intricate handmade books and vibrant paintings to beautifully crafted garments, large-scale canvases, and striking photographs. The show celebrates the talent, hard work, and passion of our students over the last two years.

Join us for a wonderful evening of creativity, community, and celebration as we come together to admire and support the artistic journeys of our young artists.

We look forward to seeing you there!

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Year 7 club 9 geographers

On Tuesday the 24th of June Year 7 Club 9 geographers participated in a workshop about vulnerability. Each student was given a personal profile and were asked to consider which factors made them more or less vulnerable to natural hazards, before heading out onto the field to see the stark contrast between levels of susceptibility around the world. In the second portion of the workshop students had the opportunity to explore a GIS system and research the data behind natural hazards and vulnerable populations in a variety of countries. It was a pleasure to see the Year 7’s so engaged and to really start understanding inequality and global variation in disaster risk and vulnerability.

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Summer Concert – Friday 11th July 7pm

🌞 St Mary’s CE High School Presents: Annual Summer Concert 2025 🎶

Date: Friday 11th July 2025
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Central Amphitheatre Courtyard, St Mary’s CE High School
Admission: FREE

Join us for an unforgettable evening of music and summer celebration in the heart of our beautiful courtyard!

Featuring performances by our renowned school choir, the Phoenix Singers, alongside soloists and a live band of professional musicians.

This family-friendly open-air concert promises sunshine, song, and a warm community atmosphere. Refreshments and a licensed bar will be available, so come early, bring your friends and family, and enjoy a magical evening of music under the summer sky.

No booking required – just bring a smile and enjoy the music!
For more information, contact the Music Department at St Mary’s High School.

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Level 3 Health and Social Care students visit Nursing Home

Sixth form St Mary’s students spent the afternoon doing various activities with elderly residents at Kingfisher Nursing Home. The Health and Social Care students were welcomed by the senior care team and made to feel at home. The students had planned activities to interact and communicate building positive relationships with residents.

They started by meeting the residents and got to know some of them through the discussions they were having on a one to one basis. It reflected the skills the students had developed of being caring, compassionate and communicating effectively.

Finally as a group they played Bingo with most of the residents in a respectful manner and it was amazing to see them having a great time. We look forward to cooperatively working together with our local Healthcare providers in Hertfordshire and St Mary’s CE High School. A big well-done to the girls and thank you to Kingfisher Nursing Home for allowing the Health and Social Care students placement

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