I hope that browsing through this website will give you an idea of life at Mayfield: not least the expectations and aspirations we have for the girls who make this school such a lively, happy and successful place. Mayfield offers amazing opportunities, helping girls to challenge stereotypical views of what they can and should achieve.
Mathematics and the sciences are among our most popular and successful subjects at both GCSE and A Level and equally successful are subjects as diverse as Geography and Music. We also excel in areas traditionally considered to be ‘creative’: Mayfield produces world-renowned ceramicists, has a dynamic Drama Department and an enviable sporting tradition. The key to success is to encourage and nurture creativity in everything we do, inside and outside the classroom. This leads to girls choosing an eclectic range of option choices: Chemistry and Ceramics, or Physics and History of Art are not unusual A Level combinations. Most go on to Russell Group, Oxbridge or, increasingly, American and overseas universities, to study all manner of subjects from Architecture to Zoology, with a regular stream of Engineers, Medics and Vets, Lawyers and Economists.
At Mayfield, we accept every girl for who she is and instil in her the confidence to find her strengths - wherever they may lie - and build on them. Staff, who are experts in their field and passionate about their subjects, help provide the support and inspiration each girl needs to flourish. A Mayfield girl is challenged to set herself demanding targets and helped to find strategies to achieve them. We expect girls to think independently, to question their own and other people’s ideas, and to learn to make informed decisions.
Mayfield is a vibrant community. A wide-ranging extra-curricular provision complements learning in the classroom and girls are encouraged to try new activities. Our ‘Actions not Words’ Programme provides opportunities to be involved in service both in the local community and further afield, ensuring that faith in action continues to be an important part of Mayfield life. We want actions to be inspired by a sense of justice and integrity, sustained by faith and respect for others.
In joining us you will be welcomed into a community which dates back to 1872, when Cornelia Connelly and her Society of the Holy Child Jesus opened the School, and which reaches as far afield as our sister schools in Africa, America and Europe. Traditionally we have attracted pupils 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 forged here continue not only through school, but into the future, and we are proud to welcome successive generations back to Mayfield.
The following pages will give you an insight into the variety and diversity of school life, but I encourage you to come and experience it for yourself.
Miss Antonia Beary
Headmistress
