Admission

St. Mary's Hare Park is a Roman Catholic Independent School and Nursery established as a Charitable Trust under the management of the Board of Trustees.
The school was founded to provide education for Roman Catholic children. However, the school has a rich, multi-cultural tradition and the Trustees will consider applications from families of other denominations/religions who are willing to support the ethos of the school.

Admission is open for girls and boys from 31⁄2 years to 11 years.

The Nursery admits children from 21⁄2 years.

Our small classes allow children to receive high quality teaching input and individual attention.  Qualified Classroom Assistants support in each year group further improving the already excellent adult:pupil ratio.

Aims

The aims of the school are to:

   foster the Christian traditions of the school and to maintain the ethos of caring and consideration for others.

   Encourage the children within a happy, friendly, working atmosphere to attain the highest personal, academic, social and spiritual standards. The children are supported in their preparation –- according to the wishes of the parents and the suitability of the pupil –- for entrance to local Secondary Schools and Voluntary Aided Schools and the examination requirements of the 11+ Consortium to Grammar Schools plus a variety of Independent and Boarding Schools.

Organisation and Building

The school buildings are pleasantly situated in two acres of beautiful grounds, approximately five minutes from Gidea Park Station. The beautiful "Old House" is of great local historic interest, being part of the estate of the original Grade II Listed Building, Hare Hall, and provides accommodation for the Early Years and younger Infants,

as well as a Music Room for our Peripatetic teachers who offer tuition in a wide range of string, woodwind and brass instruments.    Its original features have been maintained and nurtured whilst the building has been upgraded to the highest levels of modern safety standards.

The "New House", added as a purpose built extension in 1971, accommodates the upper Infant and Junior classes, specialist Art and Science Rooms. Both buildings feature fully equipped and well-stocked libraries. A large hall is used for Assemblies, Masses, and Services as well as Speech and Drama classes, Choir and Orchestral rehearsals and specialist P.E. lessons. It is also the venue for our locally renowned Summer Extravaganza Productions and Christmas Carol Services.

October 2005 saw the completion of ‘The Lodge’, our new Media Suite offering pupils access to well-resourced, networked ICT facilities plus a fully-equipped Specialist Music Room, where a vast array of musical and percussion instruments are complemented by a modern interlinked Keyboard Laboratory.  Whole class ICT and Music lessons, Orchestra and Choir are held in this large, modern, purpose built facility.

The Nursery building, completed in 1994, has been specially adapted to suit pre-school nursery children. Children in Early Years and particularly pre-school, are tremendously receptive learners due to their rapid growth and development.

Our Nursery and Early Years classes provide an interesting, friendly and stimulating environment in which our children can develop. Our curriculum incorporates learning through play, through practical experiences, exploration and enquiry, reflection and discussion and through early recording both as individuals and with others. The curriculum complements and adds to home experiences ensuring the spiritual, social, emotional, intellectual, aesthetic and physical development in each child.