Marymount International School is an

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 * Independe ...

day and boarding school for girls in

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...

, London, England. Founded by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary in 1955 it is open to children of all faiths or none. It is situated on a campus from central London. Marymount is a fully accredited

IB World School The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...

and is also accredited by the

Council of International Schools The Council of International Schools (CIS) is a membership organization aimed at international education. CIS was formed in 1949. It has over 1,360 institutional members consisting of over 740 schools and 610 colleges/universities, located in 122 ...

and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (USA). It is a member of the

Girls' Schools Association The Girls' Schools Association (GSA) is a professional association of the heads of independent girls' schools. It is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council. History The GSA can trace its history back to the Association of Headm ...

. As an

international school An international school is an institution that promotes education in an international environment or framework. Although there is no uniform definition or criteria, international schools are usually characterized by a multinational student body an ...

it attracts children from

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

families and also accepts local students.

History

Marymount International School was founded in 1955 by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary to educate children from the business and diplomatic community. In 1979 it became the first school in the United Kingdom to fully adopt the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB D ...

programme as its main curriculum of instruction.

Academics

Marymount has an excellent record in the

IB Diploma The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...

. In 2011, 20% of IB Diploma candidates received a score of 1 point or higher, placing them in the top 5% worldwide. In 2011 one candidate received a perfect score, a result achieved by less 0.2% of students worldwide. In 2008, one Marymount candidate received a perfect result of 45 points. In 2007, two Marymount IB Diploma candidates received the perfect score of 45 points, two of only 65 students in the world. Since, at least one student of the graduating class has received a full 45 points, often making them the class

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA) ...

Curriculum

Year groups are called "grades" rather than "years". Marymount follows the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for girls aged 11 to 18 and the

Diploma Programme The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry int ...

for the last two years.

Student life

Marymount is an international school which caters to a diverse student population and incorporates aspects of both the American and British educational traditions. The British-style blazer is part of the prescribed uniform and the

house system The house system is a traditional feature of schools in the United Kingdom. The practice has since spread to Commonwealth countries and the United States. The school is divided into subunits called "houses" and each student is allocated to on ...

is an integral part of student life. American nomenclature for year groups is used, meaning there is no "

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for ...

" as the final year of secondary education (age 17/18) is grade 12 rather than year 13 ("Upper Sixth"). Student leaders are elected into a "

Student Council A student council (also known as a student union, associated student body or student parliament) is an administrative organization of students in different educational institutes ranging from elementary schools to universities and research or ...

" and the head of the council is known as a president rather than head girl. In the middle of the school year, grade 10 and 11 students are elected into the

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

. A formal graduation ceremony is held at the end of the year to farewell grade 12 students.

Houses

The four houses are named after founders of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. *St Jean *St Constance *St Felix *St Croix

Boarding

Boarding is an option to all students and about a quarter of the student body are boarders. They are housed in four main halls and cared for by houseparents and a resident nurse. Younger boarders usually reside in triple rooms and older students are allocated either double or single rooms.

Pastoral Care

As a Catholic school, spiritual life is an important aspect of student life. Students are expected to attend chapel services and invited to actively participate. A

Sacrament of Confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

is held every two years. Students may also take part in community service projects through exchange programmes with its sister schools in the RSHM international network of schools.Spiritual Life

Notable alumnae

* Elizabeth Gill Lui, American photographer * Gail Zappa, wife of

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...

References

External links

School Website

eligious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, RSHM International Network of Schools
Profile
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MyDaughter MyDaughter was a British website set up by the Girls' Schools Association (GSA) offering advice to parents of daughters on all aspects of raising and educating girls. Advice was provided by headteachers from the member schools of the Girls' Scho ...

Profile
on the

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{{authority control Independent schools in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Independent girls' schools in London Educational institutions established in 1955 International schools in London International Baccalaureate schools in England Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association Boarding schools in London Catholic boarding schools in England Roman Catholic independent schools in the Archdiocese of Southwark 1955 establishments in England American international schools in the United Kingdom