Stonyhurst is excited to announce a key development regarding the prep and senior school provision at St Mary’s Hall and Stonyhurst College. Following careful consideration and reflecting on both the needs of pupils and broader changes within the independent school sector, Stonyhurst is reconfiguring the two schools to make St Mary’s Hall for ages 3-11 and Stonyhurst College for ages 11-18.
This change will come into effect in September 2024, when Figures and Rudiments pupils (Years 7 and 8) will be welcomed into a newly designated space, Aloysius House, within Stonyhurst College. Boarding for these year groups will remain at St Mary’s Hall.
Part of the reconfiguration will involve investment and development to the facilities at both schools. Together with the works to Aloysius House, there will be redevelopments at St Mary’s Hall, including a dance studio and new Art & Design Room, refurbished science lab to accommodate Food Technology and redeveloped play areas. Stonyhurst College will also see new social areas, new classrooms and new Playrooms and a Family Room for use by parents.
The children will be supported every step of the way and careful consideration and planning has gone into how to best support their integration to the College.
Schools constantly need to reflect, innovate, and adapt in order to respond to the needs of young people. Throughout its 430-year history, Stonyhurst has embraced opportunities and change to ensure that it remains a leader in education. The school has moved location three times, extended and enhanced its curriculum, embraced co-education, and, most recently, adapted to virtual learning during a worldwide pandemic. This latest move is another chapter in this journey to ensure it maintains a strong and sustainable model to meet current and future demand.
Speaking on the decision, John Browne, Headmaster at Stonyhurst College, said:
“We are committed to delivering excellence in our academic, pastoral, co-curricular and spiritual provision. This is an exciting development for our school which will bring significant benefits to our pupils and place Stonyhurst in a strong position for the future.
“From a practical point of view, 11+ has become the most natural and common starting point for a secondary education, providing pupils with wider access to specialist teaching across our academic and co-curricular provisions. This change means that our Year 7 and 8 pupils will benefit from specialist teaching in all subject areas as well as access to the College’s wider facilities. Similarly, reconfiguring St Mary’s Hall as a 3-11 school provides a number of opportunities to develop several key areas, particularly for Prep and Elements children in Key Stage 2.”