St Mary's meet the Head

Meet the Headteacher - Ms. Charlotte Avery, St Mary’s School

Ms. Charlotte Avery started as Headteacher at St. Mary’s in 2007 having previously worked at Highgate School in London and Norwich High School.

She kindly took time out of her busy day to answer Families Cambridgeshire Magazine’s questions.

1. What and / or who inspired you to become a teacher and later a headteacher?

I come from a proud line of Welsh educators on my mother’s side and radical London educators on my father’s side, so teaching is in my blood. From a young age I loved reading, was always curious, and had a strong Christian faith. I was blessed to have a series of exceptional teachers at my all-girls’ school who inspired me to read English and follow in their footsteps.

2. What does being a headteacher of a school mean to you?

Philosophically, being a headteacher is about serving a community, dwelling in it and abiding in it. As a headteacher you have to engage with a variety of stakeholders from governors, pupils, teachers and support staff to parents. That means listening to different viewpoints and leading the community via a discerned set of values. In our case, the Christian values of love and peace and solidarity, where individuals are valued for who they are not what success is delivered. Put another way, that means success is not limited to exam results. At St Mary’s, our work is, of course, focused on achieving academic excellence for young women, but it’s also about embedding a much wider set of values in our students. Sending students off well-educated and equipped with compassion and confidence for the next stage of their lives is a profound privilege and one of the things I love most about being a headmistress.

3. How do you think a headteacher of a school can make a real difference to an individual student?

Being a headteacher gives you a monumental opportunity to make a profound difference to children and young people’s lives. The enormous impact that educators can have has been brought home to us this year – with St Mary’s currently supporting ten Ukrainian young women for the duration of their time in the UK.

4. What advice would you give to parents looking at private education for the first time?

Deciding on your child’s place of education is an important decision and one that has to feel right for all concerned. As a parent you naturally want to give your child the best possible start in life and education is an essential part of their development, security and wellbeing. Happy children learn better, so it’s crucial to do your research before you make your decision. Ask lots of questions. Think about what you want to know from the school. If you can, try to talk to current parents to get their perspective. Attend open days. Also, if you are considering an independent school, look carefully at fees. Every independent school structures fees slightly differently, so there might be a variance between the cost per term, per child. There are often bursaries for financial support available, as well as academic, musical, sporting and other scholarships for young people with particular talents.

5. How affected do you feel pupils have been by the COVID pandemic?

Students have obviously suffered as a result of the pandemic. Many missed out on aspects of academic learning but, crucially, they also missed out on the social side of schooling – including interacting with friends, teachers and other adults in the school community. Older students faced exam disruption too. It was a worrying time for everyone (adults included). At St Mary’s we tried to mitigate that as much as possible. At the beginning of COVID there was obviously a high degree of uncertainty. However, we mobilised ourselves incredibly quickly, switching to remote learning almost overnight. This provided great comfort to the children and kept up the routine of the school day. As well as putting all the practical teaching elements in place, we also ensured wellbeing was factored into our digital learning. Despite everything that has happened over the last two years, the resilience of our students has shone through.

6. In 2017 you were appointed as the President of the national Girls’ Schools Association. What do you believe are the main benefits of girls-only schools like St. Mary’s and what changes would you like to see in the future?

Statistics show that girls in single-sex schools achieve higher academic results, compared to their co-ed peers. However, I believe the benefits are much broader. At St Mary’s we excel at educating girls. From teaching and pastoral care to school life, everything at St Mary’s is built for girls. We enable girls to build self-confidence, alongside the knowledge and skills they need to reject and overcome gender stereotypes. Whilst academic results open doors for our girls, it is their self-belief, persistence and drive that keeps the door open. Our girls benefit from teaching tailored specifically to suit their requirements, whatever their preferred learning style, needs or developmental stage. This involves collaboration as much as competition; dialogue as much as debate; learning about female as well as male role models; as well as grounding abstract concepts in real world examples. As a result, our girls do not view any career pathway as closed to them. We encourage them to pursue their ambitions, and aim high, whatever field they are interested in. In the future, I would like to see more opportunities at Sixth Form level for young women. There is definitely a gap for exciting enrichment programmes which enable students to mix with other young people around the world. As part of a network of almost 200 Mary Ward schools worldwide this is an area we will be developing over the next few years – opening our girls’ minds to other cultures and ways of thinking.

7. 2021 / 2022 has been the first year where some semblance of normality has returned to daily school routines around the country. What, for you, have been the highlights in St. Mary’s School this academic year?

This academic year it’s been moving and enriching in equal measure to host whole school events once again. These are really important in terms of personal and social development – giving students the chance to perform and take part in the arts, sports, and work outside of the class or year group ‘bubbles’ that have dominated education over the last two and a half years. Rebuilding a face-to-face dialogue and communication with parents and guardians by inviting them into the school has also been a highlight. In addition, we’ve attended some really exciting external events. A return to the cycle of public examinations and external audit was also very welcome. In May, we received the highest judgement of ‘Excellent’ in both categories of the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI)’s Educational Quality inspection: Pupils’ Academic Achievements and Pupils’ Personal Development. In June we achieved the highest judgement of ‘Outstanding’ in the three areas of the Diocesan inspection. Then, in July, we were re-accredited as a World Class High Performance Learning school. These outcomes reflect the consistent hard work of the St Mary’s whole community over many years, pre-Covid, during the pandemic and as we start to move beyond it. St Mary’s School is situated in the heart of Cambridge and is a leading independent day and boarding school for girls aged from 3-18 years. The prestigious school has been empowering girls since 1898 to aim high, follow their dreams and make a positive contribution to the wider society. As an accredited High Performance Learning school, St Mary’s offers a space where intellectual independence, critical thinking, creativity, confidence and compassion can flourish. The school’s academic achievements are also grounded in student well-being – with a strong belief that students achieve more when they are happy. In small classes, every student can be known, supported and inspired by the school’s committed, caring teachers. A St Mary’s girl has confidence and curiosity, a community spirit, agile mind and exudes resilience and a drive to succeed in life.