About Us

MISSION STATEMENT
A Community of Learners growing in Faith Learning for Life and aiming for excellence.

Our Aim
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.

Core Values

• 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.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME
Our aim is realised through our School Improvement Programme which we have developed through using the EFQM Excellence Model:

Rationale:
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

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS
• 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.

Unique Aspects of St. Mary's College
The Star Programme
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:

Homework Club
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.

Homework Club Transport
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.

Individual/Small group tuition
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.

Study Weekends
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.

Study Week
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.

Study Skills Course
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.

Assertiveness training/Pathways in Excellence
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.

Outdoor Pursuits
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.

Speech Training
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.

Strengthening links with feeder primary schools
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.

Involvement of the University of Ulster Student/Tutor Programme
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.

Summer School
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.

Orientation Programme
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.

Year of Mathematics in conjunction with the University of Ulster
Every year the school hopes to highlight an awareness of a different subject. Pupils will take part in workshops and organise displays.

The Queen's University Role-model Week
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.

Sunrise Club
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
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.

Parental Support/Involvement in School Curriculum
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.

School Day