The Marist School

"Living life in all its fullness" is the mission that runs through The Marist, a Catholic school founded in 1870 by Marist Sisters who travelled from France to England and, in 1947, settled their community on the Frognal Estate at Sunninghill, near Ascot. Today it educates girls from age 2 to 18, welcoming boys alongside them in the co-educational Nursery and Pre-Prep up to Year 2. It is a compact all-through school of around 447 pupils across every phase, which gives it an unusually close, family feel. Academically it punches well above its size: its GCSE results sit in the top 6.4% of schools in England and its A-level results in the top 9.1%. Under Principal Jo Smith, and now stewarded by Concept Education, it pairs selective entry with genuine breadth in sport, music and service.

The Marist describes itself as a family, and the phrase is more than branding. With fewer than 450 pupils spread from a two-year-old Nursery through to an A-level sixth form, staff know children by name across the year groups, and older girls routinely help with the younger ones. Five Marist values shape daily life: Presence, Simplicity, Family Spirit, Love of Work and In Mary's Way. They are Catholic in origin but plainly lived rather than merely printed, and the warm, trusting relationships between staff and pupils are the foundation of a school where children feel safe.

Service to others is woven into the culture rather than bolted on. Pupils volunteer, fundraise for charities and contribute to the local community, and this outward focus is presented by the school as a core tenet of its vision. The Catholic character is real: there is a chapel for prayer and reflection, faith is taught explicitly, and Mass and worship punctuate the year. At the same time the school is not narrow about it, providing a multi-faith prayer room that pupils value, a reflection of a family body that includes children of other faiths and none.

The youngest end of the school sets the tone for the rest. The co-educational Nursery takes children from age 2, and the site's woodland setting gives the early years and Pre-Prep generous outdoor space on the edge of the Ascot countryside. One practical marker of the school's ethos shows up early: qualified teachers deliver weekly swimming lessons from Nursery upward at no extra charge, so children are in the 22-metre indoor pool from their first years. It is a gentle, well-resourced start that feeds directly into the girls' school above.

Physically the school still centres on The Rosary, the original Frognal Estate house that first sheltered a community of twelve Sisters in 1947. Around it the site has grown steadily: the Marcellin Science block in 1991, the Fourvière Sports Hall in 2017, and a purpose-built VI Form Centre in 2023. In 2022 the Marist Sisters handed stewardship to Concept Education, which now runs the school while maintaining its Catholic mission, so families joining today are joining a heritage institution under relatively new ownership.

The exam results are the clearest measure of what this small school achieves, and they are strong at both key stages.

At GCSE, close to half of all entries (46%) were graded 9 or 8, the top marks equivalent to the old A*, and 68% reached grade 7 or above. In FindMySchool's proprietary rankings, built from official results data, that places the senior school 251st of 3,895 schools in England for GCSE results, the top 6.4%, well above the England average. That academic figure is ranked against every school in England with published GCSE results, state and independent. On the blended overall measure, which combines results with the FindMySchool inspection score, it sits 237th of 3,887, and 3rd of the schools ranked in its Ascot area.

The sixth form is where the pattern repeats at a higher grade band. Just over half of A-level entries, 52%, were awarded A* or A, against roughly 24% across England, and close to 78% reached A* to B, compared with about 47% nationally in England. Expressed as a ranking, the sixth form places 233rd of 2,562 schools in England for A-level results, the top 9.1% and well above the England average, with an overall position of 232nd of 2,561 and, again, 3rd locally in Ascot. For a sixth form of only a couple of dozen students, that is a high hit rate of top grades.

These are results-only positions and they relate solely to the exam-taking phases: GCSE to the senior school, A-level to the sixth form. The Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep years are not externally ranked, which is normal for the primary phase of an independent school.

Teaching is the engine behind those figures. Well-planned lessons delivered by knowledgeable teachers lead to pupils making good progress throughout the school and older pupils succeeding in public examinations. Class sizes are small by necessity given the roll, and the school tracks progress closely: a recently introduced tracking programme flags where pupils are falling behind so that staff can intervene early. Leaders have also run targeted improvement drives in phonics, coding and mathematics, the kind of specific, evidence-led work that a nimble school can move on quickly.

In the early years the approach is language-rich, and a whole-school focus on reading, writing and speaking builds strong linguistic skills from the Nursery onward, part of a broad and balanced curriculum covering all required areas of learning. That early grounding in phonics and language is one of the areas leaders have been sharpening through their improvement work.

Support for children who need more help is a stated strength. The school has identified 55 pupils with special educational needs or disabilities, one of whom has an Education, Health and Care plan, and provides one-to-one sessions, small-group work and practical aids such as coloured overlays. English is an additional language for 26 pupils, who receive extra support to access the curriculum. Both groups make good progress, which for a mainstream selective school is a meaningful commitment.

Stretch is built in at the top end. The senior Aim Higher Programme is designed to extend the most able, the curriculum carries a wide-ranging STEM strand, and sixth-formers can take the Extended Project Qualification, an independent research project that universities value. A wider Marist Diploma runs alongside lessons, asking pupils to keep a learning journal of their co-curricular life and complete a research project, which builds independent study habits before A-level. Marking and feedback are the one area still being tightened, with consistency varying across subjects, particularly in the Prep school and the sixth form, so that pupils are not always clear on how to improve. It is a refinement rather than a fault line, but a fair question for prospective families to ask.

The Marist is designed to carry a child the whole way through, and most of its transitions are internal. Children move from the Nursery and Pre-Prep into Reception and the Prep years, then into the senior school at Year 7, and the school's own Year 11 students who meet the grade requirements continue into its sixth form, alongside a small number of external joiners at Year 12. Progression is not automatic at every stage, since entry across the school is selective, but for a settled pupil the pathway is continuous.

At 18, the destinations are university-focused. In the most recent leavers' cohort of 17 students, 76% progressed to university, with the remainder moving into employment. The school reports that its A-level students reach their chosen universities, including Russell Group institutions, and in one recent cycle a student won a place at the University of Cambridge. Because the sixth form is small, the year-to-year Oxbridge and destination figures naturally move in single digits, so parents should read them as a pattern of strong individual outcomes rather than a large annual pipeline. The heavy STEM tilt among sixth-formers, historically about three-quarters taking at least one science, maths or technology subject, feeds into science, engineering and health-related degree routes.

Entry is selective and runs at several points: the Nursery at age 2, Reception, Year 3, Year 7 and Year 9, with occasional places elsewhere subject to availability. From Reception upward the main school educates girls; boys are welcomed in the co-educational Nursery and Pre-Prep through to Year 2, with nursery places offered first to girls continuing into Reception and to boys who are siblings of current pupils or children of staff and alumni. Assessment is by age-appropriate tasks and a taster or assessment day rather than a single competitive examination, and the school currently has availability in several year groups, so entry is realistic for a well-matched child rather than a lottery.

The Catholic foundation shapes the ethos but not, in the manner of an oversubscribed state Catholic school, the admissions gate. There is no Certificate of Catholic Practice or parish reference to produce: as an independent school the Marist admits families of all faiths and none who are comfortable with its Catholic life, which the multi-faith prayer room reflects in practice. Faith is a reason many families choose it, but it is not an entry hurdle. A non-refundable application fee applies when registering a child.

For the sixth form, places depend on GCSE performance, with the usual expectation of solid grades overall and stronger grades in chosen A-level subjects; the school sets its specific requirements each year, so confirm the current thresholds directly. To weigh up how a particular home sits for the daily journey, families can use the FindMySchool map search and saved-schools shortlist to compare the Marist against other Ascot and Windsor and Maidenhead options side by side.

Pastoral care is where a small school of this kind earns its fees. Inspectors judged safeguarding effective and described a culture in which safeguarding is treated as of the highest importance, resting on those warm, trusting relationships that let pupils bring worries to adults. The school frames its pastoral system explicitly around developing the Marist family and, in its own words, pupils' wellbeing and happiness.

Provision has been refreshed rather than left to run. The school recently launched a Wellbeing 2.0 programme, and spiritual and reflective activities such as a Bible journalling programme give pupils structured time for self-awareness. A house system runs through the school, visible in fixtures like the Inter-House Singing competition, giving girls a smaller belonging within the whole. Behaviour is good, with pupils showing understanding and respect for others, and the service ethos, volunteering and charity fundraising gives that respect an outward direction.

For a school its size, the Marist runs a strikingly full programme, with more than 100 co-curricular clubs meeting before school, at lunchtime and after hours, and four clear pillars stand out.

Sport is the headline. Netball is genuinely high-level here: the school has reached the IAPS national finals in seven of the last nine years and produced teams ranked 7th in the country in 2022 and 2023, with a U13 side placing 10th nationally in athletics in 2022. The facilities support the ambition. The Fourvière Sports Hall, opened in 2017, sits alongside a Sports Centre with a full-size netball and basketball court and four badminton courts, an astroturf beside the school woodlands that carries hockey and further netball, and a 22-metre indoor heated swimming pool. Swimming is taught weekly from Nursery upward at no extra charge, and the wider offer runs from hockey, football, cricket, rounders, athletics and handball to horse riding, ice skating, golf, rock climbing and paddle boarding.

Music is the second pillar and it is well-resourced for the roll. Teaching is based in Chanel House, a converted Frognal Estate building with two teaching rooms and practice spaces, backed by a Music Technology Suite of Macs running GarageBand and Sibelius and a recording studio opened in 2019. Thirteen visiting instrumental teachers deliver individual lessons, and around 120 students learn an instrument each week. Ensembles include a Jazz Band, a School Orchestra, a Choir, string quartets and a Senior Ensemble for advanced players, and the performance calendar is full: a Camerata Evening, the Christmas Carol Service, the Summer Concert, a Lourdes Concert, Open Mic Nights and the Inter-House Singing competition.

Drama is the third strength, and the results are quantifiable: every entrant in a recent LAMDA cohort gained a distinction. The Music and Drama departments combine each year on a whole-school musical with a large cast and orchestra, past productions including Grease and Beauty and the Beast, while a weekly Drama Club led by the VI Form Drama Captain and Head of Drama serves Key Stage 3, and a Technical Theatre Group teaches lighting, sound, costume, set design, stage management and directing. Pupils take part in the Shakespeare Schools' Festival and the National Theatre Connections Festival and work with visiting professionals including Frantic Assembly, The Paper Birds, Scene Productions and Stage-Ed.

STEM and enrichment complete the picture. Science is taught in the Marcellin block, a robotics lab extends coding and engineering, and pupils compete in the First Lego League and the Bebras Computing Challenge. Threading it all together is the Marist Diploma, under which pupils keep a learning journal of their co-curricular participation and complete a research project, alongside expedition opportunities such as the Borneo World Challenge in 2025 for students in Years 11 to 13.

Fees are charged per term. Senior school (Years 7 to 13) is £8,527 a term, which works out at roughly £25,600 a year. The Prep years (Years 3 to 6) are £6,986 a term, Pre-Prep Reception is £5,664 and Pre-Prep Years 1 and 2 are £6,181 a term. For Nursery fees, which vary by age and hours, families should check the school website; government-funded early-years hours are available to eligible families, and our guide to nursery funding explains how they work.

Financial help is more modest and targeted than at some larger independents. There is no headline means-tested bursary percentage published, but the school offers fee reductions to Armed Forces families and to children of its own teaching staff, and sibling discounts are generous: a 10% reduction for a second child and 35% for a third or subsequent child, which materially eases the cost for larger families. A non-refundable application fee applies at registration. Prospective families should confirm the current fees, discounts and any available assistance directly with the school before committing.

Historically a day school, the Marist is introducing flexi and weekly boarding from Year 9 upward, launching in Summer 2026, so this is a brand-new option rather than a long-established one. Boarders have access to a 24-hour health centre, the support of a housemistress and spiritual guidance from the chaplain, with three meals a day provided and use of the gym, swimming pool, robotics lab and sixth-form kitchen. For families drawn to the school but living beyond a comfortable daily commute, or juggling irregular schedules, the flexibility is a genuine addition, though as a new provision it is worth asking how it is bedding in.

The Marist runs an extensive wraparound offer through its more than 100 clubs, which meet before school, at lunchtime and after hours, useful for working families, and the Nursery and Pre-Prep provide early-years care for the youngest children. The school's specific daily hours are not published in detail online, so confirm start and finish times directly.

Transport is well organised for a semi-rural site. The school partners with Vectare to run its bus network, with routes serving Twickenham, Reading and Woking among others, live route tracking, real-time notifications and a postcode finder to identify the nearest stop; seats can be booked by term or by year. On site, a new dining hall, Central 55, opened in 2026. To judge travel and compare the Marist with nearby schools, families can use the FindMySchool map search and the local hub comparison tool.

Marking and feedback consistency. Inspectors asked the school to make marking and feedback more consistent across subjects, especially in the Prep school and the sixth form, so that pupils always know how to improve. It is a refinement of an otherwise strong picture, but worth raising at an open day.

A small sixth form. With a leavers' cohort of around 17, the sixth form is intimate. That means close attention and a strong grade profile, but a narrower peer group and potentially fewer subject-combination options than a large sixth form; check that the specific A-levels your child wants are offered and can be timetabled together.

The Catholic character is genuine and pervasive. Faith, worship and service are woven through daily life, not confined to assemblies. The school is welcoming to other faiths and none, and provides a multi-faith prayer room, but families who would be uncomfortable with regular Catholic worship and explicit religious teaching should look elsewhere.

New ownership and new boarding. The school passed from the Marist Sisters to Concept Education in 2022, and flexi and weekly boarding only launch in Summer 2026. Both are positive developments, but families should ask how each is settling in.

The Marist is a small, warm, academically serious Catholic school that gets a great deal out of its size. GCSE results in the top 6.4% and A-level results in the top 9.1% of schools in England are the hard evidence; the family atmosphere, the strong pastoral care, and the genuinely full sport, music and drama programmes are what parents will feel day to day. Netball reaching national finals, 120 students learning instruments, a whole-school musical each year and a service ethos that sends pupils out to volunteer all sit inside a body of fewer than 450 children.

It is best suited to families who want a close-knit, all-through education with a living Catholic ethos, from a co-educational Nursery through a girls' senior school and sixth form, and who value knowing that staff know their child well. The main considerations are cost, since fees run to around £25,600 a year in the senior school with only targeted financial help, and scale, since the small sixth form trades breadth of options for individual attention. For the right family, particularly one seeking faith, strong results and standout sport in one manageable school near Ascot, it is a compelling choice.