St Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford

St Mary’s Catholic School
Address
Map
Windhill Rd

Bishop's Stortford
,
Hertfordshire
,
CM23 2NQ

England
Coordinates51°52′11″N 0°09′10″E / 51.869801°N 0.152650°E / 51.869801; 0.152650
Information
TypeAcademy
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1896
FounderFour sisters from St Mary of Namur
Local authorityHertfordshire
TrustSt Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust
Department for Education URN148499 Tables
OfstedReports
HeadteacherD McHugh
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 18
HousesA, B, J, K, M, R and T
Colour(s)Navy Blue and Light Blue   

St Mary's Catholic School is a Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England.[1]

History

In 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, 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

There are approximately 1150 students.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ "Home". stmarys.net.
  2. ^ Infosite, stortfordhistory.co.uk; accessed 14 February 2015.
  3. ^ 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…
  4. ^ "St Mary's Catholic School - GOV.UK".
  5. ^ 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…
  6. ^ "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.