The findings of a report [1] which show that girls from single sex schools are almost two-and-a-half times more likely to study Physics A-level than girls who attend co-educational schools are supported by Cambridge’s only all-girls’ Sixth Form.
At St Mary’s School, physics is one of the most popular A-levels with 32% of Year 12 students studying it for A-level this year. This summer, 4.6% of the A-levels taken by students at St Mary’s were in Physics, in comparison to 1.4% for girls nationally [2].
This summer, 50% of the physics A-levels at St Mary’s were awarded an A* and a further 37% were awarded an A grade. Furthermore, one of the school’s A-level physicists has received a prestigious SHAP prize, awarded to the top scoring candidates in Edexcel A-level physics papers.
St Mary’s recognises the need to support girls in science, especially those who are keen to study Physics at A-level. In partnership with the Ogden Trust, the school offers a Sixth Form Science Scholarship for girls previously educated in the state sector to study Physics for A-level at St Mary’s. The award can cover up to 95% of the school fees, depending on parental income.
Charlotte Avery, Headmistress of St Mary’s School, said: “Physics excels at St Mary’s and I am delighted that our inaugural Ogden Trust Physics Scholar joined the school this year.
We are very keen to support girls in science in and organise a biennial Girls in Science Day for girls throughout the Eastern region from the independent and state sector.
The sciences generally are very strong at St Mary's: year-on-year our students buck the national trends and we receive outstanding results in subjects that are not traditionally dominated by women. "