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Choir of the Year Competition

The Heathfield St Mary's School choir have reached the area selection of the BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year competition which takes place in Basingstoke on March 2nd 2008. The Choir of the Year competition, launched in 1984, is the UK's largest singing competition. To qualify, the school sent in a CD recording of selected pieces.

This will be a busy term for the choir with Choral Evensongs taking place in Salisbury and Winchester Cathedrals as well as the tour to Prague. In addition to these, the girls have been invited to perform in the 'Music for Youth' regional Festival to be held in Newbury on February 23rd.

Girls' Schools: Is it Goodbye to Girls' Boarding?

The sector may be in decline – but staff and pupils are keen to sing its praises, reports Andy Sharman. Published: 25 October 2007.

At a seminar in Mayfair earlier this month, all the talk was of single sex versus co-educational boarding. The subject had been put at the top of the agenda by Frances King, the event's convenor and headmistress of Heathfield St Mary's School, Ascot. Her school is now one of only two in the country to remain exclusive to girls and full-time boarders.

This year's Independent Schools Council census showed a significant drop in the number of girls at single-sex boarding schools. More girls now board at coeducational schools in membership of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses Conference (HMC) than do at the elite institutions of the Girls' Schools Association (GSA).

"The reason is clear: 40 years ago there were independent schools for boys and independent schools for girls. Co-ed schools did not exist. After that, for reasons of economic pressure – not, in the majority of cases, because of any new-found commitment to the principle of co-education – the boys' schools started taking girls from girls' schools," says the GSA.

King, a graduate of Ashford Girls' School in Kent and the all-female St Hilda's College, Oxford, is a high-profile champion of single-sex boarding for girls. But both her old stomping grounds are to become co-educational over the next two years, proof that she is swimming against the tide.

The Heathfield boarders seem to agree with their headmistress. "Being at a girls' school, I don't have to show off in front of boys, to always be cheery or nice, or put on makeup every day – which is just such a hassle!" says Laura Nissen, 16, who has been boarding since the age of 11. "Here I'm just myself. I don't need to impress anyone and I'm much more open and relaxed. I don't get embarrassed in classrooms, I just say what I think and I think at a co-ed school I just couldn't do that."

Rosanna Coats, also 16, has a similar point of view. "You can see boys on the weekend as much as you want and then you can go back to school with your real friends and talk about whatever you want without being pressured," she says. "You actually have the best of both worlds."

Another Excellent Year for GCSE Results

We are delighted with the excellent set of GCSE results this year. 60% of the girls gained A* to A grades, 85% of the grades were A* to Bs, 99% were A* to Cs and 100% were A* to Ds. The percentage of A* grades is 5.8% higher than last year and A*-A grades have increased by 12.7% (Every student gained at least one A grade). Five girls achieved a clean sweep of A* and A grades and nine girls gained nine or more A to A* grades.

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Best Ever A Level Results

We are delighted to announce our best ever A level results at Ascot this year, achieved by hard working girls and staff.

60% A grades
87% A – B grades
13 girls achieved straight As

Many of the girls will now enter top universities, including Charlotte Sutherell, who has gained a place at Oxford University to read Chemistry along with Charlotte Close Smith who has gained a place to read Classics. Olivia Paterson will go to the Courtauld Institute to read History of Art and Sheena Pang who gained 5 straight As is going to LSE to study Accounting and Finance.

We are pleased that the girls have gained an excellent set of grades and are going to the university destinations of their choice, including Durham, Newcastle, Bristol, Edinburgh, UCL and Imperial College, Nottingham and Leeds.

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Boarding at Mixed Schools is ‘damaging’ Teenage Girls

A leading headmistress has cautioned against the trend for all-girls boarding schools to go coeducational.

Frances King, head of Heathfield St Mary’s School in Ascot, Berkshire, said that mixed boarding schools can damage girls during puberty by lowering their self-esteem and denting their academic confidence.

The trend for educating boys and girls together had been accepted uncritically for far too long and needed to be questioned before the pressure for all-girls boarding schools to go coeducational became too great, she said.

“Puberty is a very difficult time and the self-confidence of girls can be extremely fragile,” she told The Times. “Is it right to be throwing into the melting pot the complication of sexual dynamics? Why add to the emotional cocktail by subjecting them to the intensity of a mixed boarding environment?”

The annual census from the Independent Schools Council, due to be published this week, is expected to show a drop in the number of pupils attending girls-only boarding schools.

Advocates of single-sex schooling have long argued that children, particularly girls, achieve more academically when they are taught separately, taking as evidence the fact that girls’ schools consistently top school league tables.

But a research review last year by the University of Buckingham found no evidence to support this.

Ms King said that it was becoming increasingly difficult to find single-sex boarding schools as more and more boys’ boarding schools decided to go coeducational to bolster their numbers and improve their position in the academic league.

Girls attending mixed day schools did not face the same pressures as boarders because they could go home every evening and find support from adults, she said.

“But at a boarding school, they have to rely more on peer support, which can become destabilised, for example if you have to fear that your best friend might fancy your boyfriend,” she added.

Olivia Paterson and Alice Orr-Ewing, both 17 and pupils at Heathfield St Mary’s, agreed that girls at single-sex schools had plenty of time to socialise with boys at formal events or joint school plays with boys’ schools. Louisa Matheson, also 17, said: “I just want to be able to focus on my friendships and my studies.”

But Mike Buchanan, head of Ashford School, Kent, an all-girls boarding school that will open its doors to boy boarders in September, said it was important to expose children to different learning styles and ap-proaches to life. “Girls and boys can learn a lot from each other,” he said.

Anthony Seldon, master of Wellington College, previously an all-boys school that admitted girl boarders at all levels last September, said: “We need to bring [pupils] up in as broad a way as possible with the other gender and, ideally, with people from other races, religions and social backgrounds.”

Alexandra Frean, Education Editor, Times Online

"Boarding Revisited Seminar" hosted by Heathfield St Mary's School, Ascot

Boarding Revisited Seminar Some 60 heads and leadership staff of senior and preparatory schools attended an event hosted by Heathfield St Mary's School in September.

Speakers included Mrs Hilary Moriarty, National Director Boarding Schools Association (BSA), Mrs Frances King, Headmistress Heathfield St Mary's, Dr Anthony Seldon, Master Wellington College and Mr Gregg Davies, Headmaster Shiplake College.

The themes included "The future of the boarding community", "Nurturing community in the boarding environment" and "A balanced community – single sex or co-education".

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Inaugural Service to Celebrate the New Heathfield St Mary's School
Held on Monday 9th October 2006

We were delighted to welcome The Right Reverend Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading, as celebrant and preacher at our Inaugural Service to celebrate the new Heathfield St Mary's School. The service took the form of a Eucharist, and was attended by some 400 people, including all girls from both sites, parents, staff and governors.

The Bishop was assisted by the chaplains at both sites and by local clergy. Bishop Stephen gave a lively and humourous address, in which he invited us to see beyond our self-centred society.

The choir, directed by Miss Jane Stevens, sang her own setting of the Agnus Dei. During Communion, the choir sang Franck's Panis Angelicus, and Wesley's Lead Me, Lord, in which the soloists were Amber Le Bon and Alice Sparrow. Many commented that it was a warm, positive and uplifting act of worship.

Catering Team Win Prestigious Food Hygiene Award

Catering Award Following a recent food hygiene inspection, Heathfield St Mary's, Ascot has attained a Silver Berkshire Safe Food Award and a Catering for Health Award.

Jackie Scriven, Catering Manager and Roberta Mead, Sous Chef, went to receive the award at the Bracknell Council Chambers, presented by Councillor Peter North.

The award is designed to recognise the effort and commitment of catering establishments operating high standards of food safety and hygiene. Congratulations to Jackie and the team!

Frances King, Headmistress, says "I am very proud of our catering team and thank them for their efforts to maintain such high standards on our behalf".

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Beginning of a New Era

On 4th September 2006, Heathfield St Mary’s was delighted to open its doors for the first time. It brings together two of England’s finest girls’ public schools offering the very best education for girls.

Inspirational Living

Inspirational Living To mark the launch of the school the girls have chosen new house names. A shortlist was drawn up of the most influential women in history, who represent literature, the arts, science and the caring profession. The girls all voted on the women who they most admired and were inspired by. Below are our new house names:

Austen House: Named after Jane Austen (1775-1817), the well-known novelist who wittily captured the life of women in the nineteenth century in her six novels.

de Valois House: Named after Dame Ninette de Valois (1898-2001), who was responsible for almost single handedly transforming the status of British ballet.

Seacole House: Named after Mary Seacole (1805-1881), a pioneering nurse and heroine of the Crimean War.

Somerville House: Named after Mary Somerville (1780-1872), one of the foremost female mathematicians in history.

For any media enquiries please contact Philip Geach, Director of Development, pgeach@heathfieldstmarys.net or call 01344 898343.