Our Mission and Identity

Every child should be happy, secure, valued and confident. especially during the early stages of their life. At St Mary's Hall (SMH), our philosophy is to value every child as a unique individual, who enjoys learning and thinking for him or herself. We have a story that is more than 200 years old and we now sit at the cutting edge in prep school education with our traditions to support us.

We make the learning relevant through cross-curricular topics and child-centred learning and strive to be positive role models, providing a secure and enabling environment in which every child can flourish and learn at their own pace and in their own individual way. We encourage the growth of social skills and empathy amongst the children in line with the Jesuit Pupil Profile. The relationships which the children develop with each other and with our staff are central to their happiness and lay the best possible foundation for their future.

We recognise our pupils as citizens of a future world we do not yet know and seek to equip them for this world with creative and problem-solving skills.

Learn about Stonyhurst's ethos