St. Mary's Prospectus 2020

Inspiring the Talented - Nurturing the Gifted
Achieving the Outstanding
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
1

A visit to our
Open Day will
allow you to see
our talented
pupils and
superb staff
Dear Parent/Guardian
I am delighted to welcome you to our Open day on
Saturday 11th January 2020. Choosing the correct
school for your daughter is an important decision
for you both and I hope your visit to St Mary’s
College will help inform your choice.
At St Mary’s College we think of ourselves as a big
family where we try to live out and promote the
Gospel values every day. In doing so, we welcome
pupils of all faiths and none, keeping our focus
firmly on developing each pupil’s individual gifts and
talents throughout their time with us.
As a parent / guardian you will want reassurance
that this school is well placed to cater for all
abilities, from Year 8 to 14. I will let the statistics
speak for themselves. This year, 97.5% of pupils at
GCSE achieved at least 5+ A*-C and 81.5% of the
pupils achieved at least 3 A*-C at GCE, our second
consecutive year over the 80% mark. To give
you an indication of our success, 7 departments
at GCSE level outperformed grammar school
equivalents. In our latest Inspection (May 2018), ETI
made the following observation: “Overall, the pupils
attain very highly at GCSE or equivalent at grades
A* to C, including English and Mathematics; this is
a significant strength.”
Our Year 14 leavers are now on courses in New
Jersey (America), Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow
and Queen’s amongst others. These girls have
left St Mary’s College with a great sense of
achievement, ready to take their place in the world
with enthusiasm and confidence.
A visit to our Open Day will allow you to see our
talented pupils and superb staff. You will also see
how our parents and partners work together to
ensure we deliver the best possible educational
experience, creating a vibrant learning community
for each and every pupil.
If you require any further information, please visit
our website or contact the school directly; I would
be delighted to hear from you. I look forward to
meeting you and your daughter on Open Day.
Marie Lindsay
Principal
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

Meet Our Head Girls
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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Welcome to St Mary’s College
Our mission statement “A Community of Learners growing in Faith Learning for Life and aiming for
excellence” captures the essence of St Mary’s College. Our fundamental aim 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 have in place a pastoral system designed to support your daughter and indeed yourself through
all of the challenges a school and indeed life presents. Let us introduce to you key members of the
pastoral team.
Our Year Head Team: Mrs Mairead Flanagan, Mr Sean McBride (Acting Year Head), Mrs Caitriona Devlin, Ms Rona O’Donnell,
Mr David Goddard and Mrs Deirdre Jamison (Acting Year Head).
The pastoral team who will look after your daughter is comprised of:
• A Form Tutor who meets your daughter twice daily
• A Head of Year who works closely with your daughter’s form tutor
• A Senior Teacher responsible for pastoral care in Key Stage 3
• A Head of Standards for Key Stage 3
• A Vice Principal responsible for Key Stage 3
• SENCO
• The Child Protection Team including counselling expertise
• HYPE Co-ordinator
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

Moving to St Mary’s College:
The Big Sister Programme
Transition from Primary School to Post-Primary
School can be challenging for some pupils. We
have an engaging transition programme that
begins in year 7. We have strong links with primary
schools and we engage in a range of transition
programmes. We invite all our Year 8 pupils and
their families to a Welcome Ceremony on their
first day at school. Year 8 pupils also have a ‘Big
Sister’ who shadows the class, keeping a close
eye on your daughter and ensuring she settles into
new friendship groups. Big Sisters communicate
regularly with our pastoral team and it is a very
effective way of monitoring every pupil, as they
become accustomed to their new school.
Roxanne Nixon, a Youth &
Community Worker and past pupil
Roxanne, as part of the HYPE Programme (Helping
Young People Excel), provides support to our pupils
in the following areas: anxiety, mental health, social
isolation, family – home life, bereavement & sexual
identity. Roxanne works closely with our pastoral
team, co-ordinated by Mr Conor Lynch.
Enrichment: Health & Wellbeing
Your daughter will also have 70 minutes out of
timetable per week where the focus is firmly
on health & wellbeing. At this time, pupils will
experience meditation, dance, health & well-being
workshops, all designed to reduce anxiety and
improve resilience. It allows the school to put
together a bespoke programme that addresses
the needs of our pupils. The pupils take a break
from the demands of the timetable with smiles and
laughter the name of the game.
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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A Day in the Life of Grace McCaul
A Year 8 pupil
My Diary
Hi there! My name is Grace McCaul. I am a Year 8
pupil and I am here to tell you about a day in St
Mary’s College. This is my Monday timetable. Don’t tell
anyone but this school is absolutely brilliant and I love
being a St Mary’s girl!
8.10 - 8.40am: You can go to Breakfast club or Computer Club
8.45am: Our school day begins in the assembly hall w ith
announcements and prayer. I get to meet my friends
from my form class.
8.50am: It’s off to my form class to get marked present by my
form teacher.
9.00 - 10.20am: I have a double lesson in Home Economics
10.10 - 10.20: Break time
10.20 - 11.40am: Next I have a double Information Technology (IT) lesson
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

11.40: It’s lunchtime
What can I do at lunchtime? W ell, let’s have a look:
- Chat n’ Chew Club
- Choir
- Cross Country activities
- Games Club
- Irish L anguage Club
- Irish Traditional music group
- IT Coding Club
- Orchestra
- PE Funky Fitness Club
- Relaxation / Meditation Club
12.25pm: 15 mins w ith my form tutor for afternoon registration
12.40pm: Now I have an English lesson
1.20pm: Next I have a lesson in Learning for Life & W ork (LLW)
1.55pm: Lesson 7 is History
2.30pm: And my final lesson, lesson 8, is Mathematics. This lesson
ends at 3.10pm.
After school activities - well, let’s have a look!!
- Camogie
- Choir
- Cycling
- Chemistry Club
- Gaelic football
- Homew ork Club
- Netball
- Robotics Club & Lego League
- Soccer
- Swim & Triathlon Academy
Home time is 3.10pm but if you stay after school
and attend a club, transport is organised.
I also study:
- Science
- Religious Education (RE)
- Music
- Geography
- Physical Education (PE)
- Art & Design
- Technology & Design
- Enrichment
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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Unlocking the Potential
The St Mary’s Learning Pathway
Our learning pathways are specifically designed to help all students to develop the
knowledge, understanding and skills needed to maximise success at school, university or
employment. Your daughter will undertake a pathway best suited to her gifts and talents,
as she moves from one key stage to another. These pathways will include a Key Stage 3
Curriculum, a GCSE Pathway and an A-Level Pathway.
Links with
Primary schools
Key Stage 3
• Curricular Links in English,
Maths, Music, Technology
and PE
• ICT Coding Skills KS2
• Saturday School
• Workshops KS2
• Art Competition KS2
• D’Just Du It’ Duathlon KS2
• Ireland’s Engineering
Superheroes
• Transition Summer School
• Digital School House
• A broad and balanced
curriculum
• Developing Numeracy
and Literacy
• Innovative Digi-Tech
Curriculum
• An exciting extracurricular
Programme
• Recognising Gifted and
Talented
• An Enrichment
Programme
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

From our recent ETI report:
“At Key Stage 4 and Post-16, the curriculum is underpinned by flexibility and is designed
to engage, inspire, challenge and stretch all of the pupils. There is a consistently strong
uptake of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics related subjects at both Key
Stage 4 and Post-16. Enrichment opportunities across the key stages are a key strength
of the curricular and extra-curricular provision.”
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 5
• Clearly Defined
Learning Pathways for
GCSE
• Links with Industry
• An exciting extracurricular
Programme
• Structured Careers
Programme
• Recognising Gifted and
Talented
• Clearly Defined Learning
Pathways for AS and
A-Level
• Links with Industry
• Enrichment Programme
• Structured Careers
Programme
• Recognising Gifted and
Talented
• Links with Higher and
Third Level educational
establishments
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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Inside the Classroom
Technology
Pupils are highly skilled in using the most up-to-date machinery
Home Ecomonics
Taster sessions are so much fun
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

Geography
I wonder what the weather will be
like today?
Science
Making solutions
History
Pupils are investigating the Armada Campaign in Ireland
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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Inside the Classroom
Languages
Using props to help in the learning of a new language
Drama
Living out Urban Myths
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

Art
Take 4
Music
Josie is practising a new piece for her
next performance with the EA orchestra
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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Pupil Profiles
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

Learning Without Limits
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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Pupil Profiles
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

Exploring the Whole Curriculum
Cheerleading team
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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Exploring the Whole Curriculum
Swim & Triathalon Academy
First school in Ireland with an
established Swim and Triathlon
Academy and the first school in
Ireland to participate in Triathlon
Ireland, TriHeroes Programme
Aobhe McLaughlin, Swimming
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

Abbie McCartney,
Irish Dancing
Amy Hutcheon,
Music
Winners of the City of Derry International Choir
Festival 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 & 2018
Bringing festive cheer to the City of Song
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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Inspiring the Talented
Abbie McDermott (1st overall place in GCSE) and
Georgina Sharkey (2nd overall place in GCSE)
Jennifer Doherty (3rd overall place in GCSE)
and Kaley Sheerin (Art & Design Award)
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

Nurturing the Gifted
Anna McLaughlin: Top marks in Religious
Education, Spanish and English
Kate Gallagher: Sports Personality of the Year
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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Achieving the Outstanding
Brianna McDevitt: Achieved full marks in both AS and A2 Art & Design. She was awarded 1st place by CCEA.
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

Transforming Lives
Emer Dunne
Primary School Teacher at
Sacred Heart Primary School
I will always remember my time
at St. Mary’s fondly. It was and
still is much more than a school to
me. The warm and encouraging
environment helped to support
and nurture my learning. I was
honoured to be Head Girl of St
Mary’s 2007-08. For A-levels, I
studied Music, ICT and History
before going to Queen’s University
where I obtained a Bachelors of
Music and a Masters of Music.
After graduating, I worked as a
Musical Pathways Tutor for the
Education Authority Music Service
before deciding to pursue a career
in primary school teaching. I was
inspired by some amazing teachers
during my time at St Mary’s.
Head of Music
Crana College, Buncrana
Laura Keogh
I had an unforgettable education
journey at St Mary’s. The school
gave me a platform to showcase
my many talents and the staff
enabled me to develop many skills
including music, creative arts
and performance. This enabled
me to graduate from Ulster
University Magee with a 2.1 Music
BA Honours Degree. My next
path in education led me to The
Open University were I completed
the PGCE in Secondary Music
Education. I am currently head of
music in Crana College Buncrana
and still perform throughout the
North West when the opportunity
arises.
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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Past Pupils
Claire Mankoo
I have great memories of happy
days at St Mary’s and amazing
supportive teachers. I studied a BA
Honours in Hospitality Management
in Manchester followed by a Post
Graduate Diploma in Human
Resource Management. Following
a successful career as an Area
HR Manager in Manchester I
moved back to Derry and opened
GUAPO Fresh Mexican. I absolutely
love being self- employed. I am
extremely proud of the business I
have built this past seven years.
Owner of GUAPO
Noelle Fleming
I graduated with a BA Honours
in Sociology and a BSc in Social
Work. I am currently employed
by the Western Health and Social
Care Trust. I have worked as a
Social Worker for ten years. St
Mary’s is a fantastic school and my
memories are happy ones. I had
great teachers who inspired me
to further my education. We were
given many opportunities as pupils
that enabled us to access further
and higher education. Many of
my long term friends are from my
school days.
Social Worker
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

Lisa McGill
I studied Nursing at University of
Ulster, Magee and worked as a staff
Nurse in Altnagelvin for three years,
before returning to study Midwifery
at Queens University Belfast. I was
Delivery Suite Sister and my current
role is Clinical Practice Educator
supporting junior Midwives in
the transition from student to
independent practitioners. Our
motto is ‘every day is a school
day’. My drive to pursue my career
comes from the many educational
experiences I had while at St
Mary’s. I made lifelong friends and
they were the best days of my life.
Clinical Practice
Educator
Catriona Jones
I loved my years at St Mary’s and
it has left a beautiful imprint in
my heart. Following my A levels
I trained to become a primary
school teacher. During my teaching
career I went on to study an MA in
Education. Today I continue to be
passionate about education and
empowerment. I am passionate
about coaching young girls and
women. I am proud of my global
coaching business ‘Catriona Jones
Coaching’ and I am forever grateful
to St Mary’s for the positive impact
it had on my journey.
Heal Your Life Teacher &
Coach
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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St. Mary’s 60th Anniversary
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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Celebrating our Success
• Caoimhe O’Reilly was awarded the very prestigious Protégé of Peace Lawrenceville
Scholarship which entitled her to attend this celebrated U.S. High School for a year before
beginning her university degree course.
• Mrs Claire Bell, a member of our PE Deptartment, was awarded Female Sports Coach of
the Year at the Derry and Strabane District Council Sports Awards this year.
• Alyssa Campbell had her creative story selected for publication in Young Writers’ Survival
Sagas: Mission Contamination. She attended lunchtime Creative Writing Club managed by
Year 13 students.
• St Mary’s College was a finalist in three categories of the Irish News WEA Awards at the
Titanic Belfast this year: Workplace Excellence, Managing Talent and Career Inspiration.
• St Mary’s College was awarded the Investors in People Health and Wellbeing Award.
• Mrs Roisn Rice won the BCS Northern Ireland IT Educator of the Year Award. Her work with
Digital School House and the primary school was recognised by Dr Irene Bell from Stranmillis
University who nominated her for the award. Furthermore, she was invited by the British
Computer Society to participate in a panel discussion on the topic “Tech for Good” and how
we can encourage more girls into STEM subjects.
• Mrs C Doherty and the Technology Department won the UK STEM Innovation Award in
the Community Education Awards comprising of over 354 projects from all over the UK.
• Mrs Clare Melaugh and two teams competed in the Digital Futures App Competition in
Belfast. Both teams made it through to the finals with Ava Canney and Abbie-Lee Millar
emerging as overall runners up! Congratulations to Paula Love, Aimee Montgomery, Amy
Hutcheon also.
• Geography and History Department organised an excellent trip to Italy incorporating visits
to Pompeii, Sorrento, Isle of Capri and Rome.
• Ava Canney who won the Royal Society of Chemistry Award and will attend the Big Bang in
Birmingham in 2020. Hollie Harkin was also selected.
• Brianna McDevitt and Sarah O’Kane were awarded joint first place at the city wide Art
Competition in the Garden of Reflection Gallery.
• Fourteen members of the staff completed couch to 5km as part of the school’s wellbeing
strategy.
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

• Mia McKinney was selected to represent Ulster at the Schools’ Swim Camp in Tenerife at
the end of October, 2019.
• Mrs Clare Bell, Mrs Paula Quinn, Caitriona Walsh and Jamie-Leigh McGrory were all
2019 Derry Journal of the Year finalists.
• Anna Finnis came second in the Sr Aloysius Memorial Art Prize. She received a cheque for
£100.
• Amy Hutcheon was selected for a second Piano Masterclass with Richard Meyrick.
• Year 8 and 9 ‘A’ team won the 2019 Western Area Futsal tournament in the Foyle Arena.
• Bronagh Gallagher and her sister Louise came to the school as part of our 60th
celebrations to promote their new film ‘A Bump Along the Way’.
• Head Girl and MIA student Mollie Egan Crossan secured a place on Screenworks ‘Hair and
Makeup in Film’ and Katie O’Carolan secured a place on Screenworks Lighting and Sound 5
day workshops in Belfast with industry pros.
• The Year 9 Eco Point Team won the Sustainable Solutions Dragon’s Den style competition
at the W5 in Belfast. It was organised by Mrs C Doherty and the department.
• Caitlin Toland came 3rd in full contact, 2nd in light contact and 2nd in team light contact at
the World Kickboxing Championships in Austria. There were over 1000 competitors and she
had 11 fights in total.
• Eva Gallagher, the first female athlete to represent the Ring Boxing Club, won by TKO her
first bout in Belfast.
• Mr Gerard Curran was recently awarded the Health and Fitness Product of the Year
(ddwheatgrass) as part of the NWRC Food Awards Ceremony.
• BBC’s Marie-Louise Muir is currently working with staff and students on the area of
developing the authentic voice and dealing with the media.
• Ava Canney has won the Derry Schools’ Heat of the Rotary Youth Leadership Competition.
• Hollie Harkin and Aimee Moore have both have qualified for BT Young Scientist of the
Year 2020.
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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Public Examinations 2018/2019
Admissions Criteria
Anti-Bullying Statement
Students on a visit to Ulster
University, Magee Campus.
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

Public Examinations 2018/2019
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)
Department Breakdown and Northern Ireland Comparative Data
Subject A*-A A*-B A*-C A*-E
*NI Av.
A*-A
NI Av.
A*-C
NI Av.
A*-E
Art 34.40% 68.80% 100.00% 100.00% 20.00% 78.20% 97.10%
Business St. 8.60% 25.70% 80.00% 91.40% 20.60% 70.80% 91.90%
Child Dev. 5.60% 16.70% 72.20% 88.90% 11.40% 68.10% 96.20%
Digital Tech. 27.30% 63.60% 100.00% 100.00% 23.60% 78.90% 96.90%
English Lan. 4.20% 20.30% 76.30% 97.50% 13.70% 79.20% 97.60%
English Lit. 15.20% 54.50% 97.00% 100.00% 24.90% 88.40% 99.20%
Geography 16.70% 41.70% 91.70% 100.00% 21.80% 72.70% 94.20%
Health & S C 2.00% 12.20% 61.20% 95.90% 8.40% 66.80% 95.40%
History 17.90% 46.20% 82.10% 97.40% 17.80% 68.40% 95.50%
LLW 16.70% 58.30% 95.80% 100.00% N/A N/A N/A
Mathematics 12.70% 27.10% 64.40% 91.50% 7.00% 55.30% 86.00%
Music 0.00% 46.20% 92.30% 100.00% 19.40% 79.20% 96.80%
Physical Ed. 36.40% 45.50% 90.90% 100.00% 27.40% 79.80% 98.10%
Religion 10.30% 35.90% 84.60% 100.00% 27.20% 76.30% 93.20%
Science DA 12.50% 37.50% 100.00% 100.0% 13.40% 84.40% 98.90%
Spanish 0.00% 20.00% 50.00% 100.00% 23.70% 86.00% 98.10%
Tech. & Design 23.30% 66.70% 86.70% 96.70% 17.70% 80.90% 96.90%
* 2019 non-grammar female statistics
5+ A* - C Trends 2017-19
2017 95.2%
2018 99.2%
2019 97.5
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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BTEC and Level 2 Equivalency: Summary of Statistics
Subject A*-B A*-C A*-E
Health & Social Care BTEC Level2 26.30% 100.00% 100.00%
Applied Science BTEC DA 37.20% 89.50% 89.50%
Information Technology BTEC 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Occupational Studies (Business) 60.00% 100.00% 100.00%
(Business) 60.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Occupational Studies (Design) 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
CoPE / Wider Key Skills 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
CoPE / Wider Key Skills 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Prince’s Trust 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Advanced Level (GCE)
Department Breakdown and Northern Ireland Comparative Data
Subject A*-B A*-C A*-E
NI Av.
A*-B
NI Av.
A*-C
NI Av.
A*-E
Art & Design 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 69.10% 94.00% 99.80%
Business Studies 31.60% 78.90% 100.00% 66.60% 88.70% 98.50%
Computer Studies/Computing 0.00% 100.00% 100.00% 61.80% 86.00% 98.60%
Design and Technology 60.00% 80.00% 100.00% 59.60% 87.30% 99.20%
English Literature 80.00% 80.00% 100.00% 58.00% 86.90% 99.60%
French 0.00% 100.00% 100.00% 74.60% 92.90% 99.90%
Geography 50.00% 100.00% 100.00% 67.60% 88.10% 99.20%
Health & Social Care 55.20% 93.10% 100.00% 62.20% 90.20% 99.60%
History 44.40% 100.00% 100.00% 61.70% 84.20% 98.90%
Journalism 50.00% 100.00% 100.00% N/A N/A N/A
Mathematics 0.00% 50.00% 100.00% 74.10% 89.90% 98.70%
Music 0.00% 100.00% 100.00% 58.20% 83.10% 99.50%
*NI Average data taken from all schools’ comparative statistics
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

GCE Science Double Award Applied Science (Life & Health Sciences)
A*- B A*- C A - E
App Science DA 20% 80% 100%
NI Non Gram Fem N/A N/A N/A
BTEC and Level 3 Equivalency: Summary of Statistics
BTEC Double Award
A*A* A*A AA BB CC DD EE
%
D* - M
%
D* - P
H&SC 0% 4.5% 40.9% 13.6% 40.9% 0% 0% 100% 100%
BTEC Single Award
Subject Distinction* Distinction Merit Pass % D* - M % D* - P
Music 60.00% 20.00% 20.00% 0.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Physical Ed. 100.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Applied
Science
17.64% 11.76% 64.70% 5.88% 94.12% 100.00%
I.T. 63.20% 51.80% 21.00% 0.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Bus &
Finance
58.80% 11.60% 29.40% 0.00% 100.00% 100.00%
3+ A* - C Trends 2017 – 2019
2017 71.8%
2018 84%
2019 81.5%
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
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Admissions Criteria
St Mary’s College
35 Northland Road
Londonderry BT48 0AN
Telephone: 028 7136 2154
Fax: 028 7137 6719
Email: office@stmarysderry.com
Web: www.stmarysderry.com
Principal: Mrs Marie Lindsay
Chairperson of the Board of Governors: Mrs Gay Durkan
Voluntary Maintained
Secondary School
Girls
Age Range: 11 – 18
Admissions No: 130
Enrolment No: 825
Roll: 906
Open Day
Saturday 11 January 2020
10.00 am – 1.00 pm
Principal’s Address 10.00 and 11.00 am
Respective Functions of the Board Of Governors and Principal
in Relation to Admissions
The Board of Governors draws up the admissions criteria and delegates to an Admissions Sub-
Committee, which includes the Principal, the responsibility for applying these criteria. Any
reference herein to the term the Board of Governors includes any Committee or Sub-Committee
appointed by the Board of Governors for the purposes of applying the Admissions Criteria set out
herein.
Admissions Criteria 2020-2021
As currently required by the law, priority will be
given to pupils normally resident in Northern Ireland,
before children who normally reside elsewhere. In
the event of over-subscription, the following criteria,
which was drawn up by the Board of Governors of
St Mary’s College, will be applied in the order set
down, to select pupils for Year 8 entry in 2020/21.
1. Pupils whose sister(s), half-sister(s), step
sister(s) or foster sister(s) are presently or were
formerly enrolled at the school.
2. Pupils who are the only girl or who are the
eldest eligible girl in the family, who presently
reside in the following parishes (in no particular
order) who have chosen St Mary’s College as
their first preference all ability school.
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

Templemore (St Eugene’s, St Columba’s
Long Tower)
Three Patrons (St Patrick’s Pennyburn, St
Brigid’s Carnhill, St Joseph’s Galliagh)
Holy Family, Ballymagroarty
St Mary’s (Creggan)
Our Lady of Lourdes (Steelstown)
Ardmore
Culmore
Faughanvale
Strathfoyle, Strathfoyle/Enagh Lough
Glendermott/Waterside (St Columb’s,
Chapel Road, Immaculate Conception,
Trench Road, St Mary’s, Newbuildings)
Claudy (Cumber Upper & Learmount)
3. Pupils presently resident in the above
named parishes (in no particular order) who
have chosen St Mary’s College as their first
preference all ability school.
4. Pupils presently resident in the above named
parishes (in no particular order).
5. Pupils whose mother was a past pupil of the
school.
6. Pupils who are presently resident in other
parishes in Northern Ireland.
Sister to be defined as ‘girls who at the date of their
application, have a sister of the family currently or
previously enrolled at the school’.
Eldest Child to be defined as “children who, at the
date of their application, are the eldest child of the
family to be eligible to apply for admission to the
school.”
The permitted admission number for Year 8 as
determined by the Department of Education for the
academic year 2020/2021 is 130.
When considering which children should be
selected for admission, the Board of Governors will
only take into account information which is detailed
on the Transfer Form. Parents should therefore
ensure that all information pertaining to their child
and relevant to the school’s admissions criteria is
stated on the Transfer Form. Examples of such
information include the child’s name as it appears
on the birth certificate, whether the child is the
eldest child, has sisters attending the school etc.
In the event of over-subscription in any one criterion
when applied in the order set, the selection of
available places will be carried out using a method
of random selection.
The following random selection process will be
applied in the event of over subscription in any
of the criteria listed based on the initial letter of
the pupil’s surname as stated on her long birth
certificate in the order set out below.
K C R I MC H Y T N D U F X S V MAC G B J Q Z W O’ P A L M E O
The order was determined by a random selection of the
letters of the alphabet witnessed by Board of Governors.
In the event of surnames beginning with the same
initial letter, the subsequent letters of the surnames
will be used in alphabetical order. In the event of
2 identical surnames, the alphabetical order of the
initials of the forename will be used. In the event
of forenames beginning with the same initial letter,
the subsequent letters of the forename will be
used in alphabetical order. In the event of identical
surnames and forename, the initial of the second
forename will be used. If any of these applicants
do not have a second forename, they will be
placed ahead of those with a second forename. If
applicants have identical surnames and forenames
they will be placed in rank order of eldest child by
date of birth as stated on their birth certificate and
admitted in this order.
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
35

If, after this process, any applicants still tie for a
final place, the place(s) will be allocated by random
computerised selection.
The Board of Governors reserves the right to
require such supplementary evidence as it may
determine to support or verify information on any
application/transfer form. All applicants should
note that all information within an application that
qualifies a child for admission will be verified before
the child is admitted to the College. The provision
of false or incorrect information or the failure to
provide verifying documents within the deadlines
set may result in the withdrawal of a place or the
inability of the College to offer a place. Original
verification documents are required.
To enable the Board of Governors to verify the
applicant’s address the following documents, in
their original form, must be supplied within the
timeframe set by St Mary’s College following a
provisional offer of a place.
1. To verify the applicants name and date of birth:
• the long version of the applicant’s birth
certificate.
2. To verify the applicant’s address any two of the
following:
• A current letter awarding Child Benefit, Tax
credit or Universal credits in respect of the
applicant or another letter relating to this
benefit.
• The applicant’s Medical Card showing
the applicant’s current normal place of
residence.
• A current bank, post office, Credit Union or
Building Society statement which shows
the address at which the applicant is
resident.
• A current utility bill (e.g. electricity, gas,
television licence, telephone) which shows
the address at which the applicant is
resident.
3. To verify (where applicable) that the applicant is
the eldest girl:
• A letter awarding Child Benefit to the
applicant or another letter relating to this
benefit or a letter from a member of the
Clergy, a Solicitor or the child’s GP.
Please note that other documents equally capable
of verifying your information, or other equally
capable means of verification, will be considered
at the discretion of the Board of Governors. If,
therefore, you are unable to provide the specific
documents listed above then please contact St
Mary’s College to establish how you can verify your
application.
Your provision of these documents is essential if we
are to offer your child a place at St Mary’s College.
By law, St Mary’s College’s Board of Governors
has a duty to verify the important information within
your child’s application in order to ensure that it has
applied its admissions criteria correctly and that
the admissions process is accurate and fair. The
provision of false or incorrect information or the
failure to provide information within the deadlines
set by post-primary schools can result in the
withdrawal of a place and the inability to offer a
place on the part of any school nominated on the
applicants transfer form.
The school’s policy on the consideration of
applications after the Transfer Procedure
concludes on 29 May 2020. The published criteria
will be applied to late applications to Year 8 or
where new information has been provided (after
29 May 2020) in order to place these applicants in
the correct position on the waiting list after those
already on the waiting list but ahead of those
resident outside Northern Ireland. This waiting list
will be in place until 26th June 2020. Should a
vacancy arise, the published criteria will be applied
to select the pupil at the top of our waiting list.
36
ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

Procedures for Operating a Waiting List for Admission to Year 8
in 2020/21
The Transfer Process will conclude on 29 May
2020. St Mary’s College retains a waiting list for
admissions where a place becomes available
outside the normal admissions process.
The waiting list will be drawn up in accordance with
St Mary’s College Admissions Criteria 2020-21 as
outlined above. In the event of a place becoming
available the pupil at the top of the list will be
offered a place.
On 1st September 2020 the waiting list becomes
extant and a new waiting list will be drawn up
consisting only of those who have:
• appealed for admission to Year 8 in St Mary’s
College in 2020-21 or
• have applied to the Exceptional Circumstances
Body for admission in 2020-21 or
• have made known that they wish to remain on
the waiting list after 1 September 2020.
The rank order of the new waiting list will follow that
laid out in our Admissions Criteria 2020-21. The
waiting list will cease to operate after 30 June 2021.
Year
Admissions No.
Total Applications
All Preferences
Total Admissions
2017/2018 130 154 132*
2018/2019 130 172 132*
2019/2020 130 180 155*
*includes statemented pupils
Admission criteria for entry to years 9 – 12
For admission to years 9-12 please complete an AP1 form and contact the school directly.
SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
37

Anti-Bullying Statement
In St Mary’s we are committed to putting into practice the guidance as outlined in the Bullying in Schools
Act N Ireland 2016. Bullying is defined as:
Bullying includes but is not limited to the repeated use of verbal, written or electronic
communication or any other act by a pupil or a group of pupils with the intention of causing
physical or emotional harm to that pupil or group of pupils, including exclusion’. (Bullying in
schools Act N Ireland 2016).
‘The repeated use of power by one or more persons intentionally to hurt, harm or adversely
affect the rights and needs of another or others’ (Northern Ireland Anti Bullying Forum (NIABF).
It is important to note that Bullying behaviours are not limited to repetition. The school reserves the right
to decide if One-off acts of bullying have caused harm after assessing the severity of the impact. When
bullying behaviours occurs through the medium of electronic communications, ‘repetition’ can take place
through the repeated viewing and sharing of a post even if there is only one post.
We are committed to putting in place measures and interventions to prevent bullying behaviour:
• Raising awareness and understanding with the pupils of the positive behaviour expectations, as
set out in the Positive Behaviour Policy
• Providing pupils with strategies to report bullying behaviour
• Promotion of anti-bullying messages through the curriculum for example inclusion of ageappropriate
material specific to individual subject areas related to bullying, positive behaviour,
positive mental health and inclusion
• Involvement in meaningful and supportive shared education projects, supporting pupils to explore,
understand and respond to difference and diversity
• Participation in the NIABF annual Anti-Bullying Week activities
• Development of peer-led work through the School Council to support the delivery and promotion
of key anti-bullying messaging
• School assemblies to raise awareness and promote understanding of key issues related to
bullying
• Development of a culture where pupils take pride in their school and are viewed as ambassadors
for their school within the community
• Measures to empower pupils to challenge inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour of their peers
during the journey to and from school.
We are committed to working in partnership with our parents and guardians when responding to bullying
concerns.
(A copy of the anti-bullying policy is available of the school office).
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ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2020
39

Opening school Mass at St Eugene’s Cathedral
Principal: Mrs Marie Lindsay
35 Northland Road, Derry, Northern Ireland, BT48 0AN.
e: office@stmarysderry.com
t: (028) 7136 2154
f: (028) 7137 6719
www.stmarysderry.com
facebook.com/stmarysderry
@stmarysderry
Front cover image: Ava Canney,
Best Project Award, SciFest.
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