Mayfield School Prospectus

Mark Pickthall – 07885 345 247

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Educating mind, body, heart and soul

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We will welcome you into our community – make you feel at home – educate your mind, body, heart and soul – find and nurture your unique potential – encourage your faith – teach you to learn and question – give you the passion and the skill to craft – elevate your creativity – present you with challenges – and together we shall celebrate your achievements

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We will welcome you into our community I hope that this prospectus will give you some idea of life at Mayfield and our aspirations for, and expectations of, the girls who make this school such a lively, happy and successful place. In joining us you will be welcomed into a community which dates back to 1872, when Cornelia Connelly and the Society of the Holy Child Jesus founded the school, and which reaches as far afield as our SHCJ sister schools in Africa, America and Europe.

We accept each girl for who she is and encourage her to have the confidence to find her strengths and build on them: she will have the time, space and emotional support she needs to flourish. Here she will be expected to think independently. We want Mayfield girls to become women of faith and reason. Her creativity will be nurtured in every subject she studies, her imagination stimulated and she will be inspired, by enthusiastic teachers, to a love of learning. A Mayfield girl will be challenged to set demanding targets and helped to find strategies to achieve them. She will learn to challenge her own and other people’s ideas and be expected to make her own, informed decisions. Her actions will be inspired by a sense of justice and integrity, sustained by her own faith and respectful of others. In sum she will grow to be herself.

Mayfield is a vibrant community. Traditionally we have attracted girls from around the world as well as locally. Such a cosmopolitan ethos helps the girls to understand and appreciate different cultures and perspectives and to value diversity. Friendships are forged here which sustain and support not only through school, but on into the future and we are proud to welcome successive generations of girls back to Mayfield.

If you are interested in finding out more, log onto our website for further information, but more importantly come to Mayfield and meet the girls and staff themselves: we will be delighted to welcome you into our community. We look forward to seeing you here.

Miss Antonia Beary MA MPhil (Cantab), PGCE

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‘You can never make others cheerful by scolding them into it’ Cornelia Connelly

Make you feel at home Mayfield is a school built on the principles of trust, respect and love for each member of the community. We aim to nurture and celebrate each individual, but also to engender in our girls an awareness and appreciation of the needs and gifts of others. Good interaction between staff and students results from close personal relationships and we are justly proud of our pastoral care. Housemistresses, Matrons and Tutors work with academic staff, the Chaplaincy and Health Centre, supported by the domestic and administrative staff, to guarantee that each member of the community is cared for on a personal level. Importantly, staff also work closely with parents to ensure that their daughters are happy and thriving.

The concern the girls show for each other and those who care for them is testament to the community we have built here.

Day girls and boarders are integrated and all are welcome in the boarding houses. Many local girls choose to board because it is fun and helps build friendships. The boarding houses are intended to provide a home from home, during the school day and beyond. The busy evening timetable of activities, rehearsals, practices and supervised study, with the art block, music department, swimming pool and other facilities all open before and after supper, means life at Mayfield never stops. Weekends offer more matches, trips, and an ever-expanding range of additional activities, including the eagerly anticipated ‘socials’ with local boys’ schools.

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“I really like Mayfield because you grow so close to your friends. It’s not scary coming into Year 7 because the teachers are really nice and they care for you. My favourite thing about Mayfield?

That would be the girlie chats at break time!” – Hannah, Year 7

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‘Respond to life with joy, commitment and compassion’

Cornelia Connelly

Educate your mind, body, heart and soul Cornelia Connelly wanted to educate young women to respond to the ‘wants of the age’ in which they lived. She believed in providing a depth and breadth of education unusual at that time, but that remains important today. Our girls celebrate those who aspire to and achieve excellence. At the same time, they come to understand that individuals are much more than the sum of the examination results they achieve. We want our girls to be fully alive: as Cornelia said ‘to be open and sincere, lively and joyful, ready, foreseeing and active…[with] strength of mind and reason, so that their hearts may be governed and that all their actions may be guided by reason and virtue.’

Intellectual development does not happen in isolation: it is inextricably linked with physical, emotional and spiritual development, each of which is given equal weight at Mayfield. Time and space need to be allowed for this to occur naturally. We live in an era when the expectations placed on students are increasing; for a teenage girl, the pressures are particularly daunting. All the more reason why a sense of perspective and a clear moral framework are crucial.

The support the girls receive in lessons is replicated and reiterated in all that they do: in the words of encouragement, the supportive gesture, the extra time willingly given. As girls grow and move into our Sixth Form, the personal relationships they have with staff play a significant part in the quality of the experience they have here.

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‘Be yourself, but make that self what Our Lord wants it to be’

Find and nurture your unique potential At Mayfield, girls will find the space to be themselves, within a challenging, yet supportive environment. Mayfield girls learn how to combine rigorous academic studies with a diverse range of activities beyond the classroom, while also taking the time to be still and know God. Each individual will have opportunities to lead and take responsibility, to use her initiative and build on her own strengths, and those of her peers.

Individual progress is monitored to ensure that she is able to achieve to the best of her ability. Learning – inside and outside the classroom – will be nurtured in the way most appropriate for her. Each girl will be encouraged to set herself goals and with confidence, determination and the encouragement of teachers and friends, she will be able to achieve them.

When they come to leave, at the end of the Sixth Form, Mayfield girls have matured into educated and independent young women, confident in their beliefs and equipped to make a positive difference in the world in which they find themselves; challenging mediocrity and responding constructively to the demands of the 21st century.

Cornelia Connelly

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“My future? I’m aiming to become a neurosurgeon but music, drama and sport are so important to me. My harp, kickboxing and acting let me take a step back from the pressures of teenage and academic life. Mayfield has everything I want – it is so colourful: every day is different.” – Katharine, Year 11

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‘Grow strong in faith and lead fully human lives’

SHCJ constitution

Encourage your faith Mayfield is an inclusive community, welcoming those of all faith and none. Our Catholic faith is at the heart of all we do: it offers a framework of moral and spiritual values for pupils to take forward and share. All members of the community – including parents – are encouraged to participate in the liturgical life of the school, be it Sunday Mass or weekly liturgies. We are a community of faith travelling together, but each individual is at a different stage of the journey. We expect girls to take their own and other people’s faith seriously. In the same way that in the classroom we expect girls to engage, challenge and learn, so too we encourage them to question, reflect and respond to their faith, whatever it may be.

There are times and places for quiet reflection, but equally importantly the thriving chaplaincy team, lead by the Chaplain and actively supported by the Sixth Form, reflect Cornelia Connelly’s urging of ‘actions not words’ by a focus on faith in action.

Links with the wider community at home and abroad prompt positive reaction. Our girls have gained considerable media coverage for their engagement with challenging social issues, most notably raising awareness of the illegal trafficking of women and children. Fundraising for charities chosen by the girls, and community service such as visiting the lonely and infirm and inviting underprivileged children to visit for a ‘holiday’, are an integral part of Mayfield life. In giving of themselves, their time and emotion, girls receive more than they can imagine.

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“How do I feel about Mayfield? It rounds you, having a spiritual life and an academic life as well. You have the time to reflect on things and you can be quite open about your thoughts. There are no right or wrong answers at Mayfield, you can just be yourself.” – Flossie, Year 8

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“Make yourself all in all to them to assist them to advance in their way.� Cornelia Connelly

Teach you to learn and question Independent minds are formed by discipline and academic rigour. From the first day she joins us, we want each girl to begin to establish sound working habits and to develop a responsibility for her own learning. Such habits and approaches are crucial, if each individual is to fulfil her potential and achieve to the best of her ability. Our dedicated staff encourage girls to have high standards and to set themselves challenging goals, then guide and support each one in working to achieve those goals.

Of course, it is important to achieve the best possible examination grades, but there is more to education than simply achieving A grades.

Independent learners understand the importance of good examination results, but they should also have a sense of perspective, appreciating that there is more to the subjects they study and enjoy than the fraction upon which they will be examined.

Mayfield girls follow a broad and balanced curriculum up to and including GCSE level and can pursue a wide, eclectic range of subjects at A level: many choose to study a combination of arts and sciences. In fact, on average three quarters of Mayfield students choose to continue with at least one Science or Maths in the Sixth Form.

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“Actions not words� Cornelia Connelly

Give you the passion and the skill to craft In any discipline, it is only once an individual has mastered the basic skills that she is able to unleash a truly creative spirit. At Mayfield, girls are provided with a solid grounding and knowledge in a range of appropriate subject skills which, with expert guidance, gives each girl the confidence to establish her own style and unique personal response. Passion and skill have to be sustained and underpinned by effort and commitment.

Mayfield has a well-deserved reputation for artistic endeavour and achievement. In the Ceramics Department, for instance, not for us a limited range of clays, glazes and techniques: our ceramicists work with over 10 different types of clay, and girls who arrive here unfamiliar with the discipline, gradually become confident using a range of techniques! Most importantly, they learn what it takes to craft a piece and are inspired to produce their own breathtaking creations. In Textiles, one of our most popular extra-curricular activities, girls design and make everything from haute couture ball gowns to costumes for dance and drama productions. This is not a subject studied for examination but for sheer enjoyment and the opportunity for self-expression.

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“I just feel as if I could stay here forever. There is so much freedom for me to express myself. The teachers have helped me to develop my skills and ideas and encouraged me to be inspired by my surroundings, but they’ve always allowed me to make my own choices.” – Campbell, Year 12

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“We never know what we can do until we try”

Cornelia Connelly

Elevate your creativity Creative spirit is not limited to simply practical ‘artistic’ subjects.

At Mayfield girls are encouraged to think creatively, whatever they are doing. No subject can be studied effectively in isolation.

A good mathematician appreciates aesthetics; an artist must be disciplined and acknowledge the importance of perspective; in order to take liberties with the language, one has to know how to craft a sentence; time spent in prayer and reflection as a community can provide support in unexpected ways.

Mayfield has a rich cultural and religious heritage which informs all aspects of the life of the school. This is no more apparent than in the Music Department, where musical expression takes many forms. In addition to receiving instrumental and choral tuition, girls have the opportunity to be involved in school choirs, including Schola Cantorum, which has recently performed at York Minster and the cathedrals of Arundel and Ripon; and to be members of the many orchestras, quartets and ensembles which perform both in school and at public events such as the renowned Mayfield Festival.

The dramatic life of the school ranges from performances of classical favourites, to premieres of new material. The annual tradition of the ‘Live Crib’, accompanied by lessons and carols, is a re-enactment of the Nativity staged in the village and our medieval school chapel, with real animals and a real baby.

Organised by and starring our Prefects, it sits happily in a repertoire that includes everything from Shakespeare to new improvisation. Similarly, classical ballet to grade 8 and beyond is popular here, but girls also attend a range of dance clubs where they devise and choreograph their own contemporary routines.

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“Give me O Lord, a love full of action’“

Cornelia Connelly

Present you with challenges It goes without saying that girls should be and are challenged in the classroom. While what is learnt in lessons is important the skills, judgement and character-building opportunities experienced outside the classroom are equally significant and in addition will provide enduring friendship and memories.

Sport is a fundamental part of life at Mayfield and is timetabled for all girls, in addition to the varied extra-curricular opportunities available.

While many enjoy and benefit from the cut and thrust of competitive games – and Mayfield girls successfully represent their house, school, county and country in a range of sports from hockey, netball and swimming, to rounders, cricket and equestrian events – there is also the opportunity for sport to be played purely for enjoyment.

Girls are encouraged to be involved in a wide range of activities to stretch them literally and metaphorically! The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme is a popular activity and every year an impressive number of girls achieve their gold, silver and bronze awards: no mean feat when you consider the time and commitment required. Girls train and serve as life-guards, learn fencing, kickboxing and karate; enter debating competitions and run the student newspaper; cook, play chess, dive and more. In addition to language exchanges, we also offer a wide range of complementary trips and activities, recently including tennis in Florida, scuba diving in the Red Sea, a Geography field trip to Morocco, a History of Art trip to France and History trips to Italy and the Battlefields of Flanders. Such travel broadens horizons, strengthens relationships and creates new friendships.

Our relationship with the wider world is important. Girls are encouraged to foster links within the local community, both in being of service to the disadvantaged and marginalised but also in care for and stewardship of the immediate and wider environment. We are increasingly working with other schools in the Holy Child Network to provide opportunities for sharing resources and experiences.

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Equestrian Photo courtesy of – www.flashharryphotography.com

“What do I do? Everything! I really enjoy the lessons and I love the clubs here. The teachers are always ready to help me and the Lower School has an amazing atmosphere. We all get so involved in school life.” – Becky, Year 8

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“Let us never think that we have done enough”

Cornelia Connelly

And together we shall celebrate your achievements A Mayfield education provides academic excellence with a sense of self worth and social responsibility. A Mayfield girl will know the time and the place to work and to relax, to be serious and to have fun. To ask and answer questions is important; so too is the ability to inspire enthusiasm and confidence in others, to work well in a team but ultimately to be able to walk alone with purpose and integrity. A Mayfield education offers all these.

Beyond school, a Mayfield girl will take with her examination results that reflect her unique potential, and often surpass her expectations. She will have developed good working habits and a positive approach to learning. She will be prepared for a worthwhile and adventurous career, be it beginning with university or employment, confident that the choices she makes will shape a better future for herself and for others.

Perhaps more importantly, she will also take with her the friends she has made who will support her in the future, and the prayers of a community she has enriched during her time here.

‘Remember it is not sufficient to have begun well, you must also persevere with courage and finish with resolution what you have so happily begun.’ Cornelia Connelly

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Further information St Leonards-Mayfield School is set in the picturesque village of Mayfield on the border between the counties of East Sussex and Kent. Its large, rural campus includes a 14th century chapel; four boarding houses; an allweather pitch, riding school, indoor swimming pool and tennis courts; purpose-built Science and Music blocks; and a dedicated Lower School. A ten-year development programme will deliver further facilities in a sustainable manner that will retain and enhance the school’s rural tranquillity and beauty.

St Leonards-Mayfield School is an inclusive community which welcomes applications from families of all faiths and backgrounds. For more detailed information on the School and its admissions procedure, please refer to the booklet which accompanies this prospectus.

Please come and visit us. You will not be disappointed.

A26 M1

A21

M11 A1(M)

A228

Oxford M40

M25 A264

M25

Royal Tunbridge Wells

LONDON Reading Heathrow Airport

M4 M3 Basingstoke

A21

A26 M25

A267 Crowborough

A3 M23 Gatwick Airport

B2100 Royal Tunbridge A21 Wells Wadhurst

A23 Hastings A267 Brighton

Wadhurst

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The Old Palace Mayfield East Sussex TN20 6PH 01435 874642 admissions@mayfieldgirls.org

Design and photography Mark Pickthall – 07885 345 247

www.mayfieldgirls.org