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Opened in 1959, St. Mary’s is an all girls’ school
for pupils of 11-18 years. Set in compact grounds in the heart
of the Creggan area of Derry and commanding a beautiful view
of the city, it is a Catholic Maintained school and attracts
pupils from a wide catchment area. St Mary’s offers a
curriculum designed to meet the academic, social and personal
needs of every pupil .It aims to develop her to her full potential.
The pupils are encouraged to become self-assured, articulate
and committed members of the community. It has a teaching staff of 61
and provides education for almost 900 pupils.
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Principal |
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Mrs. M. Lindsay BSc (Hons), M.Sc. (Dist), P.G.C.E |
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Vice-Principal |
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Mrs. L. Mc Morrow B.A. Joint Hons, P.G.C.E., M.Sc, PQH |
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Vice-Principal |
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Mrs M. Mulhern M.Ed., B.Ed, PQH |
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Senior Teacher |
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Mrs K. Kealey B.A. (Hons), M.Ed., P.G.C.E. |
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Senior Teacher |
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Miss. M. O'Boyle B.Ed, M.Sc. (Dist), P.G.C.E., PQH. |
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Chairman of the Board of Governors |
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Mr James
Doherty |
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A Community of Learners growing in Faith Learning for Life and aiming for excellence.
Our fundamental task is the education of the whole person, blending learning with faith, and faith with daily life. We aspire to create an open, happy, stimulating and mutually respectful community environment in which young people are able to develop to the full range of their abilities and talents in a balanced, integrated and generous way.
- We are committed to Catholic values and we strive for Truth as embodied in our motto.
- We are committed to supporting Faith Formation in our pupils.
- We value tolerance and respect for others through the promotion of an inclusive community.
- We value our colleagues and ensure quality in everything we do.
- We value our pupils and parents and strive to meet their needs by providing the highest quality of education.
- We strive for success and continuous improvement in all we do.
Our aim is realised through our School Improvement Programme
which we have developed through using the EFQM Excellence
Model:
Our School's Improvement Programme involves:
• All of us
• Working efficiently and effectively together
• Meeting the needs of our customers inside and outside
the school
• Continually examining how we do things to see if there
is a better way
• Creation of a common aim
• Development of a service culture
• Re-assessment of each function of our work
• Improvement becoming a continuous process
• Improvement in communication
• Reduction in bureaucracy
Despite the severe difficulties facing the school, it continues
to be very successful in addressing pupils’ needs and
raising standards e.g. in GCSE Examinations, we have had sustained
incremental improvements for the past twenty years. Our results in 2008 were the best ever, with Carla Moore recieving the top student award in Northern Ireland for her GCSE Applied Business Studies, and Stephanie Green achieving third place in Northern Ireland in GCSE Engineering.
In recent years, St Mary’s has received several highly
prestigious awards including the distinction of being the
only organisation of any kind throughout Europe to receive the EFQM Quality Award (Public Sector Award) for the second time.
A complete list of our awards can be found on our awards page.

The STAR Programme was launched in May 2003. The programme
has been made possible thanks to the generousity of the Lord
Mayor of London Charity Fund. The aim of the programme is
to help all pupils to develop and realise their ambitions
through a serious of interventions including an enriched curriculum
and a partnership involving parents, community, local business
and further and higher education.
Pupils join the programme in Year 10 through a parent and
pupil contract system. The programme offers pupils a number
of interventions to help raise their standards of achievement
as follows:
A homework club operates in the library for junior pupils
and in the computer suite for senior pupils. The homework
club will provide a quiet and peaceful working environment
for pupils who do not have the facilities at home. Pupils
have access to any books they may require and are also free
to work on any available computers. The homework club operates
from 3.10pm - 5.00pm and is supervised by trained personnel.
To ensure that pupils get home safely a bus will be
provided to take pupils home that do not live in close proximity
to the school. Pupils who remain after school to take part
in numerous clubs and societies may also use this bus.
Pupils who are experiencing specific difficulties in a particular
subject area receive tuition after school from qualified teachers
and/or university studentsd who have been suitably trained.
Pupils have the opportunity to attend specific study weekends
organised by the subject department. The school remains open
until 9.00pm on Friday and 10.00am - 6.00pm Saturday and Sunday.
Students undergo intensive revision and immersion in the subjects.
It is also hoped to provide residential study weekends.
The school remains open during Easter week. Pupils have the
opportunity to attend study group sessions and use the facilities
offered by the computer suite to improve and finish coursework.

Pupils are given access to a study skills course provided
by Northern Ireland Business Enterprise. This is an extremely
important addition to their curriculum. The course provides
strategies for pupils to make the most of their study time.
This programme benefits pupils in helping them to develop
a positive view of themselves. It helps them to believe that
they can achieve what they desire if they put their mind to
it. A positive self-image will help them to succeed in examinations,
at work and in life in general.
Groups of pupils will be taken to Gortatole Outdoor Centre
to take part in a variety of outdoor activities including
orienteering, abseiling and canoeing. Taking part in these
activities will help to develop team spirit, build confidence
and promote leadership qualities.
To ensure that pupils are not disadvantaged when attending
interviews or in other such situations which require good
oral skills they will be provided with lessons in elocution
and speech training.
In order to raise standards of achievement and to ease the
transition period between primary and secondary school we
are striving to develop initiatives through Primary Secondary
liaisons.
- Paired Reading Programme
- Early language skills programme for parents of primary/classes
- Teach your Child Maths programme
- Joint subject area projects in Modern Languages, Technology
and Science
- Devloping teacher exchange between primary schools
and St Mary's College
- Access of primary schools to St Mary's facilities
e.g Science/Technology/Cookery
- Access to Homework Club/Saturday School/Sunrise Club
for Partner primary school
- Netball tournament open to all feeder primary schools
- Development of Maths cluster group. This is a group
of primary and secondary school teachers who meet regularly
to discuss methods of teaching Mathematics to ease the transition
from one style of teaching to another.
Many of our pupils do not have role models on which to develop
their aspirations towards third level education. By bringing
university students to work in the school pupils would have
direct contact with them and would have the opportunity to
develop a social and working relationship with them. Student
tutors would help to enhance the learning situation in and
outside the classroom by working alongside teachers under
the teachers supervision and guidance. Taking part in this
programme will also be beneficial for the students' own personal
development.

Each summer students participating in the programme attend
a Summer School in July based at the University of Ulster
Magee campus. The aim of the week-long summer school is to
familiarise pupils with the ethos of the university and to
follow on careers especially in the fields of science, computing
and technology. Lectures are given to pupils and staff members
and they enjoy "hands on" experience through using
and experimenting with equipment. Pupils get a taste of what
it is like to be a university student. They take part in a
graduation ceremony at the end of the week where they dress
in robes and are presented with certificates of participation
from the dean of Education.
Groups of students are taken to Magee campus where they are
taken on a tour of the campus to include the library, informatics
and student accommodation. These tours are guided by university
students and they help to allay any fears or misconceptions
our pupils may have about going to university.
Every year the school hopes to highlight an awareness of a
different subject. Pupils will take part in workshops and
organise displays.
The university will provide keynote speakers and student role
models of Higher Education for a week-long role model week
- the purpose being to widen participation of our pupils in
higher education.
This club operates in the morning from 8.10am. Pupils have
the opportunity to go to the cafeteria for breakfast. An internal
survey has found that many of our pupils leave home without
having a breakfast. Research has shown that this can lead
to poor concentration, memory lapse and disruptive behaviour.
After eating a nutritional breakfast pupils can take part
in a reading programme with pupils from a nearby primary school.
They may wish to go to the computer suite where they can use
the facilities available. They also have the opportunity to
get assistance for any problem they may have had with homework
from trained staff.
Saturday school allows pupils to take part in a wide range
of activities that reflect in large measure what the pupils
want to spend their free time engaging in. These activities
include music (keyboard and guitar), dance, drama, football,
netball, cookery, art and programmes in literacy and numeracy.
Saturday school activities are designed to:
- Enhance pupils self esteem and confidence in their
ability to achieve
- To develop pupils social skills
- To improve pupils skills in oracy, numeracy and I.T
- To provide at pupils request an alternative to on
the street recreational activity
The school opens from 10.00am - 1.00pm and from 2.00pm - 4.00pm.
Pupils from the partner school and other local primary schools
will be invited to attend. Pupils will select activities in
advance and will spend one hour in each activity moving from
one to the other, pupils may select to attend morning or afternoon
sessions.
Parents are always kept fully informed about their daughter's
progress in St Mary's College, through this programme they
are encouraged to participate more in school life in the following
ways:
- Providing a range of courses for parents to study
at GCSE level including Mathematics, English and Information
Technology.
- Involvement of parents in the Save the Children Anti-bullying
programme especially through the Parent Teacher Association
- "Teach your Child Maths" courses and "Teach
your Child to Study" courses are provided for parents
from St Mary's College
- Parents support groups will be set up in the main
housing estates of the schools at catchment areas i.e. through
the respective Parent Teacher Associations.
- A training programme provided by O.C.N will be offered
to the parents. This is a certified NVQ course and will train
parents to help in the classroom.
- Parents will be visited at home by the programme co-ordinator
to discuss individual pupil needs.
- "Take your Parent to School" Day. Parents
will be invited to accompany their daughter to school for
one day. They will attend all of their daughter's lessons
and take part in classroom activities. They will have the
opportunity to experience for themselves the changes in the
curriculum.
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8.50am - 9.00am |
REGISTRATION |
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9.00am - 9.45am |
1st lesson |
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9.45am - 10.30am |
2nd lesson |
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10.30am - 11.15am |
3rd lesson |
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11.15am - 11.55am |
4th lesson |
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11.55am - 12.40pm |
LUNCH |
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12.40pm - 12.55pm |
Assembly/Form |
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12.55pm - 1.40pm |
5th lesson |
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1.40pm - 2.25pm |
6th lesson |
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2.25pm - 3.10pm |
7th lesson |
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3.10pm |
DISMISSAL |
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