St Mary’s Calne for sixth form

[AgathaSpencerGregson]

Considering a move for DD after GCSEs and keen to hear about any experience of sixth form at SMC. She was offered a place at age 11 but chose to go elsewhere (also all girls boarding) although SMC was my first choice for her. Her bias is more arts/humanities than science/maths and she LOVES drama. I know not many girls move to SMC for sixth form which slightly puts me off but I like the school and the head v much.

Bumping for evening crowd

What does your daughter want? What size is her current school?
SMC is lovely but small. Normally children want more breadth for Sixth form.

Thank you. Current school is large and gets bigger at sixth form. she has got a bit lost there. It’s very much a game of two halves where she is; academically we are very happy with her progress and she has found teachers and subjects which inspire her. House/extra curricular goes less well. She has friends but the friendship groups seem quite unstable which tired her out.

SMC Head departed for”retirement” quite suddenly and without notice.

Anyone know why?

New Head has just been appointed - she was a deputy at Benenden, so should know her stuff re girls!

I should also have said SMC I hear is still lovely. Truro High School for Girls has a small Sixth Form and is nurturing, but not sure if that would be too far west for you.

I hear from family members it's a lovely school and excellent for Drama so well worth considering for you

We loved St Marys calne but we're concerned as not many international boarders and didn't want our DD to feel different or not feel a sense of belonging. Am worried its British but rigid and she has been in a big international school abroad and will find it tough to adjust. She is British but not English. She is a sensitive , creative caring child not super academic but loves drama and Art. Any thoughts ?

My daughter is at SMC. We are from an international family ourselves. We found a great mix of international and home students

So annoying! It only posted a fraction of my message. We looked at other schools nearby, Cheltenham Ladies, for instance, and felt it had the opposite problem where they were relying heavily on international parents. We are London based, and our daughter was offered a place at five London schools, three of them girls’. We chose SMC over the rest as it offered a great mix of students (Spanish, South American, Chinese, African, North American) along with excellent academics and the countryside. Did you come to an open day or see a statistic that worried you? I’m curious as I think they’ve got a great balance. I'm happy to chat more as we are very happy with our choice, and our daughter is thriving.

We have lived in Dubai but are British and used to a multitude of nationalities. When we asked St Marys they said they were of course interested in Intl students but didn't want to dilute the British Ness which I understand. I just dont want my daughter to feel odd. Ethnicity is Indian but we are British . I saw a few Chinese and African students but no Indian or pakistani. It seems like a very warm and caring school and loved the housemistress and staff we met. They really took their time on the tour.

@internmum it’s such a conundrum, isn’t it? Finding the right balance is never easy. We’d seen plenty of schools where British number less than 20%, but in speaking to friends from abroad considering sending their children to the UK, they wanted to give their children a British experience that was balanced with a good mixture of cultures. I do know of an international school near Tunbridge that has a good mixture of countryside, academics and a very international student body, I’ll have a think of the name. It just depends on what experience you and your daughter are after. I will add, sensitive and creative describes most of the girls I’ve met at the school. Our own daughter is quiet, and we felt she would’ve been pushed aside by louder characters in London. SMC is incredible at nurturing young women and helping them find their voice. Last part, my partner and I both work in the arts, and St Mary’s had the best art department of all the schools visited. And the girls just did a performance at Edinburgh Fringe!

I absolutely loved SMC when I looked around. For logistical reasons (and to be fair her preference too) I decided to send DD co-ed (she has 2 brothers and at least 2 of the 3 will be at the same 13-18 school for 5 years as small age gaps) but SMC is really special I think.