The Inter Company Lacrosse competition is always one of the highlights of the lacrosse calendar at St Mary's and this year the event provided an opportunity to remember Mr Leang and his love of lacrosse.
Congratulations to our talented artists, Suri (LIV) and Elise (MIV), who have had their artwork selected for the annual Young Art 2024 Exhibition at the Royal College of Art. Their works was selected from over 6,500 entries from across the country.
Last Friday, 22nd March, saw the return of the biennial Spring Concert at The Wiltshire Music Centre. The pieces were chosen around the theme of Folklore: Myths, Legends and Stories, drawing on inspiration from the Hungarian musician Zoltan Kodaly.

Over the past three months it’s been an absolute dream to work with the UIV cast on my slightly ridiculous version of this Shakespeare classic, A Midsummer's Night Dream, though there have been a few challenges faced along the way!
We are delighted to announce that the St Mary’s Calne Health Centre has achieved HIEDA's 'Seacole Standard for Excellence in Health and Medical Provision'.
As the spring breeze gently swept through the school, the German Department embraced the joyous spirit of Easter with a series of delightful activities. One standout event captured the essence of tradition and creativity - the blowing out and decorating of Easter eggs.
The beginning of the Autumn Term seems set in the distant past as we approach the warmer climes of the Easter holidays, yet this is when the deadline fell for all applications for the UCAS ‘Early Deadline’.
It has been a month of splash, dash, rescue, survival, and overall fun in and out of the pool for our brilliant swimmers.
On Saturday, Tilly S (UV), Elizabeth H (UIV) and Willa R (UIV) competed in the Arena Eventing held at Rectory Farm, organised by Cheltenham College.
If you have ever wondered what members of staff get up to out of school, on Sunday morning a keen group of teaching and support staff, and a pair of four-legged interlopers, gathered for a social walk in the stunning Vale of Pewsey.
At the Grosstete Company Supper last week, it was marvellous to see so many get involved turning up in well-crafted costumes fitting to our theme of 'London Tube Stations', ranging from the 'Seven Sisters' to Barbie and Ken (Barbican).
On Monday, the sun was shining and a hint of spring was in the air as the Major Minors Children's Choir performed their Spring Concert to a 'full house' at the Southwell Hall, St Margaret's Prep.
On Tuesday evening, we were very fortunate to hear from Alex Lewis, in our final Sixth Form Lecture of the academic year. Alex spoke to both the Fifth and Sixth Forms about his inspiring story.
On Friday night, Osmund held their annual Company Supper, with this year's theme being 80s, 90s and Noughties. All girls dressed up, with the Fourth Form dressed in 00s attire, Fifth Form as the 80s and Sixth Form as the 90s, but the prize for best dressed has to be given to the LV and UV for their incredible costumes- bright colours and backbrushed hair galore!
We were delighted to welcome approximately 140 pupils and staff from four local state schools to the German and Spanish Onatti Theatre productions (Der Babysitter and Reserva Duplicada, respectively) held this week in our Delscey Burns Theatre.
Last week, the UV went to the Bristol Beacon (along with 1100 other teens!) to enjoy a presentation by the Maths Inspiration team. Maths Inspiration is a national programme of interactive maths lecture shows for 14-17 year olds that set out to prove there's far more to maths than taking exams.
As the current Student Head of Maths, Mimi and I presented a Chapel on 'Pi Day' - March 14th, or 3/14 - to show how pi is involved in subjects that are not so obviously linked to pi - such as poetry, history, biology, and media arts.
On Saturday 16th March, LVI and UVI linguists enjoyed a convivial and relaxed evening at La Terraza restaurant in Marlborough.
On Wednesday 13th March, the Sixth Form Psychology students went to Warwick University for a 'Psychology in Action' programme, where we listened to five separate lectures given by professors, each exploring a different area of psychology.
Edith and Lara (LVI) led an uplifting Community Chapel this focusing on the Bushbells community project in Kenya, where they are planning to volunteer in the summer.
In celebration of British Science Week, the Science team presented a series of Chapels led by the respective pillars of science: Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. Students then delved further into each of these disciplines with activities relating to the core theme of British Science Week - Time.
On Monday 11th March, we were very fortunate to have Alicia Drummond from Teen Tips deliver an insightful webinar titled 'Creating Responsible Digital Citizens'. This Webinar was a follow up event from the sessions that Alicia delivered to our students in school.
This week, a team of Sixth Form Latin students set out to hear Eleanor Dickey’s fascinating talk on how non-native Latin speakers learnt this language in antiquity.
On Friday 8th March, the U16, U15 and U14 Netball teams set out to Shrewsbury to take part in a Netball Tournament at Boreatton Park.
On Thursday 7th March, our Fifth and Sixth Form musicians our Fifth and Sixth Form musicians presented a rousing recital in the Chapel covering everything from Bach and Brahms to Black Sabbath!
On Saturday 2nd March, Pangbourne College hosted its annual Piano Festival, sharing its stunning Steinway pianos with competitors from schools across the South of England. Congratulations to pianists Suri, Katelyn, Hannah, Ellie and Allison on their performances, with a special mention to Allison (UV) who won the '18 and under Grades 7-8' Class.
Congratulations to our our team of selected LV and UIV Mandarin pupils who achieved 2nd place among seven competing teams at the online ‘Challenge of China’ workshop, which was hosted by Business Language Champions.
On Tuesday 5th March, some of our UVI, LVI, and UV Classicists visited Winchester College to meet their Classics students and take a look at their collection of artefacts, including coins, paintings, and old manuscripts which are held in the Winchester College Treasury.
This week our Tuesday night lecture was linked to British Science Week. We were incredibly fortunate to have Dr Carolyn McNabb join us from Cardiff University to talk about her research into schizophrenia, with a particular focus on the use of MRIs to identify white matter in the brain.
On Monday 4th March, the St Mary’s A Level Politics class set out to Westminster for a tour of the Houses of Parliament and the opportunity to interview Lord Kinnoull about the inner workings of the UK’s political system.
Our UVI Chemistry students recently sat a gruelling two-hour paper for this year's Chemistry Olympiad from the Royal Society of Chemistry. Then, last week, the Royal Society of Chemistry announced the shocking grade boundaries for the competition which was sat by nearly 15,000 students from across the UK.
On Friday, Religious Studies A Level students went to an A Level RS Conference held at Wells Cathedral School. The four sessions were led by Chris Eyre, Principle Examiner, who offered us helpful insights into essay writing and exam techniques.
The LVI Drama group were privileged to work with Rhum + Clay, the very practitioner they are studying and replicating for their devised play, the centrepiece of their first year A Level work.
After a drought of Sixth Form English trips, it was only fair and right that the UVI Englishers were taken on what we aptly named 'The UVI English Extravaganza': 13 hours of fine foods and debate, topped off with the kaleidoscopic experience that was award-winning director Kip Williams' The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
The mixed-aged lacrosse team (MAT) had their third game of the season on Sunday against Cardiff Harlequins Lacrosse Club. The MAT team are taking part in the South West Women's Invitational Cup competition which sees them take on local club teams in the South West region.
The Confirmation Service is one of the highlights of the school year; a significant staging post on the journey of faith for many girls and an important rite of passage. This year's Service was rich in colour, movement and music, with the Chamber Choir singing beautifully throughout.
This year's Confirmation Residential was an action-packed three days for our LV (Year 10) girls, with something for Mind, Body and Soul, as they prepared for their Confirmation at The Christian Adventure Centre in the Forest of Dean.
On Friday 23rd February, the Music Department and student-led Charity Committee collaborated to host this year’s Charity Open Mic Night.
Last week, the LVI hosted Charity Week 2024, raising funds for this year's charity, Lyme Disease UK. There were lots of events throughout the week including 'Guess the Sweets in a Jar', Charity Tag, a bake sale, a 'trackie' day, an afternoon of reeling plus the 24-hour Tennis Coachathon and a brilliantly uplifting Open Mic Night to finish the week.
Over Half Term, the A Level History of Art students went to Paris, for a wonderful cultural experience (as well as a spot of sightseeing!).
On Thursday 22nd February, Miss Thorpe and Ms Chappell took a group of six MIV students to represent St Mary's at the local round of the Institute of Engineering’s Faraday Challenge, hosted at St John’s School in Marlborough.
The U15 cricket team visited Sheldon School for a qualification match in the ECB Schools Indoor Cricket Competition.
On Tuesday evening, the Sixth Form where lucky enough to hear from Kate Allenby MBE, who is an Olympic Medallist in Modern Pentathlon.
On Thursday 22nd February, the Drama Scholars went to see Guys and Dolls at the Bridge Theatre in London. We were incredibly lucky to enjoy the immersive experience through our standing tickets, which allowed us to move with the action, glitz, and glamour of the musical.
In the last few weeks, our GCSE and A Level Dramatists gave superb performances in three wildly contrasting, but uniformly excellent, productions.
We are thrilled to present a glimpse into the world of our Artist in Residence, Mr Miles Bodimeade, with a Pop-Up Exhibition of his work now on show in the Lumi Library. Renowned as both a sculptor and scriptwriter, his work embodies a unique fusion of artistic vision and narrative depth.
As part of our Charity Week, raising money for Lyme Disease UK, we hosted a 24-Hour Tennis Coachathon, where Mr Hayes was coaching the students, staff and pupils at St Margaret's for a non-stop 24 hours!
We were delighted to take part in two socials with Radley College this week. Firstly, on Friday 23rd February, the LVI were joined by a group of boys from Radley College to take part in a Linguistics-themed Thinking Supper. This was followed by some of the UVI heading to Radley College for their Caledonian Society Ball on Saturday.
During Academic Enrichment Week, UIV went to Bletchley Park to learn about the incredible achievements of Britain's World War Two codebreakers, in the place where it happened.
The annual Chinese Supper celebrating Chinese New Year took place last Monday in Top Hall, marking the arrival of the Year of the Dragon. It was a wonderful celebration filled with delicious food to savour and a fun chopsticks skill competition to finish.
Ever since our first Dance Show at St Mary's, we all knew we wanted to be Dance Leaders. To be able to work with amazing young students from a local primary school, create dances, rehearse with them each week and support them through a performance was an amazing opportunity, and this year's Dance Showcase, with a musical theatre theme, did not disappoint!
On Tuesday, staff and students came together to enjoy the latest instalment in our 'bite-sized' Lunchtime Concerts in the Chapel coordinated by our wonderful music staff.
This time, we were treated to some stunning performances at our first harp recital under the direction of our new visiting harp teacher, Mr Ian McVoy.
On Thursday 8th of February, the LVI attended the Inspiring Futures Conference and listened to a wide variety of talented speakers, many of whom are Calne Alumnae, about their professional journeys.
Two girls from LVI (Year 12) - Cheryl and Evie - attended the annual Merton College Choral Scholarship Workshop Day in Oxford. This was a fantastic experience that allowed the girls to have a look around Merton College, meet current Choral Scholars and members of the Merton College Choir, and get to know some of the music staff.
On Sunday 11th February, a group of 19 girls embarked on an exciting ski trip to Bormio, Italy. Fortunately, luck was on our side as we were greeted by fabulous weather throughout our stay, with sunny blue skies.
Mr & Mrs Allard are well known in our Music Department, teaching percussion and singing respectively. However, they appear to have a side hustle! In the summer of this year, they will be releasing their debut album as artists Reminiscent X.
On Thursday 1st February, Katie S (UVI) and Mr Bissex (Singing VSM) had the pleasure of performing for Her Majesty Queen Camilla as part of the Bath Abbey Choir. It was a very special occasion as The Queen was visiting the residents of the St John’s Foundation's almshouses, located nearby, for tea.
It is always exciting to see a production when it first reaches the stage, especially at the Theatre Royal Bath. Combine that with the inventiveness of Wise Children’s Emma Rice at the helm and we all felt certain we were in for a treat!
Linking to the theme of ‘People who changed the world’ for this Academic Enrichment Week, the History Department decided to focus on the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel by going to a museum dedicated to his life’s work and the wider industrial revolution.
On Friday 2nd February, as soon as school finished, the MIV rushed back to House to get ready for their first social. After supper in House, we all piled on to the coach and headed to Cothill House where an evening of reeling awaited us!
On Sunday 4th February, LIV girls from Junior Choir had the privilege of singing during the school’s visit to St Mary’s Parish Church in Calne.
On Tuesday 6th February, LIV and MIV visited John Wesley's New Room Museum in Bristol to learn about the foundation of the Methodist Church as part of the Academic Enrichment Week's theme, 'People who changed the world'.
On Monday, the UIV all travelled to The British Museum to explore ‘People who changed the world’, the theme of this Academic Enrichment Week. The morning’s activities centred around the Greeks and Romans, learning about the impact the Greeks had on art and architecture and storytelling and how Roman figures such as the first emperor Augustus changed our world.
It has been a successful couple of weeks of competition for SMC swimmers. The latest Swimming Gala, on Friday 2nd February against Westonbirt, was really exciting, especially for some of the U12 who were competing for the first time!
'Franzi’s Birthday,' a German Language and Culture Day, was organised by the MFL Department for Year 5 and Year 6 pupils. This event was an interactive introduction to the language and culture of Germany, with the storyline revolving around Felix the frog orchestrating a surprise birthday celebration for Franzi the duck.
On Saturday, we headed up to Oxford Hollywood Bowl for a game of bowling with Eton College. We had some drinks and played pool before bowling which was fun and we got to know everyone.
On Tuesday 6th February, 11 pupils studying German in LV-LVI travelled to Magdalen College School, Oxford, to participate in a study workshop on East Germany: how do we remember?
The LIV students had an educational day in London, immersing themselves in a diverse range of experiences at the Goethe Institut and the Science Museum.
As Children’s Mental Health Week enters its tenth year this week, we wanted to work with the ethos of 'My Voice Matters'. Children’s Mental Health Week is a time for us to think proactively about how we empower our young people, how we can equip them with the tools to maintain good mental health and how we can give a voice to all our young people.
On Wednesday 31st January, the St Mary’s Debate Team travelled to South Wilts Grammar School in Salisbury to take part in the second round of the English Speaking Union (ESU) Mace Debate Tournament.
On Wednesday 24th January, staff and students came together in Chapel to enjoy the latest instalment in the series of Music @ Lunch 'bite-sized' concerts coordinated by our wonderful music staff.
Selected LIV and MIV attended the ECB U13 Girls' School Indoor Cricket Tournament in Chippenham on Tuesday 30th January. The girls played incredibly well and showed real determination, making it to the semi-finals of the competition.
Last Friday, the Ski Racing Team left school to attend the much-anticipated British School Girl's Ski Racing Championships in scenic Flaine - the highlight event of the year for our skiers! This year we are celebrating 15 years of competing!
For a third year in a row, St Mary’s has taken part in the ESU’s wonderful ‘Performing Shakespeare’ competition, in which students perform Shakespeare monologues of their choice.
Last Thursday evening, our 150 Society members and Governors gathered at The Lansdowne Club in Mayfair to meet our new Head, Mrs Anne Wakefield. It was a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the generous supporters of our Chrysalis Campaign as well to meet Mrs Wakefield, who will join St Mary’s Calne in September 2024.
Last week, Joyce Walters Boarding House (UV) enjoyed two fantastic socials - firstly, an Après-Ski Party themed post-mock GCSE celebration, followed a few days later by a night of reeling with Radley College.
A wonderful group of Year 4, 5 and 6 girls from a range of Prep and Primary schools joined us for our annual Orchestral Day, with this year’s theme being Music of the Stage and Screen.
The Chinese Cooking Club has been an extremely culturally enriching experience. As well as learning how to make delicious Chinese food, we have tried Chinese dishes that were new to us, which has been fascinating.
After months of work and preparation, our school robotics team 'LegoLilies' participated in the fun and well-known First Lego League Challenge. Participating teams are asked to provide a solution to a potential problem, then build and code a robot to carry out a series of challenges in timed conditions.
The start of a creative journey! In the heart of St Mary’s, a delightful meeting unfolded between the MIV students and the vibrant Reception and Year 1 classes from St Margaret's Prep. The purpose? To embark on a collaborative journey that would not only forge new friendships but also spark the creativity needed to plan a captivating story for an illustrated storybook.
On Tuesday this week, we were delighted to invite Kess Eruteya in to talk to the Sixth Form about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Kess is the Founder and CEO of a corporate innovation company, InclusionZ, which assists some of the world’s most influential organisations in leveraging diverse junior talent as a competitive advantage.
On Tuesday, ten talented vocalists gathered to participate in the Sir Bryn Terfel and Sir Tim Rice Vocal Prize Night, externally judged by the wonderful Vocal Adjudicator, Sarah Jefferies.
To herald the UV’s return to poetry in their English classes this term, the UV attended the GCSE Poetry Live event in Bath. We had the wonderful opportunity to listen poets such as Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Imtiaz Dharker and Daljit Nagra recite their poems and share their writing process.
Last week, the UVI Chemists visited the University of Bath to investigate and identify products present in an unknown sample. The visit centered around the realm of organic synthesis, a discipline that involves designing and creating complex molecules.
On Monday, the Academic Scholars met for our Annual Supper, however, this year there was a slight twist: rather than a traditional speech, we were entertained throughout the night by Michael King, a talented magician and member of the Magic Circle.
The Drama Department is thrilled to announce the outstanding results achieved by our students in their recent LAMDA examinations.
On Saturday, St Mary's Calne hosted the eagerly anticipated SMC Cup, welcoming teams representing Westonbirt, Sherborne Girls, Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Marlborough College and Canford.
Saturday 13th January was a beautiful morning for the Wiltshire Schools' Athletic Association's (WSAA) Cross Country Championships at Sheldon School in Chippenham. Despite a frosty start, the day ended bright and sunny with no wind, leading to perfect conditions for running.
The wait is over! This year’s Four on Tour production is… A Midsummer Night’s Dream (sort of)!
St Mary’s Calne's Young Enterprise Company, beeco., have recently been awarded the prestigious runners-up position in the national branding competition, #YEBrand4Success24.
On Friday night, a group of us from the UVI were lucky enough to see our friend Elowen perform in the leading role of Moll Cutpurse in Bristol Old Vic’s Young Company production of The Roaring Girl.
The Equestrian Team Training session held last Sunday was a lovely experience, with 10 girls taking part. The session, led by the skilled instructor Paul Gaff, was marked by a range of instructive exercises conducted on ponies and horses.
Last Thursday, our Senior Netball Squad had the privilege of hosting Emma Barrie, a prominent netball player who currently represents Team Bath after having previously played for the Strathclyde Sirens. Emma, who was the youngest player at the 2019 Netball World Cup, conducted an insightful training workshop, enriching our team's skills and techniques.
Last Friday, the CGA were delighted to host a ‘Fifth Term Reunion’ for our 2022 Leavers at the Alfred Tennyson Pub in London.