(We Are One With God) , established = , closed = , type =

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

voluntary aided school A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In mo ...

, religious_affiliation =

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, president = , head_label = Headteacher , head = Penny Johnson , r_head_label = Deputy Headteacher , r_head = Dawn Collis , chair_label = , chair = Laurie Eve , founders = Sisters of La Sainte Union , address = College Avenue , city = Grays , county =

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, country =

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, postcode = RM17 5UX , local_authority =

Thurrock Council Thurrock Borough Council, usually known as simply Thurrock Council, is the local authority for the borough of Thurrock in Essex, England. Since 1997, Thurrock has been a unitary authority, combining the functions of a non-metropolitan county wit ...

, ofsted = yes , specialist =

Language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

, urn = 115239 , staff = 68 , enrolment = 656 , capacity = 620 , gender = Female , lower_age = 11 , upper_age = 16 , houses =

Deborah According to the Book of Judges, Deborah ( he, דְּבוֹרָה, ''Dəḇōrā'', " bee") was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel and the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. Many scholars ...

Lydia Lydia (Lydian language, Lydian: ‎𐤮𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣𐤠, ''Śfarda''; Aramaic: ''Lydia''; el, Λυδία, ''Lȳdíā''; tr, Lidya) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the mod ...

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

Esther Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...

, colours = Navy, Red and Gold , publication = The Convent Chronicle , free_label_1 = , free_1 = , free_label_2 = , free_2 = , free_label_3 = , free_3 = , website = https://www.graysconvent.school Grays Convent High School is a

voluntary aided A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation (charity), foundation or Charitable trust, trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influ ...

girls'

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

in Grays,

. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Brentwood's South Essex

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

, and is a specialist

language college Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the specialist schools programme (SSP) in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages. Schools that successf ...

. The school was originally founded in 1899 as the Convent Day School by the

Sisters of La Sainte Union des Sacrés-Coeurs The Holy Union Sisters, officially known as the Sisters of La Sainte Union Des Sacrés-Coeurs (the Holy Union of the Sacred Hearts), are a religious congregation of the Roman Catholic Church founded at Douai, France, in 1828, by Father Jean Baptis ...

and was located on Orsett Road. In 1906 the school relocated to the

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

situated in nearby College Avenue, which was located at the current school site. In 1969 it became a voluntary aided comprehensive, being expanded in 1972 with a student population of 666 by 1977. By 2003 it was a Beacon school and was providing a "very good" MFL curriculum, with students' results in French and Spanish being "well above average" according to

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...

. This likely led to the school's specialisation into a language college, which it had achieved by 2008. Since 2013 the school has a good Ofsted grade, previously being outstanding since 2008. The school's population has grown dramatically from its founding, originally only having three students on roll. Currently the school is oversubscribed with a capacity of 620 and a total population of 656 students as of 2021. All of these students are girls, with boys being excluded from the school's education. 21% of students are eligible for

free school meals A school meal or school lunch (also known as hot lunch, a school dinner, or school breakfast) is a meal provided to students and sometimes teachers at a school, typically in the middle or beginning of the school day. Countries around the world ...

and 24.2% speak

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

as a second language.

History

Convent Day School

In 1899

Archbishop of Westminster The Archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the metropolitan of the Province of Westminster, chief metropolitan of England and Wales and, as a matter of custom, is elected presid ...

Herbert Vaughan Herbert Alfred Henry Vaughan, MHM (15 April 1832 – 19 June 1903) was an English prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1892 until his death in 1903, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1893. He was th ...

requested that some Sisters of La Sainte Union arrive to the Grays Thurrock parish to teach in its two schools. Three of the sisters who arrived from France decided to found a new

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compar ...

on Orsett Road on 29 October. It was named the Convent Day School and originally had three students on roll. On 24 March 1906, the sisters relocated the school to the convent in nearby College Avenue, with plans to expand. However, the school's population remained extremely low, despite also accepting boys. In 1934 the school saw a rapid increase in popularity and student population because of the construction of a new

assembly hall An assembly hall is a hall to hold public meetings or meetings of an organization such as a school, church, or deliberative assembly. An example of the last case is the Assembly Hall (Washington, Mississippi) where the general assembly of the st ...

and some classrooms. Some parts of the school were destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In the 1950s these parts were rebuilt and another school expansion followed. The school became a voluntary aided comprehensive in 1969, which is likely when the school stopped accepting boys and became Grays Convent High School.

Grays Convent High School

In 1972 the Grays Convent High School was enlarged, this led to a student population of 666 by 1977. In 1989 most of the Sisters of La Sainte Union left the convent located on the school site, moving into the notorious

Dell Dell is an American based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies. Dell sells personal computers (PCs), servers, data ...

. This was done to give the school the ability to expand yet again, with an art block, music block and computer suite all being built. In 1995 Philip Kyndt was appointed headteacher, having been serving as deputy head beforehand. In 2003 Ofsted inspected the school, calling it "a very good school with excellent features. It gives good value for money. Standards are above average and achievement of pupils is very good." Sometime between 2003 and 2008 the school specialised as a language college and in 2008 it became an outstanding school after another Ofsted inspection in March. Ofsted described the school during this time as "very popular and heavily over-subscribed." It was also reported that most parents viewed the school as "excellent" and Headteacher Kyndt and his team were highly praised. Around this time two students at the school were in the country's top ten for

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

exam results. Kyndt would retire after teaching at the school since 1976 in October 2008. Philip Kyndt was succeeded by Ann-Marie Brister. Brister was previously the headmistress of fellow Catholic school,

New Hall School New Hall School is a Catholic co-educational independent boarding and day school in the village of Boreham in the City of Chelmsford, Essex, England. It was founded in 1642 in the Low Countries, now Belgium, by sisters of the Catholic order Cano ...

. At first the high standards at the Grays Convent continued to be maintained, with the school's 2010 GCSE results being its highest ever. However, in 2013 the school's results would drop by 10% and the school's Ofsted rating would fall from outstanding to good. In response, Brister announced that she would resign at the end of the year. Following her resignation the school's current head, Penny Johnson, was appointed in April 2014. After Johnson's appointment the school would yet again maintain its high standards, with the school's highest ever GCSE results being celebrated in 2015 and very high results being celebrated in subsequent years.

School structure

The Grays Convent High School is a smaller than average school, both in terms of student population and physical area. The Grays Convent claims that this allows them to "have the time to care, encourage and support all our students, each of whom are known by name." Counselling is offered both by the school and the Diocese of Brentwood. Staff meetings between the heads of

years A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hour ...

are regularly held, in which students are discussed and the provision of extra help and encouragement is considered for those who need it. Student progress is relayed to parents at least once a term. The school follows the traditional year group system present in most

English and Welsh "English and Welsh" is J. R. R. Tolkien's inaugural O'Donnell Memorial Lecture of 21 October 1955. The lecture sheds light on Tolkien's conceptions of the connections of race, ethnicity, and language. Publication It was first published in ''Angl ...

schools. Students begin at age 11 in

Year 7 Year 7 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is the seventh full year (or eighth in Australia) of compulsory education and is roughly equivalent to grade 6 in the United ...

and end school in

Year 11 Year 11 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is the eleventh or twelfth year of core education. For some Year 11 students it is their final year ...

, progressing a year at the beginning of each

academic year An academic year or school year is a period of time which schools, colleges and universities use to measure a quantity of study. School holiday School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which sch ...

. In

Year 9 Year 9 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England and Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is the tenth or eleventh year of compulsory education. Australia In Australia, Year 9 is usually the tenth year of compul ...

students begin GCSE coursework in

core subjects Core or cores may refer to: Science and technology * Core (anatomy), everything except the appendages * Core (manufacturing), used in casting and molding * Core (optical fiber), the signal-carrying portion of an optical fiber * Core, the centra ...

and choose their GCSE options. In

Year 10 Year 10 is the tenth year of compulsory education in schools in many countries including England, Australia, India, Northern Ireland, New Zealand and Wales. It is the tenth or eleventh year of compulsory education. It is approximately equivalent ...

and 11 students work upon what they have learned in

Key Stage 3 Key Stage 3 (commonly abbreviated as KS3) is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14. In Northern Ireland the ...

(years 7 to 9) and work towards their end of year targets, preparing for the GCSE exams in year 11. From Year 9 students can participate in the

Duke of Edinburgh Award The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...

, competing for bronze in Year 9 and silver in years 10 and 11. All students are placed into one of four houses, each named after biblical women who espoused the school's qualities that are taught to students. They are

(blue),

(yellow),

(green) and

(red). The houses are meant to promote community, healthy competition and participation in

extracurricular activities An extracurricular activity (ECA) or extra academic activity (EAA) or cultural activities is an activity, performed by students, that falls outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school, college or university education. Such activities a ...

. Pastorally, the houses determine the members and names of

tutor group A tutor group is a term used in schools in the United Kingdom to denote a group of students whose pastoral and academic needs are looked after by one tutor. This will happen either through regular tutorials, or on a more casual basis. A group of s ...

s and also provide a form of student voice. This is done through holding house committees and electing house captains from the student cohort in Year 11 and vice house captains in Year 10. The committees consist of house leaders and 12 students. They meet often and determine house events and assemblies. House competitions are held between the houses and a champion house is regularly crowned.

Notable former pupils

Polly Billington Polly Billington (born 1967) is a former BBC journalist who worked on the ''Today'' programme before becoming a special advisor to Ed Miliband. She was the media director for his successful bid in the 2010 Labour leadership election. Billingto ...

, journalist and political campaigner. *

Jessica Judd Jessica Warner-Judd (born 7 January 1995) is an English middle- and long-distance runner. She won two individual medals in the Under-20 and U23 age-group races at the European Cross Country Championships and a gold medal for the 5000 metres at ...

, cross country and middle-distance runner.

References

External links

School website

School's Twitter page
{{authority control Girls' schools in Essex Secondary schools in Thurrock Catholic secondary schools in the Diocese of Brentwood Voluntary aided schools in England Grays, Essex Educational institutions established in 1899 1899 establishments in England Specialist language colleges in England