Our annual Summer Concert was a truly memorable evening and the perfect way to celebrate the close of another successful academic year at St Mary’s CE High School.

Bathed in glorious summer sunshine, our beautiful courtyard provided the ideal setting for an evening of outstanding music, performed by our exceptionally talented students. Friends and families gathered to enjoy a varied programme of pop songs, musical theatre favourites and instrumental performances, all brought to life with the support of a professional live band. Performing alongside experienced musicians was an invaluable opportunity for our students, allowing them to develop their confidence, showcase their talents and create memories that will last for years to come.

The warmth and encouragement from our audience made the evening even more special. It was wonderful to see our school community come together to celebrate the hard work, commitment and creativity of our young performers, whose dedication was evident in every performance.

Events such as these are a reminder of what makes St Mary’s such a special place. They reflect our vision of being “the rich soil, where roots flourish and seeds grow”. Our students continue to flourish both musically and personally, supported by dedicated staff, encouraging families and a community that believes in nurturing every individual’s gifts.

Thank you to everyone who performed, attended and helped make the evening such a success. It was a fitting finale to another fantastic year at St Mary’s, and we look forward to seeing our students continue to grow in the year ahead.

 

 

On Monday 6th July, Mrs Whitworth and Mr Joyce proudly accompanied 20 St Mary’s students to their Scholars Programme Graduation Ceremony at the School of Oriental and African Studies University of London.

Our Year 7 KS3 Scholars embarked on an exciting journey into the world of Literary Theory, working closely with a PhD tutor over several weeks to develop their academic skills and broaden their thinking. Meanwhile, our KS4 Scholars explored the fascinating concept of the Circular Economy, tackling real-world challenges and gaining valuable insight into sustainability and innovation.

A special congratulations go to Nicholas, Selina and Aavni, who were selected as Spoke Scholars. They confidently represented St Mary’s by sharing their research and experiences with students and staff from schools across the country, showcasing both their knowledge and their growing leadership skills.

Following the graduation ceremony, students enjoyed a tour of the SOAS campus after relaxing in the sunshine at Russell Square, where they had lunch and made the most of the glorious weather.

One of the highlights of the visit was discovering the remarkable SOAS Library, home to more than 1.3 million books, including rare and unique collections that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

It was a truly memorable and inspiring day for everyone involved. We are incredibly proud of our St Mary’s Scholars for their hard work, dedication and achievements, and we look forward to seeing what they accomplish next.

Our school garden has flourished once again this year, thanks to the enthusiasm, dedication, and hard work of our students. Throughout the spring and summer, pupils have worked together to grow a wonderful variety of vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers, transforming the garden into a thriving green space for the whole school community to enjoy, as well as the wildlife.

This year’s Garden Guardians were our Year 8 co-curriculum cohort, who spent their Monday form time outdoors, embracing the benefits of fresh air and nature. From sowing seeds and weeding beds to watering, planting, and maintaining the garden, students developed practical gardening skills while enjoying the opportunity to work as a team and connect with the natural environment.

Watching tiny seeds develop into healthy plants has been a rewarding experience and a fantastic reminder of the value of patience, care, and perseverance.

This beautifully fresh, organic produce was donated to the school’s canteen where it has been creatively used in the lunches for our students and staff. Significantly benefiting the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport and minimising plastic packaging.

The school garden continues to be a valuable learning resource, providing opportunities for all students and departments to engage in practical, outdoor learning. This year, the Science Department made excellent use of the garden through its STEM Club project, giving students the chance to explore scientific concepts in a hands-on environment.

As part of the STEM Club’s potato-growing project, students learned about plant growth through an enjoyable and interactive activity. They planted potatoes, cared for them by watering them regularly, and observed the changes throughout the growing season. Students recorded their observations, measured plant growth, and investigated the conditions plants need to thrive. Through this project, they developed their scientific enquiry skills, strengthened their teamwork and responsibility, and gained a deeper understanding of the potato growing process.

A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to the garden this year.

 

Last week, St Mary’s CE High School proudly hosted its Annual Key Stage 3 Prize Giving Evening, celebrating the achievements, progress and dedication of our students throughout the year. Families, staff and students came together, alongside the Mayor of Broxbourne, to recognise outstanding attainment, resilience and commitment across all subject areas.

The evening also celebrated those who go above and beyond to support others, with special recognition given through our Ambassador Awards to students who exemplify the values of St Mary’s through their leadership, integrity and service.

With a fun beach theme, complete with sand and sandcastles, the Hall had a wonderfully summery atmosphere. Our Year 9 hosts, Travis and Zeynep, led the evening with confidence and warmth, while talented student musicians provided fantastic performances throughout.

Prize Giving remains one of the highlights of the school year, offering an opportunity to celebrate the many ways our students succeed and the values that make our St Mary’s community so special.

As part of our Scholars Programme, students were invited to join an after-school lecture delivered by Mr Casimir, who spoke on the interdisciplinary nature of art and science and why students should relish the combining of different subjects. He used examples from nature as well as historical figures who have built their success on this skill. Students listened intently and then challenged Mr Casimir with well thought out questions. It was a pleasure to be in a room with such deep thinking students and we look forward to hosting more of these events across next year.

Congratulations to our Year 7 and Year 8 Drama Club students, who recently completed their first LAMDA Acting examinations with an outstanding 100% pass rate!

Throughout the year, students have dedicated themselves to developing their acting skills during our weekly after-school Drama Club. For their examinations, they performed a range of challenging acting extracts, including scenes from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Noughts & Crosses, and Alice in Wonderland. Each student performed in front of a visiting LAMDA examiner, demonstrating confidence, creativity and excellent performance skills.

We are incredibly proud of every student for the commitment, resilience and enthusiasm they have shown throughout the year. Their success is a testament to the hard work they have put into rehearsals, and they should all be extremely proud of what they have achieved.

The LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) qualifications are nationally recognised industry qualifications that develop performance, communication and confidence—valuable skills both on and off the stage.

Interested in joining Drama Club?

Drama Club is an after-school enrichment opportunity for Key Stage 3 students who demonstrate a high level of ability and commitment to drama. The club is designed for students with the potential to progress through the LAMDA qualification pathway.

Places are limited and students are selected based on:

  • High ability in Drama
  • Excellent behaviour and commitment to learning

If your child is interested in joining, they should email Mrs Turner using their school email account to express their interest. Successful applicants will be invited to join as places become available.

Well done once again to all of our LAMDA students—we look forward to seeing what they achieve next!

 

On Friday the 26th 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. Their level of engagement was fantastic throughout and each student demonstrated an understanding of the inequality of risk when faced with a natural hazard.

We had another excellent Festival of Learning this week with the wonderful Year 5 students from Goffs Oak Primary. The students experienced our joint IT and Business lessons and learnt how to use the computers, including systems house-keeping so they can find their work in files. They then went onto creating a new burger for McDonalds product portfolio. The creative ideas were spectacular and the Pixilart drawings of their burgers spoke for themselves. Very impressed with each and every student that attended, and we can clearly see young IT and Business specialists of the future.

Teens Unite Fighting Cancer Charity are hosting It’s a Knockout family fundraising day at Wormley Playing Fields on Sunday 12th July 2026. 

Get ready to take on the Teens Unite It’s a Knockout!

Expect giant inflatables, hysterical games and oversized props as teams compete on the It’s a Knockout assault course.

The day kicks off with the Junior course where kids aged 5-16 join us to be part of the action. In the afternoon, it’s time for the adults to take on the challenge!

With your support, Teens Unite can improve the lives of more teenagers and young adults living with, and beyond, cancer.

Secure your tickets here!

Congratulations to Year 9 student Georgie, who travelled to Lisbon, Portugal last week to compete in the All Star Cheerleading competition at the European summit.  Georgie and her team, Twisted Cheer and Dance, won silver overall in the competition.

Georgie has been cheerleading for over eight years and trains six times per week.  We are really proud of Georgie’s dedication and commitment to her sport, as well as her recent success in Portugal.

Well done Georgie, we look forward to seeing more cheerleading success in the future!